[I WILL BE DISCUSSING CRUCIAL AND ENDING SCENES FOR THESE FILMS. IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THEM, PLEASE DO YOURSELF THE FAVOR OF ENJOYING THEM UNSPOILED BEFORE READING THIS POST]
While watching a couple of favorite films over the weekend I was reminded as to why I keep popping them into the DVD player and enjoying them thoroughly no matter how many times I’ve seen them. Then I remember seeing them for the first time in the theaters and that’s when I start to get angry.
It has long been said that people are going to the movie theaters less frequently preferring their big screen TV’s and surround sound systems at home to the often times overpriced and infuriating experience of a Cineplex. When you stay at home the experience is consistent; your comfy couch is always comfy, snacks are plentiful and your movie is always in perfect view. When you go the the movie theater the comfort of your seat varies greatly, snacks are borderline robbery and getting a good seat is a roll of the dice. Then there’s the audience…
Going to the movie theaters is more of a social experience designed to amplify your enjoyment of the latest celluloid creation. Sadly that is far from the case unless you actively seek special screenings for film lovers or hit the indie house circuit. The average audience is a mixed bag to say the least. Some go to make fun of the latest “popular thing” unable or unwilling to let themselves and those around them enjoy it (just because you don’t like it doesn’t give you license to be a DICK). Others go as a means to escape their lives yet bring said lives with them (when the hell was taking your toddler to the re-release of The Exorcist a good idea?). Finally there are those who think that the theater is merely an extension of their home and proceed to behave in any indulgent manner they wish (why are people STILL talking to the screen?).
Even if you get a decent audience their ability to understand or connect with the film is not always the same as yours. That’s where my anger starts. Two movies I saw over the weekend on DVD were also two movies that were marred by my theater experience.
The first one, which everyone should recognize in one form or another, is Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet. This Shakespeare via MTV creation was surprisingly good. Baz mixed in his love of music (which was refined to epic levels in Moulin Rouge) with fantastic actors (both newly minted and grizzled veterans) into a hyperkinetic, visually stunning, reboot of the classic tale.
This was my first introduction to Luhrmann’s work (I now own his Red Curtain Trilogy) and I remember it blowing me away in the theater. The curious intro of a television set coming closer while reciting the iconic prologue only to be followed by a smashing wall of sound, images and words, only to end with the title, massive white blocked letters searing the start of the film into your eyes. I was hooked from the get go.
We all know how this tale ends with the star cross’d lovers dead in each others arms. When Romeo takes his poison only to find Juliet alive, the moment is powerful indeed. Juliet lets out a cry of utter despair that stems from the base of her very soul. This moment, moving and poignant, was destroyed by an audience that failed to recognize it for what it is. They laughed, uncomfortable in their ignorance, choosing to deflect instead of absorb. Watching that same scene now I can still remember how much their reaction upset me.
The second film is a more recent one, but still dealing in dark moments. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is what many consider a turning point for the franchise when the magic and wonder of youth is left behind for the grim reality of Voldermort’s return.
Based on the 4th book in the series this is the tipping point for Harry’s world. Somber color palettes, harrowing challenges and a pervasive sense of dread saturate this complex little film which valiantly tries to sow the seeds that are to be reaped several films later.
This is extremely heavy material for the series to deal with, but something the fans have been waiting a long time for, the top of the main story arc right before we rocket toward the inevitable, a climactic battle between Harry and Voldemort.
Again the film builds toward a defining moment when we see just how high the stakes are for Harry. After a fierce confrontation with the Dark Lord himself, Harry teleports back to Hogwarts with Cedric’s body in tow (at the behest of Cedric’s spirit). Wracked with the pain of the battle, the pain of seeing his parents and the pain of his friend’s death, Harry collapses onto Cedric’s body crying with every ounce of his being. The crowd slowly realizes all is not well and Diggory’s father joins Harry in his wails of grief.
What does the audience do in this pivotal scene? Laugh. Laugh at Harry’s tears, laugh at Cedric’s father crying “My Boy!”, laugh at everything meant to move the human heart. Again they expel their own discomfort by shattering the carefully crafted emotional resonance of the scene.
These are just a few of the reasons why I now dread going to see films in the theater. Unless it’s a comedy or action extravaganza, which tend to be the safest choices in the public arena, I worry whether or not my experience with a film will be ruined by the uncaring and thoughtless.
There’s a scene in House of Sand and Fog that made me cry. Not welling up in my eyes to be easily sniffed away, but full on tears streaming down my face. That one moment was full of such naked honesty and raw emotion that you’d have to be dead inside not to understand it. If I had watched that scene in a theater instead of (thankfully) at home, I think I would have gone into a rage at someone destroying my connection to the moment with their inability to comprehend it.
This isn’t always 100% the case, I was able to enjoy the emotional impact of The English Patient in a theater, yet that was a rare instance where the audience was really an audience. I don’t know what changed the general populace’s ability to feel with their movies whether it comes from a change in emotional maturity or a need for simpler, less engaging fare. King is a Fink (aka Jessica & Julie) try their hand at this puzzle, but I’m not sure if it’s Hollywood training alone that has created this audience deficit.
I feel as if some wire has become disconnected within the cultural consciousness, like we’ve returned to the times of Rome when bread and blood would appease the plebeians who had long grown apathetic to anything other than the baser pleasures.
