Message no

Message no. 158
Posted by Dr. Suellyn Winkle on Monday, February 24, 2003 1:38pm
Subject Questions for Class Discussion

Questions for Class Discussion Week 7

1.What is Sontag’s lament in “A Century of Cinema”?

Describe her complaint.  Do you agree or disagree?

2.Using Sontag’s definition of a cineophile, argue

whether Toth is one or not.

3.Write a brief narrative, a la Toth, in which you

describe a movie going experience, with or without a

date.  If movie going doesn’t work for you, describe a

date to another type of event.

Don't forget to post your replies this week.  :-)

Message no. 161[Branch from no. 158]
Posted by MARK DEVALIANT on Monday, February 24, 2003 2:44pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

1. Sontag laments the steady "ignominious, irreversible

decline" of cinema.  Not the buildings, they spring up

like mushrooms, but the films that once shone forth the

glory and beauty of a celluloid art form.  Sontag

describes cinema lovers, once zealots now relics, and

their passion for movies.  "But lovers of cinema could

think there was only cinema."

She tells us of the excitement and the education that

came from the movies. "...it was from a weekly visit to

the cinema that you learned...how to walk, to smoke, to

kiss, to fight, to grieve." "You wanted to be kidnapped

by the movie." That feeling is gone now and even people

that enjoy the cinema do not see it as a grand

experience.  As movie making as become

"hyper-industrialized", like most transparent

technologies, people just take them for granted.  No

longer marvelling at the wizardy, they naturally expect

to be swept away by the movie experience.  Unfortunately

I do agree with her.    So often I go to the cinema

expecting something more than a passe attempt at a lack

lustre reworking of a banal idea, with bad humour, lurid

imagery and too much reliance on techno gadgetry.  Am I

a cinephile? No, but I'd rather save my money and

perhaps have my intelligence insulted somewhere else.

2. According to Sontag, Toth seems more interested in

the person she is seeing the movie with than the movie

itself.  Rather than the cinephile's enraptured

captivation with the film, Toth is doing character

analysis based on observations made (possibly OF

cinephiles) whilst watching movies.  I think the

cinephile experience is separate from the people around

us.  I think that all the stuff around us goes away when

a movie becomes such an adventure.  So, no I do not

think Toth is a cinephile.

3. Amanda (not her real name) does not like scary

movies.  She tells me that it can't be a scary movie

because she will scream out loud, awfully embarassing.

I tell her it won't matter, if it's that scary she won't

be the only one.

We often stop for dinner before the movie.  If it's an

early show then more than likely we will stop for a

drink or two.  Going to the movie with a buzz can put a

new slant on things.  Amanda will probably see a scary

movie with a couple of large margaritas in her.  Never

the less, she is pensive and will huddle close in to my

shoulder.  I don't mind, but if the film manages to

build enough tension, her fingernails will leave

imprints in my arm.

When the movie is done, Amanda is brave and enormously

proud. "I did it. I saw that movie.  I didn't think I

would, but I did."  Sadly, too often, the film lacks

anything vaguely reminiscent of suspense, gut-wrenching

drama or fear inspiring anything.  But Amanda watched

it, and I am pleased that she is proud of herself.

Message no. 164[Branch from no. 158]
Posted by JOSHUA DANIEL COWAN on Monday, February 24, 2003 3:09pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

  1.Sontag bemoans what she calls "an ignominious,

irreversible decline" in the art of cinematography and

film-making.  Nothing is original, visionary, or poetic

any longer.  The rise in production costs during the

1980's all but imposed the will of the studio onto the

world of filmmaking, and consequently doomed "a maverick

like Hans Jurgen Syberberg, who has stopped making films

altogether, or...the great Godard, who now makes films

about the history of film, on video."  So says Sontag.

Considering the fact that I have heard little of any of

these directors and seen even less of their films, I

cannot help but to disagree with her.  As I look at the

prolifience and success of independent film festivals

such as Cannes and Sundance, I am more inclined to think

that their is still hope for the cineophile yet, and we

are not all doomed to cheesy, scripted romantic comedies

or horribly predictable action flick sequels that make

even less sense than the previous three.  So don't lose

hope.  At least, not just yet.  (wait until J-Lo wins

the best actress Oscar, then panic.)

  2.  If we use Sontag's definition of a cineophile,

than Toth would almost certainly not qualify as one.

Her description of her date in I says it all, "...art

films.  That's what I call them anyway: strange movies

with vague poetic images I don't always understand, long

dreamy movies about a distant Technicolor past, even

longer black-and-white movies about the general

meaningless of life."  These are the very films which

Sontag praises and laments the fact that they have left

the eye of the general public.  Toth enjoys the simple

pleasure of going to a predictable, formulaic Rogers and

Hammerstein musical and not having to think or wondering

just how it's going to end. That's who she is.  And

according to Sontag, she is definetely not a

"cineophile."

  3.  Generally, I attend movies to watch them.  This

may sound odd, but you'd be suprised at how many people

actually go to films without the intent of watching

them.  However, this only goes for the first couple of

times, and even less so if I am with someone else.  This

is because I have the disease of commentary.  After the

luster of the movie-going experience has worn off (which

tends to be right around the second viewing, sometimes

the first), there arises this person, with who I am

accquainted, that tends to take over my personage for

about a two hour span. HE likes making light of all that

is stupid, out-of-place, inane, insane, and generally

all that is dichordant throughout the movie.  Repeating

lines in a funny voice and making up HIS own are also a

frequent occurance.  This hostile takeover happens

rarely at the theatre, unless HE is joined by a like

entity, as there are others around who might notice HIS

appearance.  More often than not it happens at home or

at a friend's house, where retribution and persecution

are less likely and nothing has been paid to view the

movie.  HE is a coward, after all.  But HE does love the

movies.

Message no. 166[Branch from no. 158]
Posted by NATALIE A PETERS on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 5:18pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

1. What is Sontag’s lament in “A Century of Cinema”?

Describe her complaint.  Do you agree or disagree?

