The Power of Moving Pictures
Unfortunately, my wife didn't have President's Day off (she teaches at an International School), so it was up to good ol' Dad to plan a day trip to entertain the kids. As some of you may know at this point, I'm a huge history buff. I've begun passing on this love to my children, and given that we live in an area of the country packed with history, I figured we should take advantage. Hence, the decision to take my kids to the Gettysburg Battlefield. A mere two hours away, which meant it would be an all-day activity...perfect!
For those of you who have never been, a visit to Gettysburg is both sobering and fascinating. Sobering because the sheer loss of life hits you when you walk through the national cemetery. Illuminating because you never realize the whole encompassing nature of the battle until you see how much of the town was involved. While the battlefield affords its positive aspects, the visitor's center is impressive. Now, before you, my dear readers, think this is turning into a promo for visiting Gettysburg, it isn't, but you should. Anyway, part of the visitors center tour includes a 22-minute film entitled, A New Birth of Freedom, narrated by Morgan Freeman. My children were instantly transfixed. They've heard the names of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Robert E. Lee, but seeing and hearing them immediately captivated them. At the same time, something struck me as I sat with my two children watching this well-done film.
I've read countless books on the Civil War watched innumerable documentaries, including the beloved Ken Burns' one. Still, I felt something more while sitting in a theater with the booming sound of cannons blasting and the voices of the principal players in that great national epic, artfully performed by talented actors. It hit me how much more powerful a piece can be when you're allowed to embrace it in a darkened theater with booming music and sound adding to the effect. When the distractions of your devices and daily life are eliminated, your focus turns to the screen in front of you. So much of what you've read hits you when it's laid before you in such a dramatic fashion.
I say all this to, yes, reinforce the importance of the theater as a truly emotional experience and how much the moving picture can bring static words and images to life. As I've said, I've read many a book on the Civil War and never felt the same way I did after watching that film. Last week, we had Kevin Goetz, Founder and CEO of Screen Engine/ASI and author of the new book, Audience-ology: How Moviegoers Shape the Films We Love, which was a great chat (which you can find here), but I want to quote directly from the book:
"We tend to think of America as a country of tribes - of NASCAR dads and soccer moms, of white collars and blue collars, ROTC cadets and hipster kids. And in many ways, I think we are that country. But not so much when the lights go down and the curtain parts. A well-crafted, entertaining movie can speak to everyone. In the darkness of the theater, people of all types and beliefs will suspend their differences for a couple of hours and just get swept away."
I thought of this quote while watching the film at the Gettysburg museum, and it is entirely accurate. I asked Kevin if this still applied when talking about the beloved streamers, but you should check his answer in the episode. I don't think it does, and that may ultimately be a big problem for us, not just as an industry but a country as well. We've become so accustomed to doing things alone that anything communal has become an afterthought. Yes, the pandemic has created some of this, but the seeds were already planted long before March of 2020. The collective experience of moviegoing cannot be limited to just big-budget IP-based titles. I know many of you are probably tiring of my weekly rants on this subject. Still, my experience this past weekend only reinforced my passion for the theatrical experience and movies in general. The power of story will always be a part of us, but the communal experience may die if we continue to isolate ourselves. Let's get out in the glorious liberty of moviegoing again!
Spiderman Has No Clothes
Another weekend, another "COVID" hit that would have otherwise been laughed out of the room in 2019. This week's "hit," Uncharted, taking in a little over $100million worldwide ($51 Million domestic.) Given the main topic of this week's newsletter, you would think I would be happy that people are back in the theater, and to some extent, I am. Although I think the industry is diluting itself into believing that these COVID numbers are the new normal, which is not a sustainable business model. Let's not go down that rabbit hole any further. While the film may be deemed a hit, what is not, is Tom Holland and what I mean by that is he is not a movie star.
While we most likely will be blessed with countless puff pieces and magazine spreads about how Holland is bringing a new age of movie star, that couldn't be further from the truth. He is not a movie star, and any claims to the contrary are simply trying to make mountains out of a molehill. The only reason this movie even registered is due to the game's popularity, not because Tom Holland is in it. The reality is that the movie star is dead, but Hollywood loves to try to chase that dream continuously no matter what the data say. People went to Spider-Man because it's Spider-Man, not because of Tom Holland, and they will see the next Unchartered regardless of who is in it. The sad fact is that the IP matters more than the actors portraying the beloved character. Thus, Tom Holland is not the next Leo, but that won't stop the studios from trying to make him one.
Pages from the Commonplace Book
This week, we continue with the Stoics, and this week, it's Epictetus:
"Remember that it's not only the desire for wealth and position that debases and subjugates us, but also the desire for peace, leisure, travel, and learning. It doesn't matter what the external thing is, the value we place on it subjugates us to another...where our heart is set, there our impediment lies."
Of course, Epictetus is not saying leisure, travel, etc., are horrible for us but constantly desiring those things above else can be. Don't let the things you strive for control you. You must control them.
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