I take profit of this space of freedom
to talk about subjects that may not be directly related to
photography, but to art more generally.

I’m 47, grew up with the early
Superman, Star Wars and E.T. Movies. And I was wondering why I got so
bored watching the new era superheroes movies. As much as I
appreciate the Iron Man like any other guy, it’s mostly
because of the colourful character of Tony Stark.

But I couldn’t help finding most of
the Marvel movies boring.

And, unpopular opinion : I find the
Lord of the Rings soporific.

Yes, maybe the John Guillermin King
Kong might appear clumsy according to the actual standards, but why
have I been terrified and moved to tears by his version, and admiring
only the special effects team for those made after that ?

There might be several reasons.

One of them is the over abundance of
CGI. Usually brilliantly executed, they paradoxically tend to
withdraw the magic out of the reality.

Computers shoo away imagination.

The surge of the spectacular is a the
expense of the emotion.

A thought came to my mind as I was
caught rewatching Rocky II on tv (that’s a sign : if you go on
watching a movie you’ve seen a million times, there is something).

First of all, during long minutes,
there is no music. Throughout different scenes, no notes to command
and direct your feelings. You face the dry and raw reality.

The direct consequence is that
dialogue is highlighted. It’s not a bunch of useless words uttered
without intent.

In Rocky II, there is this scene when
Mickey asks Rocky to chase a chicken.

The lines are not bombastic
proclamations overly written. Words are plain and simple.

It allows them to be heard and
understood. There’s no superfluous grease around the meat. It lets
the viewer fully grasp their true meaning, even sometimes hidden
between the lines. The spectator is involved. He could have said
those sentences. He feels them.

He is not excluded like in the
numerous modern movies, with their predictable and overly heard
situations.

Compare those lines :

MICKEY

Now,
listen, you start fighting right-handed, and then you change
suddenly, and that’ll make history, but first you gotta get
speed. Demon speed. Speed’s what we need.
We need greasy, fast
speed!
Now, I’ll show you a trick how to get some speed in them
legs.
Do you have to wear that stinking sweatshirt?
ROCKY

Well,
it brings me luck, you know.
MICKEY

You
know what it brings?
It brings flies.
Now, listen, I want you
to try…
Listen to me.
I want you to try to chase this
little chicken.
ROCKY

Well,
what do I gotta chase a chicken for?
It’s embarrassing, you
know.
MICKEY

First,
because
I said so.
And second, because chicken-chasing is how we always
used to train in the old days.
Yeah.

And
these ones :

COUNCILMAN

This
is out of line, Director.You’re dealing with forces you can’t
control.

FURY

You
ever been in a war, councilman?In a fire fight? Did you feel an over
abundance of control?

(…)

COUNCILMAN

We’re
running the world’s greatest covert security network and you’re
gonna leave the fate of the human race to a handful of freaks.

FURY

I’m
not leaving anything to anyone.We need a response team. These people
may be isolated, unbalanced even, but I believe, with the right push,
they can be exactly what we need.

Or
the famous :

CLINT
BARTON

Tell
my family I love them.

SHE
REVERSES, SENDING HIM TUMBLING.

NATASHA

Tell
them yourself.

Honestly,
which one of these 2 scenes will you remember ?

Which
one will stay vivid in your memory as unique, and which one will be
lost in the maelstrom of numerous uselessly conventional chatty
scenes ?

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