Sontag’s complaint stems mostly from “the onset in the

last decade of an ignominious, irreversible decline”

(1059) of the cinema. She, alike everyone’s grandparents

gripe about the changes today compared to the “good old’

days.” The decline in the quality of film has caused the

industry to measure its profits by green Franklins and

famous actors. These ideas come as a disgrace to

Sontag’s ideas of film as “the art of the twentieth

century” (1059). According to Sontag, one visited the

theater to learn “how to walk, to smoke, to kiss, to

fight, to grieve…” and “how to be attractive…” This

education of sorts was a combination of cinema as art

and cinema as entertainment. Sontag complains about the

“coming of sound, the imagine-making lost much of its

brilliance and poetry” (1061). Sontag complains about

the lack of thought that is put into present-day film.

Nowadays, people run to the movies when Jennifer Lopez

has a new romantic comedy out and pay $7 to have a love

(<>) scene in front of their eyes.

Movies serve one purpose and one purpose only… they

serve as ice breakers on first dates. It’s the best idea

for two complete strangers to sit silently next to each

other in a darkened room and watch other people

interact. Then, after the movie, the conversation

starter relies solely on “So, what did you think of the

movie?” The all time grossing movie is Titanic for

crying out loud!!! What happened to real love? Where is

the romance? Why don’t guys sweep girls off their feet

anymore?? Aye, I digress.

2. Using Sontag’s definition of a cineophile, argue

whether Toth is one or not.

Toth is more interested in who and how she sees each

movie. She could care less about the quality of the

film, but more of who stars in it and who she goes with.

She has all of the men she sees films with down to a

science. From who will drive and pay to how they will

sit, she analyzes every detail. Sontag’s new ideas of a

cineophile, the idea that it is “something quaint,

outmoded, snobbish” (1063) play along with Toth’s ideas

of her movie-going experiences. But as for a true

cineophile, the ways that Sontag views it, Toth is

nothing more than a spectator who lacks the backbone to

be a true cineophilliac. Now the guys that Toth goes to

the movies with, well they just might have what it takes

to be considered a “Sontag cineophilliac.”

3. Write a brief narrative, a la Toth, in which you

describe a movie going experience, with or without a

date.  If movie going doesn’t work for you, describe a

date to another type of event.

Ajax (Yes that is his real name!!) takes me to every

Florida basketball game. I drive to the games since Ajax

pays for the tickets, so we don’t owe each other

anything. We always sit on the fourth row, right behind

the bench. Ajax enjoys the games very much. He jumps and

yells at the referees when he thinks they have made a

bad call. Sometimes after a big play he will smile at me

and reach over and put his hand on my leg. Ajax always

buys me a coke. He always tells me to be careful not to

spill. If we win the game Ajax and I always go to dinner

at Chili’s afterwards. We go there because the team goes

there too. One time, at band camp…. OH—sorry, wrong

class... ;)  One time, Ajax took me to Chili’s and I

walked to the bathroom and I fell on the way out right

in front of the team. Ajax was waiting at the end of the

aisle laughing at me. I was so embarrassed, I ran out of

the restaurant.

Message no. 168[Branch from no. 166]
Posted by ANNE C BAATSTAD on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 6:10pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

I think I was there... were you the girl who fell on her

butt?? I'm j/k... good story though. :-)

Message no. 176[Branch from no. 168]
Posted by NATALIE A PETERS on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 11:36pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

Last week doesn't even compare to what I did tonite...

if you could imagine, much much worse. All ended well...

I got Matt Walsh's headband... I think our future is

ruined though. Could you really date a girl that duked

it out with a 14 year old to get a nasty, sweaty

headband that you wore during the game?? :)

(I would like to say that I'm kidding, but I'm not!!)

Message no. 188[Branch from no. 176]
Posted by ANNE C BAATSTAD on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 2:14pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

Haha, well he at least must be flattered! You never

know... if I was a famous singer (Britney??) I'd be so

flattered if I threw a piece of my sweaty, slinky

clothing articles into the crowd and watched boys fights

over it. How nice... ah. Or how about Justin Timberlake?

A waitress at a restaurant sold a napkin that he used to

wipe his mouth off on E-bay for almost $1000! Now that's

pathetic - at least you earned your sovenieur!

~Anne

Message no. 190[Branch from no. 166]
Posted by SELENA EDWARDS RIESS on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 2:16pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

I like your slant on today's movie ideas being "a

disgrace to the industry".  That's one of the main

reasons I don't even bother going to the movies.  Also,

the cost of a ticket is not even worth the money it

costs.  Where have all the great movies gone? Although

I'm not a fan of the old greats like Grant, Hepburn, and

Bogey, it sure would be nice to see just one meaningful

movie instead of one of the senseless movies playing

now.

Selena :o)

P.S.  I like your digression.  I've often wondered what

happened to being swept off one's feet myself.

Message no. 167[Branch from no. 158]
Posted by ANNE C BAATSTAD on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 6:08pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

1.  Sontag at first decribes the birth, life and now

"continuence" of the cinema. She at first comes off as

very excited and supportive of such an invention but now

seems bored with it almost to a point of disliking. She

is definately at the point where she will never enjoy a

modern movie and will constantly compare it to classics.

"No amount of mourning will revive the vanished rituals

- erotic, ruminative - of the darkened theatre". (1060)I

agree with Sontag that movies are nothing compared the

the classics that they used to be; it simply a race of

technology. The ideas and plots have all run out. It's

no longer a rush of exitement... this is as realistic as

movies can get, so there's no getting better. She even

mentions that merely 15 years ago "masterpieces" were

coming out every month. Now every movie that disgraces

our modern screens barely earns 2.5 stars, and that's on

a MODERN scale.

2.  I believe that Toth is a cinephile, yet maybe not to

the compulsive extent that Sontag describes. Ok, she's a

MILD cinephile. There is obviously something that she

likes about the movies, especially the older ones. I

assume that the four sections in Toth were written by

the same persona, each about a different date. If this

is the case, then indeed, the persona (or perhaps Toth)

is a cinephile because these stories occur over a span

of 10 years. If this is not the case, then I would go

with my primary assumption, that the three boys

mentioned are the cinephiles!

3.  Aaron used to take me to BMX races. Not just the

local events in which young children (primarily boys)

spanning from ripe ages of 3 to a rather beat up age of

mid-60's, would compete for fake trophies that would

grace their walls for a few months until the heads fell

off and be discarded, but to the states and nationals.

Men would rip through the air, competing for the highest

jumps, fastest speeds, and inevitably to finish first.

