The Power of Film

I just watched the video of The Way Things Go, by Peter Fischli and David Weiss. It was interesting to watch how everything synched up to cause the chain reactions.  Part of me was horrified at all the fire and pyrotechnics displayed.  All I could think of was the possibility of the building catching on fire.  I know, I know – that takes all the fun out of it but that’s what I initially thought.  I wasn’t that impressed until I started researching what it took to make the video, I read that it happened over a two-year period, all separate events filmed to create the final video.  What was surprising to me was that it was a number of different shots and not just one long transaction.  That’s dedication, isn’t it?  I actually think the process of making the video was more impressive than the final result.  You can look up additional information on the Guggenheim website https://www.guggenheim.org/blogs/checklist/joy-suspense-and-the-way-things-go   and even Wikipedia, my go-to place for quick information https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Way_Things_Go.

What’s one of my favorite films?  Well, I like so many but one that stands out for me is Avatar.  The effort that went into creating this other world just blew me away.  The vivid colors, the floating islands, the creatures that walked or flew – how could you not be impressed?  The tall blue people that just wanted to live their lives as they always had – did you see the relationship to the greed of people of today, how easy it is to destroy in the name of progress?

Kingdom of Heaven is another one of my favorites.  I love the historical aspect and the way they depict one period of the Crusades and the fight over Jerusalem.  It inspired me to read more about the Crusades.  Did you know there were nine separate events over the years between 1095 and 1291?  I also read about Jerusalem and how often it’s changed hands since time began.  It wasn’t just about religion; it was also about land.  To me, it’s fascinating and this movie just fueled my interest.

I also loved the Downton Abbey series.  It did such a great job of showing the different classes of society and how they interacted, or not, with each other.  It depicted the years between 1912 – 1925, showing the impact on the daily lives of the people, both upstairs and down, starting with the sinking of the Titanic, then the First World War, not to mention many other key events.  It was fascinating from a cultural perspective.

I could go on and on but I’ll save the rest of my movie list for another day!!