Saturday, April 2, 2016

fabulous friday // wait until dark : some thoughts

I'm having a little celebration here, because I found my glasses that had been missing for a week (they were in my jacket pocket... alas, warm weather.) I didn't realize how much I'd miss them. I've had contacts to wear, so it wasn't like I was totally stuck (my worse eye is like 20/60 so it's not like the end of the world) but I didn't realize how much I would miss the actual glasses - having them on to focus or off to relax, it's become a sort of ritual. and rather comforting. I don't know, that sounds weird, but I appreciate my glasses a lot.
Last night some of my sisters and I watched Wait Until Dark yet again in (more or less) celebration of my sister's 18th birthday. The last sister who turned 18 pulled an all nighter an we watched five hitchcock films - our first - that turned us into avid fans. But that's another story... ♥

Not only did I claiming the prize for keeping my eyes open the Entire Movie - excluding blinking + a brief visit upstairs to assure my brother my parents did not mind him staying up with my other sisters to finish watching cupcake wars, even if he had finished his andy griffith episode - I was also extremely drawn in by trying to figure out who knew what (you, as the viewer, know almost everything.) I was again totally amazed by the fantastic plot, ay-mazing lighting, and even the Audrey Hepburn portraits in the background. After studying photo after photo of Audrey Hepburn in prep for a senior photo shot (finished editing those today so keep an eye out for them!) I recognized famous photographs in the background - which naturally left me inspired anew. Man, she's gorgeous!

But we also watched an interview, A Look In The Dark, with Mel Ferrer and Alan Arkin (the main bad guy,) who had some fantastic points to make. One of which my mother has been saying for years, and I thought he summed it up very well...

"... The more you show people, the less work they have to do, and part of the theatrical experience is what you bring to it. We're not coached to bring anything to the experience any more. If you're watching a scene where someone is getting beat up behind a couch and you can't see it very well, then your mind goes to all your own personal nightmares and what could be going on behind the couch that you can't see... and that feeds your own emotional life. But if you see every graphic moment then it lets the audience off the hook so they're not sharing the experience of what's going on or contributing anything to it." 


and that, in a lot of ways, is why my mom has always limited the movies we watched in general because it does stunt your creativity, as apposed to books which grow and strength that creativity and your empathy. 

...Your thoughts?

2 comments:

  1. wow, i love that! it's true, many movies show and give away too much, they're "easy" to watch and understand and so you don't really engage with them fully. they don't require you to think whilst watching them. it's why i love m.night shyamalan movies because they can be quite thought provoking.

    in terms of kids movies, i actually think holes is quite a good one for encouraging kids to have to think about the storyline.

    i've never really watched older movies but i really think i should explore it more. i've seen of mice and men and a streetcar named desire - those i watched for english essays but i quite enjoyed them!

    which would you suggest for a total newb?

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    1. I've never seen holes, but I loved the book! It was definitely thought-provoking.

      Oh, man, it's hard to pick a favorite! as for b&w movies: Casablanca (like the best everr) sabrina, roman holiday, rebecca, stangers on a train and my favorite christmas movie: it's a wonderful life.

      most recently I've really been loving technicolor movies: charade, rear window, Rope, wait until dark... the lists is ever-growing. ;)

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