It was absolutly terrifying for me to see these young

men risking their lives for such miniscule rewards, but

Aaron said it was for respect. He wouldn't tear his eyes

away from the racers, wanting to catch every detail and

witness every injury - sometimes fatalities. He would

race also. He was actually very good; one year he was

first in state and seventh in national for his class. I

always thought he would be famous. Once he got injured.

I was informed by a girl at our high school that he had

broken his neck; this was not the case. At these big

races, I would squeak and scream, hide my head, talk to

anyone I could to avoid focusing on the races.

Afterward, everything would always be fine - of course

he would say. Injuries never happened when I went, I was

good luck.  Aaron would even watch ESPN and ESPN2 to

catch these races. He ordered magazines, bike parts,

movies... anything. It's like an addiction. I'm afraid

of adictions, they control you. He was indeed addicted

to BMX. I heard that he's still into it. He used to drop

me off at night at my house after the races, where I

would drift into a sleep that involved horrible

nightmares filled with gruesome fatalities. To this day,

I can't watch these particular events - even if they're

not live and I know that they won't show the injuries. I

know he's still watching intently, talking without

peeling his eyes away, not wanting to miss one thing.

Not even an injury.

Message no. 193[Branch from no. 167]
Posted by MARK DEVALIANT on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 9:25pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

You know, Anne, I think you are right.  I think all the

stories, or at least most of them, have been told.  Does

that mean that we should continue to rehash old ideas?

Hollywood seems to think so, as long as they spend

enough and there are enough bell, whistles and

explosions.  As long as there are those components,

there will be a big enough audience for the producers to

make there money.  Who cares if it hits the video store

in 6 weeks? Who cares if it's remembered at all?

I think the worthwhile stories that are left are the

ones that people really don't want to think about.  They

might actually make people think about what they were

watching.  They might be exposed to the plight of some

faceless individual in a hopeless situation.

People go to the cinema expecting something spectacular,

I know I do.  There just isn't that much that's

spectacular any more.

Message no. 200[Branch from no. 193]
Posted by Dr. Suellyn Winkle on Monday, March 3, 2003 10:11am
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

What about another kind of movie--for example I would

recommend "Bowling for Columbine"  Did any of you see

that documentary on violence in the US?

Another personal fave is "A Brief History of Time" by

Errol Morris...

Dr. W>

In message 193 on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 9:25pm,

MARK DEVALIANT writes:

>You know, Anne, I think you are right.  I think all the

>stories, or at least most of them, have been told.  Does

>that mean that we should continue to rehash old ideas?

>Hollywood seems to think so, as long as they spend

>enough and there are enough bell, whistles and

>explosions.  As long as there are those components,

>there will be a big enough audience for the producers to

>make there money.  Who cares if it hits the video store

>in 6 weeks? Who cares if it's remembered at all?

>I think the worthwhile stories that are left are the

>ones that people really don't want to think about.  They

>might actually make people think about what they were

>watching.  They might be exposed to the plight of some

>faceless individual in a hopeless situation.

>People go to the cinema expecting something spectacular,

>I know I do.  There just isn't that much that's

>spectacular any more.

Message no. 201[Branch from no. 200]
Posted by ANNE C BAATSTAD on Monday, March 3, 2003 1:16pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

I heard that "Bowling for Columbine" was a great movie

depicting a notorious moment in the US's history.

Despite the awful truth to it, I heard it's a definite

eye-opener and has been recommended by several psych.

professors at SFCC.

Message no. 203[Branch from no. 200]
Posted by MARK DEVALIANT on Monday, March 3, 2003 2:18pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

That does offer up an interesting question.  Can a

documentary be considered in the normal definition of

cinema?  It didn't seem to enter into Toth's

descriptions, nor Sontag's.  Perhaps the truths are the

only stories left to tell.  Just last week I saw a quote

from a director, who's name eludes me(unfortunately) who

said, "Film's should make you feel."  I thought that was

excellent as it didn't mean you had to feel good, just

that it made an impression.

Does A Brief History of Time relate in some way to

Stephen Hawking's book of the same title?

Message no. 202[Branch from no. 193]
Posted by ANNE C BAATSTAD on Monday, March 3, 2003 1:21pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

Thanks Mark. You know, I've realized that the only

movies that I walk away from feeling somewhat

enlightened by are the ones that stir my deepest

emotions - the true stories. Usually military flicks or

war movies, true stories about real people and these

movies usually don't end on a happy note. One that

really sticks out to me is "Soldier's Home" with Mel

Gibson. It was a true story, well told, and included

several internationally known actors. Beside that, only

classics are any good these days. Movies are nothing but

the same plot with different actors. BLAH!

Message no. 169[Branch from no. 158]
Posted by SELENA EDWARDS RIESS on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 6:17pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

1.What is Sontag’s lament in “A Century of Cinema”?

Describe her complaint.  Do you agree or disagree?

Sontag's lament in "A Century of Cinema" is that people

do not share the kind of love and appreciation for

cinema that was once experienced.  Sontag complains that

the imagination and ideas once used to create a film, a

true work of art "...that's true of great achievement in

any art" (1059) is no longer practiced.  The industry

has become "capitalist" (1059) and "films made...for

entertainment (that is, commercial) purposes...continue

to be witless..." (1059).  I tend to agree with Sontag

that the cinema no longer captures and holds the

audience enthralled as it once did.  The industry has

run out of ideas, hence the remake of comic book heroes

such as "Spiderman", "Daredevil", and "Batman" in order

to entice the individual to be a part of the cinema

audience.  There is no true art in the majority of

today's movies, only special effects made possible by

today's technology. The true cinema allowed one the

chance "...to surrender to, to be transported by, what

was on the screen" (1060) and be "seated in the dark

among anonymous strangers" (1060) in order to appreciate

the art that was portrayed on the screen.  With the

advent of VCRs and DVDs, it stands to reason that the

public has been led away from the age of cinema.  Rising

costs also have contributed to this falling out of love

with cinema.  I like the last line of Sontag's essay,

"if cinema can be resurrected, it will only be through

the birth of a new kind of cine-love" (1063).  Cinema

and the art of cinema is reliant on today's public, a

public that seems to be relying more and more on the

offerings of cyberspace as a more expressive form of art

and cinema.

2.Using Sontag’s definition of a cineophile, argue

whether Toth is one or not.

