Movie in Art Form
Essay Preview: Movie in Art Form
Report this essay
As cliché as it sounds, art cinema is art in the form of film at its finest. The purpose of art film is to tell a story, using the story as the process. Today the incentive behind most movies is to make the next blockbuster film. This means more explosions, more sex, more comedic relief, and less story telling. Very few movies made today would be considered art cinema. Typically, we have to look to the past to find examples of this type of film making. Art cinema is mostly compared and rivaled to classic narrative cinema. The two types of films are almost complete opposites in their characteristics. However, the biggest difference between the two is the visions behind them. By analyzing and breaking down films such as The History Boys, The Shining, North by Northwest, and several other Hitchcock films, one will be able to understand the major differences between classical narrative cinema and art cinema and what makes a work of film, an art film.
Art Cinema has historically been compartmentalized as independently made films with a small specialized audience. Small audiences, It has further been categorized as film that must include social realism, as seen through the director, with a focus on the thoughts and dreams of the characters, in contrast of a presentation of a clear, goal-driven story.[2] Film scholar David Bordwell has stated “art cinema itself is a [film] genre, with its own distinct conventions.” [3] While this may stay true, the ideas that it must stay in small theatre, not appeal to the masses and not have strong backing is no longer true. “Since art films have small initial investment costs, they only need to appeal to a small portion of the mainstream viewing audiences to become financially viable”[4] another typical “dictionary” description, is no longer an exact and true definition. Art cinema, as Art, should not be placed in such a small box as to exclude films that push the walls of these boxes. The modern day art cinema, art film et al, appeals to a larger and larger audience base and offers the movie viewer a more eclectic and thought-invoking mindful experience.
First off I feel it is necessary to say that art cinema is not in itself a genre. When I say this, what I am stating is, just because two films are considered to be art cinema it does not mean that the characteristics of the plot, the characters, the setting, or the story itself will be related at all. The primary focus of art cinema is to focus on the unfolding of the story as if it was to be happening right in front of you. In art film, a huge emphasis is put on realism. In comparing classical narrative cinema versus art cinema, there needs to be an understanding of what makes them so different from one another. The genre of an art cinema film is usually used as a jump-off. This means that genre of the film is either misleading or unclear. This is the major difference between art cinema and classical narrative cinema and the most used difference. Almost every classical narrative cinema film has a genre that is known and apparent before the film even starts
There are several characteristics that make art cinema an art form instead of just “entertainment”. One major attribute of cinema art are the characters themselves and their development. There are certain traits, behavioral patterns, and internal and external conflicts that are specific to characters in an art cinema film. The movie The History Boys, directed by Nicholas Hytner, is a perfect example of the complexities of the characters in art cinema. The characters of an art film “confront various antagonists or problems, but the antagonists and problems are not always so clear-cut, for example, so obviously evil” (CTVA 210, Film Aesthetics: Readings). This was very apparent in the film The History Boys.
The main characters in this movie, a group of boys at a college prep school, faced many obstacles. However the severity and importance of the obstacles were either skewed or they were unclear. The first faced obstacle (and probably the most distinct) is whether or not any or all the boys will be accepted into Oxford or Cambridge. However, as the movie progresses this “obstacle” becomes hidden behind many of the others that surface throughout it.
As the movie moves forward the audience finds out that the boys mentor, Hector, who the boys seem to adore and hold up to high prestige, has been sexually harassing them during the nightly trip home from school on the back of his motorcycle. Normally, without question, a character who acts in such a way would be labeled an obvious villain and this problem would be a major plot line. However, in this film Hector is likeable and his actions, though dishonest and morally wrong, almost seem to be overlooked – even by the audience. This type of depiction is unique to art cinema. The way the film portrays Hector makes it unclear whether he is the villain or not. The film showcases his positive influence over the students and his passion for helping them achieving their dreams. Also, the students attitudes towards Hector makes it confusing for the audience to decipher exactly what is going on and what role Hector is to be perceived as. Another antagonist, a new teacher named Irwin, comes to the school to help better prepare the boys for their admissions essay. He challenges every answer the students come up with and constantly is criticizing them to think outside the box. However, although he is rivaling Hector and is breaking the boys morale, it is hard to tell if he is the enemy or not. The lines are blurred in art cinema when it comes to singling out a villain and/or a distinct obstacle in the plot line.
Another characteristic of art cinema is that it is explicit when it comes to sexuality. This differs from classical narratives because they emphasize more on violence. The History Boys is another classic example of the focus of sexuality in art cinema. Sexuality, particularly homosexuality, is a huge underlying plot line of the movie. The films main character of the movie is Dakin, a good-looking and extremely bright boy who seems to have everything going for him. He finds himself sexually infatuated with his new teacher Irwin and wants to reward him for his teachings with sexual favors. Dakin in no way considers himself homosexual and the film also shows him exhibiting healthy sexual relationships with women. He explains his sexual advances towards Irwin as just simple attraction, both mental and physical, and as a form of gratitude. What is surprising is Irwins acceptance of Dakins offer. One of the other students in the film also has homosexual feelings however these are directed toward Dakin himself. These feelings are more of love and companionship than of experimentation and physical attraction. And of course there is the inappropriate, taboo