www.thewrap.com: “Take a good look, my dear. It’s a historic moment you can tell your grandchildren about—how you watched the Old South fall one night.” That’s perhaps not the most famous line from the 1939 classic “Gone With the Wind,” but it’s possibly the most cutting example of the complicated legacy contained within it.
3 comments:
The article about film schools embracing a more conscious approach underscores the significance of contextual relevance in both film and theater. In contrast to movies, theatrical performances are inherently dynamic and rooted in the contemporary moment. The choice of a play to produce becomes a delicate process because it is not just about reflecting the past, but also about engaging with the present. Theater is live, offering an intimate and immediate connection with the audience. This real-time engagement allows for a unique opportunity to address current societal issues, providing a platform for commentary, reflection, and even social change. Theater's ability to remain in the now and adapt to evolving contexts is its strength. It makes each performance a dynamic dialogue between the creators, the actors, and the audience. This dynamic quality reinforces theater's role as a mirror to society, echoing and addressing the challenges and triumphs of the contemporary world. It's a reminder that the arts, whether in film or theater, have a vital role to play in reflecting and shaping the narratives of our time.
Most arts, including theatre, films, songs, art pieces, are almost always created with a purpose, whether to address a current problem, an ongoing problem or controversy, or something someone experienced. Film schools are approaching films with contextual relevance with more caution, but as explained in the article, it is very difficult to fully do that. And I also agree with the article, if the film or production doesn’t align with your views or make you uncomfortable, there are always more films and productions out there that you can watch that will align with your views, and that you will enjoy. It’s really hard to fully approach and make a film will full context relevance, because there are always holes in the research, but I feel like if someone who knows about the topic watches the film and can’t find major mistakes in the film, its sufficient to enter the market.
I think that this is a very important article that touches on very prominent issues in the film world, but the art world and life as well. As the article talked about, there are many films that are cinematically brilliant and well done that can be utilized in order to teach important techniques or concepts. It happens though that a lot of the classic movies are also problematic. With racist, sexist, or homophobic messages, it is not uncommon for films like these to relay hateful messages which are simply not okay. As the article states, it is very important for professors to point this out during classes so that students understand that they do not condone these aspects of the film. I think it is also important that students are told ahead of time what sensitive content they will be exposed to while watching the film. I know that as a person of color, some class discussions have made me uncomfortable, being understanding to this is vital.
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