Sontag's definition of a cineophile is one who enjoys

old movies and can watch them over and over, "...seeing

and re-seeing as much as possible of cinema's glorious

past" (1063).  Toth admits in her essay, "Going to the

Movies," that she often will "...sneak into a revival

house or a college auditorium fr old Technicolor

musicals" (1066).  She even knows all the "...sound

tracks by heart" (1066) and that "the camera dissolves

into a dream sequence I know I can comfortably follow"

(1066).  I tend to think that Toth is as close to a

cineophile as one could be based on Sontag's

description.  Her passion for seeing old movies, by

herself, goes along with Sontag's idea that one goes to

the cinema in order "...to be kidnapped by the movie"

(1060).  The only difference with Toth and the full-time

cineophile is Toth prefers to sit in the back with her

feet propped up "...eating large handfuls of popcorn

with double butter" (1066); whereas, the full-time

cineophile prefers to be "as close as possible to the

big screen" (1061).

3.Write a brief narrative, a la Toth, in which you

describe a movie going experience, with or without a

date.  If movie going doesn’t work for you, describe a

date to another type of event.

Wow, this is hard!!  Although I am not much of a "movie

goer", I do make it a point to go to as many Gator

sports events as possible. My favorite outing is going

to a Gator baseball game.  Where else can one become as

involved a spectator than at a baseball game?

Normally a quiet person, I couldn't contain myself when

the umpire gave a bad call on a pitch at one of my first

outings.  I was booing and hollering among the best

seated in the crowd, letting the ump know of my

displeasure.  Whether he heard me or not is not the

point.  The point was the sheer joy I got out of

cheering my Gators on, win or lose.

I love to see the Gators hit homeruns.  There is no end

to the anticipated excitement as the crowd watches that

ball.  I hear the huge inhalation of breaths being

sucked in along with mine as everyone stands up.  All of

us stand there, waiting, waiting, waiting until,

finally, the ball flies over the fence. The cheers and

claps are equally loud as the runner runs around the

bases, and the team comes out to "high five" him at

homeplate.  To me, that is the greatest thrill of all.

Of course, there are the little things I find extremely

entertaining and fun.  The round of claps that begin

when the opponent has two strikes against him as the

crowd looks for a strikeout.  The chant, "left, right,

left, right...", when the opponent makes his way back to

the dugout, hopefully miserable. Plus, I'm sure he's

gritting his teeth all the way yelling silently at the

crowd to just "shut up."  Another great tradition is the

jingling of car keys in the bottom of the ninth when the

Gators are winning.  The crowd's way of saying "job well

done", for the opponent at this point has, technically,

no chance of winning with two outs and two strikes

against him.

These are just a few of the things that draw me to the

Gator baseball field for an outing.  With baseball

season just beginning, it is my "seventh heaven"

favorite time of the year.  Yes, one can bet, I will be

sitting on the bleachers at the 'ole UF campus as often

as I can this year.

Message no. 196[Branch from no. 169]
Posted by SHERRY M ISLER on Thursday, February 27, 2003 11:58pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

   I do agree with your points about the direction

cinema has been going recently; yet I do not agree that

movies such as Spiderman or Daredevil are a result of

this direction.    Movies such as Spiderman or Daredevil

appeal to many genres because of the history of the

comic origin.  It is the advanced technology of today

that creates the special effects (that would otherwise

not be possible to create the movie) that allows the

comic to come to life.    Movies seem to have recently

begun to get better and take a better direction than

where they have been the past year or so.  (I just saw

"The Recruit" a couple weeks ago and it was the best

movie I've seen in a while.)  The movies seem to be

becoming a little more "quality" rather than "quantity".

    But we also don't want to fail to acknowledge that a

majority of movies are made for the sole intention of

captivating it's audience and entertaining them for a

couple of hours.  They aren't made as educational tools

or we'd be viewing them in the classroom and not paying

the steep cost to go see them at the box office.  There

are movie trailers you see that either appeal or do not

appeal to you based on what type of things you are

intersted in.

Message no. 197[Branch from no. 196]
Posted by SELENA EDWARDS RIESS on Friday, February 28, 2003 8:19am
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

You might be right about the comic book heroes not

moving in the same direction as the cinema.  After all,

comic books are a big part of an era that also included

baseball cards, bubblegum, and Hot Wheels cars.  I have

noticed, like you, that movies seem to be of a better

quality than what has previously been shown.  Myself

being not much of a moviegoer, it is kind of hard to

judge how some of today's movies fit into the category

of truly great cinema.

Thanks for your ideas and great response.

Selena :o)

Message no. 170[Branch from no. 158]
Posted by KELLY ANNE PURCELL on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 6:33pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

1. Sontag's laments in "A Century of Cinema" are the

deaths of the now seemingly decadent art of old cinema

and unordinarily exceptional films, and the

industrialization of filmmaking.  She does not like the

commercial, reproductive ways of current movie

production and distribution.  Mostly, I do not agree

with Sontag's thoughts on how cinephilia has

deteriorated.  Yes, capitalism has effected filmmaking

in that most films are made for the goals of money and

popularity.  Because popularity is such a goal, the

abstractness of independent films is not as widely

accepted.  There are still quite good independent films

being produced; they are just not mainstream.  Films

began with two types of cinema, real and fantasy, in

which I believe films today combine.  Not all films, of

course, but with the advances of technology and the

expectations of what the future might bring, these two

ideas are often intertwined.  Films do still impress

upon people what to wear, or how to act, probably more

so now than in the past.  (This, I deem, is a major

downfall of media in our society.)  There is still the

prospect of loosing one's self in a movie, of forgetting

about life and being transported into different

realities.

I do agree with Sontag in that it is quite different to

see a movie in the theatre, verses at home.  The smell,

the popcorn, and the audience moving along with the

movie are things that are only captured in a public

theatre.  The first time I saw Star Wars: Episode 1,

when it was first released in theatres, was an amazing

experience.  Everybody in the theatre was alive and

excited and when the first scene started rolling and the

theme song began, the audience went wild.  Everyone was

screaming and jumping out of their seats, and this

behavior lasted throughout the entire movie.  It was an

experience that I had never and still have not again

experienced.  That movie grabbed my, and probably

others, full attention.  There is still art in movies.

