Well the main difference between realism and formalism is that realism is when the movie is trying to show that their world is not tampered with, thus an objective shot of what the film is trying to show while formalism holds no such distinction. When shooting a realist film the filmmaker is more concerned with what is being shot as opposed to what is being manipulated unlike formalism where the directors, who are sometimes called expressionists are more concerned with showing their experience, as opposed to how others might see it.
This affects one viewing of the material as some enthusiasts tend to care more about a story that is not tampered with or that they could see walking down the street as opposed to movies that are different or imaginative. I, on the otherhand hold no pretense when it comes to movies. No, what makes a great movie for me is how it resonates with me and whether I can sit through it for two hours or more and then come back to it later on if I so choosed to. My preferences don't fall more towards action or comedy or drama or classics or new or foreign or domestic or cheap or expensive or who is starring in it or making it. I care more about what is on the screen and if it is a good movie that makes me cry, laugh, think, feel, happy, mad, or pumped then I am going to put myself behind it and I will take two hours or more out of my day to watch it or spend the necessary dollars to see. For instance, a couple of weeks ago my girlfriend and I were in Savannah and the Savannah film festival was there and on that particular day 127 hours was showing, and I have been wanting to see that ever since I saw the trailer. Unfortunately, the festival has been sold out for weeks, but the theatre has a line where people can wait to see if there are empty seats. So we got there 2 and a half hours before it started and we were still the 4th couple in line, but we waited the entire time and we ended up seeing it and loving it. The same thing happened with a friend and I when we wanted to see the midnight showing for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban but we weren't allowed to see a midnight showing due to our age, but we waited and we eventually found a couple who took pity on us. The point being it could be a huge movie that billions of people will see like Harry Potter or considerably less like 127 Hours, if the movie strikes a chord then that will be the movie I will go to any lengths to see. And probably the two films that have most influenced my film watching have been Bridge on the River Kwai and 12 Angry Men. Those movies were just it for me with their stories, directing, and acting that transcended anything else. Seeing movies like these that are just different and breathtaking make everything else seem better after you've seen the work that goes into movies like these and more and the result they can put on reels. I believe cinema is there to make everything else seem better, if its how much better our life is or look what this person did, or just how amazing something is, and its that amazing because people like us, members of the audience, grew up and did what they saw 20, 30, 40+ years prior. Cinema is that escape.
Interesting stuff, Greg. I probably wouldn't have guess that those two films would have made such impact on you. I actualy thought about showing Bridge next year. I'm pretty fond of it, though not sure it's one of my very favorites. Still...a good choice!
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