HAVE YOU HAD THE EMOTIONAL POWER OF A SCENE RIPPED FROM YOU BY CALLOUS MOVIE PATRONS? DO YOU THINK AUDIENCES WILL EVER RE-ENGAGE ON A DEEPER LEVEL WITH THEIR FILMS?
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
As you and I have discussed multiple times in our long, ever rewarding, friendship either I’m getting old or people just suck (I know, not my finest choice of words). The days of us waiting an hour in line on a Friday night to watch a movie on opening weekend are OVER. My husband and I only go to movies now in the middle of the week (only while school is still in session–not summer break) or at the first available showing on a Sunday morning. That’s it. Finito. We haven’t set foot inside a theater on a Friday or Saturday night since we started dating 6 years ago and it was the prerequisite date thing to do. We also sit in the last row of the theater right in front of the projector just in case a crowd does form–that way no one sits behind us and chit-chats the entire time. Due to the highway robbery that is going to the movie theater ($10 per ticket, popcorn/soda/nachos $22!?!), we have been forced to only see films that must absolutely we watched on the big screen (and anime or animated movies–I’m a fan). And when available on the expensive IMAX we hit that. Next up for us is Alice and How to Tame your Dragon (both IMAX 3D).
Unfortunately, going to the movies has become a stress not a joy like it used to be. I have told people the following at least 3 times: “I’m sorry ma’am but I didn’t pay $20 to listen to your child scream his head off, would you please take him outside?” At Avatar, as the movie theater darkened for the commercials and previews, the theater was packed of course and a couple asked us to move over one seat so they could sit together I said politely: “No, I’m sorry I won’t move over. We got here early and waited in line and picked out the seats we wanted where we wanted them to be. To me, this is the perfect seat. We will gladly pass your popcorn back and forth if you like.” They gave me a dirty look and moved on mumbling about me being a B. Whatever.
I think it’s more about the “I don’t care about anyone else, but me” attitude that plagues the majority of society. They believe they are so important that they MUST answer that phone or text or tweet or have a conversation. Again, I’m not paying $20 to be your friend or listen to you talk to your mom on the phone or get blinded by your iPhone or hear the words “Dude, I can’t talk right now, I’m in a movie. Yeah, I’ll call you when we get out” or hear about how OMG that fugly Edward is soooo dreamy as I’m trying to immerse myself in a movie. (BTW I have yet to see that Twilight flick but I did see a clip about his skin being shiny and look how I sparkle! I wanted to obfuscate myself right out of the room or spend a blood point to cry a tear of blood for subjecting myself to that BS.
)
Due to our precautions, we have been able to avoid the average movie patron so our experiences have not been marred–if you’re at the theater at 10am on a Sunday morning you really want to see that movie. If you hear someone sniffling and crying at the sad parts, it’s probably me–I get totally emotionally immersed and have been known to weep openly. (Up is the most recent that comes to mind). Just pass the tissues.
Twitter: gabrielnovo
February 17, 2010 at 12:45 pm
***Stolen from Facebook***
Doug Williford: Nicely written, Gabriel. And I completely agree. I went to see A Single Man recently here at The Angelika which is an art house. The guy to my left turned in his seat to stare at me for the emotional scenes near the end. I wasn’t sobbing or moaning, just wiping my eyes. It was intrusive to say the least.
Teresa: your article reminded me of when I went to see Return of the King in theaters. I saw it 3 times there, and each time I had the same experience with people. being a J.R.R. fan, I was totally moved by the ending, while everyone else was not.
In the ending scenes when it would fade in and fade out to tell the closing story people literally were sighing in frustration and mumbling that it was “the movie that never ends.” Honestly, if you pay high prices for a flick then milk it for all its worth. Rushing it wouldn’t justify it.
And then the scene when Frodo & co. are pretty much sobbing when Frodo is saying his fair wells to head to the Undying Lands was pretty hard to get through. I dunno how many times I heard the words “fags”, “homos”, “gays” etc. being said in that one scene… All because fictional male characters were expressing sorrow in a goodbye? Really? I wanted to rage….
The only reason I put up with going to the movies is because I like sitting in a big chair staring at an even bigger screen. But if I was allowed to go Grand Theft Auto on people in the theater I would.
/end essay
I must say I am thankful for Japanese audiences, at least as I’ve experienced in my small town. Very quiet, very polite, it’s as if I’m there all by myself (and a lot of the times I am). If anything I feel a bit strange watching comedies that are hilarious, but the jokes don’t translate and I’m the only one laughing. This is a shocking post. It relates to something I notice every time I go back to the States.
It definitely depends on where you live, and often, on what time you go to the movies. I hate crowds, so we go to matinees and have dinner with the 4:00 pm crowd. This assures that the audience is mostly older folks, who tend not to make too much noise in the theatre.
On the other hand, when watching films with my students, they are incredibly verbal about their experiences. At first I didn’t like this, but it definitely helps me gauge what’s happening in their heads while watching a film. Oftentimes, sad endings will elicit an immature response, particularly from the boys – and this allows me to address what happened in the film and how it made them feel and why the filmmaker made certain choices, etc. Of course, when we pay to see a film, we have no such obligation to our fellow audience members.
I do, however, think it speaks to people’s growing need to interact with their entertainment, which is something filmmakers must contend with to stay relevant.