2. Cinephilia is the fanatical love that cinema

inspires, "That the movies ecapsulated everything-and

they did." (Page 1059)  Throughout the first half of

"Going to the Movies," I was under the impression that

the character was not a cinephiliac.  I was thinking

that her boyfriends were the cinephiliacs.  It seemed

that the character was more interested in her boyfriends

and how they acted on the date.  But by the end of the

story I began believing that the character was a

cinephiliac.  At first, she was explaining how her

boyfriends liked movies, but not if she did.  In the

last paragraph she explains her feelings and it is clear

that she is a cinephiliac.  The facts that she loves

some of the great oldies and of her reactions to the

experience are clear signs.

3. My ex boyfriend loves movies.  We used to go to the

movies at least once a week.  If there was a film that

he had been anxiously awaiting to be released, and it

lived up to its hype, we would see that movie several

times before it was out of the theatres.  We saw Star

Wars: Episode 1 seven times in the theatre.  He loves

japanamation and Jackie Chan, David Lynch and Martin

Scorsese, Tim Burton and Danny Elfman, George Lucas and

John Williams, and many others that I couldn't name.  He

really loves the stadium seated theatres.  He could push

up the arm of the seat and put his arm around me or hold

my hand.  I loved going to the movies with Clint.

My brother-in-law is amusing when watching a movie.  His

mind is so easily distracted, he always ends up asking,

"What was that about?"  I don't think he really pays

attention.  I have actually watched a scene which gives

the answer to a question posed seconds before, and

immediately after the scene say, "So, what just

happened?"  He is an outdoors man, and I don't think

that anything indoors excites him.

I like movies.  I don't get to go very often anymore

because I have so much schoolwork, although I do plan to

go this weekend, with Clint.  I like all kinds of

movies, all kinds of actors, and all kinds of directors.

 I especially like Danny Elfman and John Williams, both

of whom have composed soundtracks for many films.  One

of my favorite movies is "Nightmare before Christmas,"

directed by Tim Burton.  I really like Quintan Terantino

as well; "Four Rooms" was absolutely hilarious.  One of

the craziest films I have ever seen is "Mulholland

Drive," directed by David Lynch.

Message no. 172[Branch from no. 170]
Posted by MELISSA M RIVELL on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 7:33pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

I agree with your more optimistic view on movies today

existing. Like you said, they are no longer really in

the mainstream, but independent films. There are still

soem quality movies being released, but the amount of

movies made just to make money and mindlessly entertain

people far surpass the amount of excellent movies. I do

sometimes indulge in the crap, but I do like to see

different, refreshing movies which leave you with a much

more rewarding experience.

Message no. 189[Branch from no. 172]
Posted by KELLY ANNE PURCELL on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 2:15pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

I still watch the crap, too.  You really cannot get away

from it.  It would be very cool to attend a Sundance

Festival sometime!

Message no. 180[Branch from no. 170]
Posted by JOSHUA DANIEL COWAN on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 3:42am
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion(Kelly)

I would agree with you that a downfall of our society is

that people who lie for a living are affecting what we

wear, say , and how we act.  However, your choice of

movie in "theatre vs. home"(Star Wars: Episode I??????);

personally, I would have chosen something a little

different(like the original trilogy or LOTR or something

else that was a little less stuck on itself for its lack

of story and over-abundance of special effects), but

that's just me, and I'm being a little bit of satirical

Sontag anyway....but definetely, the cinema influences

way too much of our lives now, even if we don't mean

them too.  Wonderfully astute observation.  Quite.

Message no. 186[Branch from no. 180]
Posted by KELLY ANNE PURCELL on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 2:14pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion(Kelly)

Thank you!  The reason I mentioned Star Wars; Episode 1

was not for the quality of the film... it was to explain

the experience in the theatre.  Even though I have seen

better movies for cinematagraphy and content, I have

never been engulfed in the excitement of the audience as

I was for Star Wars.

Message no. 171[Branch from no. 158]
Posted by MELISSA M RIVELL on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 7:17pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

Questions for Class Discussion Week 7

1.What is Sontag’s lament in “A Century of Cinema”?

Describe her complaint.  Do you agree or disagree?

Sontag's complains of the death of cinephilia which she

defines as the love of cinema. This is a very specific

love in which "cinema was an art unlike any other;

quintessentially modern; distinctively accessible;

poetic and mysterious and erotic and moral-all at the

same time" and movies "encapsulated everything"(1059).

The age of cinephilia, from about 1859 until

approximately the 1980s, according to Sontag, cinephilia

was in its heyday and great movies were made. These

movies kidnapped you from the theater into their world.

Sontag feels that the movies of today are "bloated and

derivative" and "a brazen combinatory or re-combinatory

art"(1059). Sontag's pessimism of modern cinema has a

valid point; I do agree that most movies today are made

to be blockbusters that make the companies millions of

dollars. But there are still good directors creating

good movies. You just have to search throught the

majority of the crap to find the truly excellent movies.

2.Using Sontag’s definition of a cineophile, argue

whether Toth is one or not.

Following Sontag's strict definition of a cineophile,

Toth is not one. But in the part where Toth describes

her independent movie going, I feel that she is. She

goes to movies that she can escape into. She buys the

double butter popcorn, sits in the very back of the

theater and puts her feet up on the seat in front of her

and lets herself be kidnapped into the world of the

movie. Her personal movie-going expeditions loosely

follow Sontag's definition of a cineophile.

3.Write a brief narrative, a la Toth, in which you

describe a movie going experience, with or without a

date.  If movie going doesn’t work for you, describe a

date to another type of event.

Kat had shown me a new world, one I already knew

existed, but had never really enjoyed: the world of

musicals. My first taste of this world was probably

Disney movies but I really fell in love when Kat and I

watched "West Side Story". I was hooked. I loved it.

From then on, we would grab a slice of pie or a bite of

cheesecake or some other sugary concoction and let

musicals take us on journeys into song and dance and

story. Last summer, we would dedicate nights to watching

"White Christmas", "On the Town" and "South Pacific".

Some may think of musicals as cheesy and unrealistic,

but it's an escape into another world for us.  I can't

wait for this summer when we can continue our musical

marathons.

Message no. 199[Branch from no. 171]
Posted by DANIEL T TOTEV on Saturday, March 1, 2003 8:31pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

I would say that not only musicals but all movies can be

seen as an escape into another world. Anyway, they are

just entertainment and sometimes one wants to get away

from his daily chores, forget about all his problems and

become a part of this desired world. What kind of world

is appealing to somebody may depend on what one lacks in

his life. Actually, one’s preferred movies and TV shows

can tell much about his or her personality.

Message no. 173[Branch from no. 158]
Posted by SHERRY M ISLER on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 9:39pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

1.  Sontag's complaint seems to be that cinema has moved

away from the beauty and original purpose that is

originally was.  That the point of a great film now is,

"to be a one-of-a-kind achievement, the commercial

cinema has settled for a policy of bloated, derivative

film-making,..."  Sontag has a tone of almost disgust

for what cinema is now in comparison to what it was

originally when "cinema was an art unlike any other".

Her tone reminds me of my grandparents; reminissing

about how things used to be back in the day and how

society has shifted its standards from the more

desireable origin.  (I'm not a big fan of this essay.)

2.  Sontag describes cinephile taste as embracing "both

art films and popular films".  I would hesitate to

classify Toth as a cinephile because she seems to

tolerate art and popular films rather than embracing

them.  She embraces and enjoys the older more classic

films or musicals.  It is in those films, which she

views by herself, that she is comfortable, relaxed,

casually dressed, eating double-buttered popcorn by the

handful, and even humming along with the screen.  So on

the basis that she only seems to truly embrace and enjoy

these films and not so much the "art" or popular films,

I would not classify Toth as a true cinephile.

3.  I remember seeing American Pie when it first came

out in the movie theater.  The guy I was with, along

with myself and the entire audience, was laughing

histerically througout the movie and gasping in disgust

in the gross parts.  The content/subject of the movie

automaticly created a relaxed atmosphere with a good

"ora" in the theater.  His body language was open and

relaxed and reflective of the generation as depicted in

the movie.  The movie was hilarious and fun to see, plus

the humor and laughing broke the ice of the "first date".

Message no. 178[Branch from no. 173]
Posted by ANGELA-ROSE MANESS on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 12:27am
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

I agree with your answers to the class discussion, and I

think that you worded your response excellently.  I

liked the few quotes that you inserted to help with your

argument; they were very appropriate.  Since my

grandparents live so far away, I never really see them

too often, and when I do visit them, I can't remember

them regaling me with any tales of the past.  However, I

kind of know what life was like back then, and I think

that it's great that your grandparents reflect life in

the pre-modern age.  I am fascinated with the simple

life of people in the past, and I agree that "society

has shifted its standards from the more desireable

origin."  Plus, I liked your narrative about your first

date.  Movies are great because they can always be used

as a last resort and they work like a charm for breaking

the ice.  American Pie was an excellent movie, despite

some repulsive scenes and jokes.  I laughed so hard it

that movie also, as I'm sure everyone did.  I enjoyed

both number one and two, and I will be looking for

number three when it comes out!

Message no. 179[Branch from no. 178]
Posted by SHERRY M ISLER on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 2:59am
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

Thanks Angela  :D

Message no. 174[Branch from no. 158]
Posted by DANIEL T TOTEV on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 10:27pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

1      Sontag sees today’s cinema as “a decadent art”: “there

was always a conflict between cinema as an industry and

cinema as an art… Now the balance has tipped decisively

in favor of cinema as an industry” /1062/. I agree with

that. Today many movies are money-centered rather than

quality orientated. Most action films have the same plot

- one hero with superpowers saves the world, meets a

beautiful woman on his way, and we always have a happy

end

       This does not mean that all movies are like this or

that all viewers will watch decadent movies. They are

still good films, but you have to look for them.

2.     Toth is the opposite of cineophile. She pretty much

has the same opinion for movies as Sam does: they both

like movies that “that do not have subtitles and will

not force him to think” /1065/. And when she goes to

movies by herself she feels “completely at home” with

her feet propped up on the seat in front /1066/. I think

she is disrespectful toward movies and she will very

much enjoy one of my brother-in-law’s movies. They won’t

trouble her with intricate plots.

3.     Watching a movie in the theatre is much more real

than watching it on your home TV. One reason for cinema

genuineness is the combination of a big screen and an

excellent surround system. But you would say some people

have screens as big as walls and audio systems that can

shake your neighbors’ houses. So what makes the

difference between domestic and cinema environments?

Probably, it’s the darkness and serenity of a cinema

hall, the strangers in it, and the anticipation to see a

movie /especially a premier of a movie, after months of

advertising on cable TV/.

       At home I feel relaxed: I have the freedom to do

anything I want. I can always pause the movie I am

watching, and I often do it so I can get something from

the refrigerator. On the contrary in a theater, I am

much more involved in the movie: I don’t have any

control on it and I don’t want to miss anything, so I

just stay in my seat the whole time and there aren’t any

interruptions as the food break at home. In addition,

there will always be something to bother you at home – a

friend’s phone call, your roommate or neighbor coming to

the house. I agree with Sontag that “the conditions of

paying attention in a domestic space are radically

disrespectful of film” and that “to be kidnapped, you

have to be in a movie theater, seated in the dark among

anonymous strangers” /1060/.

Message no. 175[Branch from no. 158]
Posted by SUMMER A SMITH on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 10:33pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

1.) Sontag's expression of regret to what has happened

to film is something that I think is analogous to what

has happened to music - it's been commericialized. For

that reason it seems as if the concept of film as art

has lost its validity.

Sontag refers to cinema in the last century as a cycle -

indentified by an astonishing entry in 1895, and now

coming to an end that is tainted with plagarism of

narrative and editing styles. Sontag seems convinced

that innovative films are becoming increasingly few and

far between.

I agree. Not that I've seen ANY of the films mentioned

in the essay, but I find myself in awe of how truly

unremarkable the films I've seen in the last five years

have been. It's ironic that the few I've chosen to view

more than once, or have chosen to purchase, have been

box-office flops. Capitalism is an American economic

philosophy that has put our country into a more or less

hegemonic position, yet it thrusts art, and music..and

culture all together into a very utilitarian cycle where

each will meet its fate.

Realizations like this make me want to use words like

"lament" too.

2.) Absolutely not; Toth is no cinephile. Toth's

narrative relies almost entirely on her date, and by no

means - the film. To be sure, she talks about the films

she sees on her dates, and even that she sees films

alone, but it's simply unavoidable to notice that she

pays more attention to her date's mannerisms and

reactions. Or maybe she's even inclined to reserve her

attention to some sort of sexual attraction to her date.

None the less, her focus is the experience at the

theatre, and not the film.

Sam, on the other hand, now there's a cinephile.

3.) I was a junior in high school when I said goodbye to

my friends as they left for the Florida Keys for spring

break and as I climbed into my father's car to spend the

most boring week of my life in Homosassa Springs, FL

with he and my step-mother. It hardly felt like spring

break; it was too cold for boating, too cold for

swimming, too cold for anything really. We spent our

first afternoon at the movie theatre. We saw a movie

called "American Beauty." It's actually become a film

that I'm able to tolerate, but I wouldn't have predicted

how I feel about the movie now that day. The movie is

packed with lusty teenage, borderline pedophile, sexual

fantasy leading to the frequent masturbation of a

middle-aged surburban father. (I love Kevin Spacey,

don't get me wrong). My father and step-mother sat

through the uncomfortable scenes with out a blink.. or

flench .. or anything that would signal any kind of

disaproval. Yet, somehow.. I was more uncomfortable than

I'm able to find words for. I found myself cursing

because I seated myself in the middle of the row, making

an unnoticed escape practically impossible. I finally

managed to convince myself that it was a good thing that

my parents were experiencing the film with me. I became

calm when I realized that it must have required a

certain level of assumption of my maturity for them to

have wanted to see the film with me. Maturity was

something they both reminded me daily that I could use

some more of. So I smiled, and I took all the

masturbation and statutory rape as a compliment from my

parents. Kind of strange isn't it?

Message no. 181[Branch from no. 175]
Posted by JOSHUA DANIEL COWAN on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 4:05am
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion(Summer)

"The movie is packed with lusty teenage, borderline

pedophile, sexual fantasy leading to the frequent

masturbation of a middle-aged surburban father. (I love

Kevin Spacey,don't get me wrong). My father and

step-mother sat through the uncomfortable scenes with

out a blink.. or flench .. or anything that would signal

any kind of disaproval. Yet, somehow.. I was more

uncomfortable than I'm able to find words for. I found

myself cursing because I seated myself in the middle of

the row, making an unnoticed escape practically

impossible."

Isn't that the most uncomfortable feeling in the entire

world(almost.)?  I get the same feeling during any kind

of sex scene while my parents are in the room, even now.

 In fact, I just recently saw "Blood Work" w/ Clint

Eastwood(which, btw, was a decent movie), and even

though I later found out there was nothing to be

embarrassed about, the minute the woman stepped through

the door to Clint's room with you-know-what on her mind,

I promptly took the express lane to the fridge and sat

down for a good dose of nice, safe, wholesome "Hey

Arnold!".  I don't seem to have this problem with

friends or even other adults(at least, to an extent),

but there is just something about seeing a sex scene

with your parents that makes me squirm.  Maybe it's

because mine are Christian, and they really never talked

about it.  Whatever it is, I don't think it will ever go

away.  But the fact that they don't make me get up and

leave the room, as in your case Summer, tells me that

they respect me as a mature human being, and that is

very comfortable.

Message no. 191[Branch from no. 175]
Posted by KELLY ANNE PURCELL on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 2:32pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

Very Funny!  No, I don't think that it is strange to

like the feeling of becoming one with the adults.  Did

your parents know what the movie was about before you

went?  I know that when I was younger, I would have felt

very uncomfortable in the same situation.  I actually

had something like that happen to me... I was pretty

young, probably eleven or so.  I went with my sisters to

see "Pretty Woman" in the theatre.  There is one

particular sequence when Richard and Julia are in the

bathtub... one scene began with an up close shot of

Richard's nipple, and I had no idea what it was. (I

don't think I had acquired glasses by that time, but

needed them!)  So, stupid little me says WAY too loud,

"Eeewww, is that a bug?"  Everyone around us started

hilariously cracking and rolling on the floor.  It was

quite embarrassing!  Hee!

Message no. 177[Branch from no. 158]
Posted by ANGELA-ROSE MANESS on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 12:07am
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

1. In the essay titled "A Century of Cinema," Susan

Sontag laments the end of the life cycle of "cinephilia"

cinema.  She talks about how cinema and its viewers or

admirers have changed during the last century, and she

explains how this change has not been for the better.

From her essay, it seems as though she is a cinephile

herself.  She addresses the subject of cinephilia so

passionately that it makes the reader long for a this

sense of enrapturement that is long gone from cinema.

After she talks about what it was like in the golden

days when most viewers were cinephiles, she goes on to

talk about what sort of viewers exist today and the

transformation of the cinema industry.  She states that

"cinephilia implies that films are unique, unrepeatable,

magic experiences" (1063).  Then she goes on to say,

"Cinephilia has no role in the era of hyper-industrial

films."  Times have changed and so has the role and

content of cinema.  Sontag laments the end of this era

because she knows exactly what it is like to feel this

way.  She knows that cinephiles feel "a fantastic

experience...with such magical immediacy" (1059) when

they attend movies.

With the extent of my knowledge what cinema was like in

the past, I agree with Sontag.  I believe that things in

cinema are very different from what they were like when

cinema first came out.  I don't think that people

appreciate movies like they should, but also, I don't

think that movies encompass the same qualities as they

used to.  As Sontag says, "[T]here was always a conflict

between cinema as an industry and cinema as an art,

cinema as routine and cinema as experiment" (1062).  And

this conflict finally led to the destruction of the

"cine-love" for films.

2.  With Sontag's definition of cinephilia as the "very

specific kind of love that cinema inspired" and "the

conviction that cinema was an art unlike any other"

(1059), I don't believe that Susan Allen Toth is one.

Mainly, the extent of her relationship with films is

dominated by her relationships with men.  Her experience

of the movies is defined by the extent to which she

likes the man that she is seeing.  A cinephile enjoys

the ecstacy of enrapturement without regard to her

company.  Toth likes to describe what types of movies

her boyfriends like and what her men act like towards

her when they attend a movie together.  She is not

really concerned with the "magical immediacy" of the

film but the magical connection with her boyfriend.  At

the beginning of each section of her essay, Toth makes a

statement that has something to do with her current man.

 For instance, she says, "Aaron takes me only to art

films" (1064) and "Sam likes movies tha tare

entertaining" (1065).  This shows that Toth's interests

in movies does not run as deep as a true cinephile's

interests.

3.  It is ten o'clock, and I am running late as usual.

We, Bill and I, are going to see a really scary movie.

As I rush out of the house into Bill's car, I remember

that I forgot my stress reliever ball.  I bring this

ball with me to scary movies because not only helps to

relieve the tension and suspense of fear but also helps

to prevent bruises on Bill's arm the next day.  OOhh

well.  Well, we barely make it on time to see the

beginning of the movie, but we are there sure enough.

As the movie begins, the suspense starts to build up,

and I start to get that little sense of fear in my

stomach.  So, I lock arms with Bill, but this doesn't

satisfy my need for the relief of my fear.  I grab onto

his upper arm,and with the climax of the movie came the

climax of his bruising.  I am so caught up in the

suspense and unraveling of the plot that I forget about

Bill beside me.  Of course, he takes it like a man, like

all men try to do.  At the end of the movie, I asked him

if he enjoyed it, and he replied that this movie was

nothing short of phenomenal, which could be seen in his

tears!

Message no. 182[Branch from no. 177]
Posted by JOSHUA DANIEL COWAN on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 4:16am
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion(Angela)

Angela, have you ever thought about phychology or

perhaps human behavoir as a major?  Your response to

question 2 smacked me upside the head like a wet halibut

at 6a.m. on Fisherman's Wharf.(Well, not quite like a

wet halibut. More like a semi-wet herring...)  Your

analyzations of Toth's movie experiences were right on

and very insightful.  It really floored me.  (Like a

semi-wet herring...)

Message no. 184[Branch from no. 158]
Posted by JAMES ANDREW FOGLE on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 12:37pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

In message 158 on Monday, February 24, 2003 1:38pm, Dr.

Suellyn Winkle writes:

>Questions for Class Discussion Week 7

>1.What is Sontag’s lament in “A Century of Cinema”?

>Describe her complaint.  Do you agree or disagree?

>Her argument about the cinemas is that when they fist came out it "was an art unlike any other;quintessentially modern; distinctively accessible; poetic and mysterious and erotic and moral-all at the same time."  Now that cinema's have been around for a while, Sontag argues that they have lost their poetic and mysterious attributes that they once exemplified in previous times.  Sontag also says that the "Cinema was a crusade.  Cinema was a world view.  Lovers of poetry or opera or dance don't think there is only poetry or opera or dance."  That the cinema was recognized as something other than poetry, opera, or dance; and that now cinema isn't as highly valued as it used to be.  I disagree with what Sontag writes about cinemas, for they are still a way for billions of people to have entertainment in their lives today.

>2.Using Sontag’s definition of a cineophile, argue

>whether Toth is one or not.  Since Toth seemed to be in la-la land about movies saying that she goes to art films with strange and vague poetic images that she doesn't always understand.  The definition of cinephilia is the name of the very specific kind of love that cinema inspired.  She doesn't seem to really have that love for the movies, for they only seem vague to her.

>3.Write a brief narrative, a la Toth, in which you

>describe a movie going experience, with or without a

>date.  If movie going doesn’t work for you, describe a

>date to another type of event.

>I had a similar experience when i was watching a movie with a friend the other day.  I was completely understanding the plot and all of the hidden images, and my friend wasn't completely catching on the what was happening.  He kept asking me what was going on, or what certian symbols of the movie meant.  I would tell him and he would still become lost in what was giong on.  He didn't seem to show that much love for the film since he did not completely understand it.

>Don't forget to post your replies this week.  :-)

Message no. 187[Branch from no. 158]
Posted by CARLING ANNE MARTIN on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 2:14pm
Subject Re: Questions for Class Discussion

In message 158 on Monday, February 24, 2003 1:38pm, Dr.

Suellyn Winkle writes:

>Questions for Class Discussion Week 7

>1.What is Sontag’s lament in “A Century of Cinema”?

>Describe her complaint.  Do you agree or disagree?

Sontag's lament in a "Century of Cinema" is that their

seems to be a lack of cineophiles or people with true

love inspired by the moviegoing experience.  To her

cineophiles were even more than just people in love with

movies.  "Cinema was an art like any other"(1059)  As

the art of moviemaking progresses people come to excpect

the storylines.  A movie must really be "out there" or

"against the grain" to really capture our attention.

Perhaps this is why most cineophiles today are so

intrigued by the less obvious, independent film.

>2.Using Sontag’s definition of a cineophile, argue

>whether Toth is one or not.

>Even though Toth knows every detail of her moviegoing experience both on and off screen, I feel that she is more focused on who she is at the movies with rather than the movie itself.  Although when she goes to the movie by herself she seems much more aware and enveloped in the film.

>3.Write a brief narrative, a la Toth, in which you

>describe a movie going experience, with or without a

>date.  If movie going doesn’t work for you, describe a

>date to another type of event.

In high school my freinds and I never had much of

anything better to do, so we always went to the movies

on the weekends.  It came to a point when it didn't even

matter what movie we were seeing.  We saw whatever movie

would come out, no matter the genre.  This would not be

an example of cineophilia.  This would be an example of

desperation.

>Don't forget to post your replies this week.  :-)

Message no. 183
Posted by GBATI DJERI on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 7:57am
Subject cinephilia

1)     According to Sontag cinephilia has lost its

significance through time. Initially cinephilia was

assimilated with a feeling, a state of mind people are

in when going to the movies; for example we could talk

about cinephilia when the very first movies came out

astonishing the viewers both through the imagery and the

feeling coming out of it. I think Sontag believes

cinephilia faded when the art of making movies became a

matter of business and race against one another.

Personally, I think I have a sort of feeling that could

probably be cinephilia, but at a different level from

Sontag’s idea of cinephilia. I think cinephilia didn’t

disappear but just adapted somehow through time. 2)   She

both is and isn’t a cineophile. She seems to be

distracted when she’s on a date because she remembers

details such as the habits of the man she‘s going out

with and on the other hand she vaguely talks about the

movies itself. However, she paid more attention to

movies when going by herself sneaking into an auditorium

to watch her favorite movie. 3)   I remember that once

when I was in France my whole class organized a sort of

little party at Mc Donald where all of us were invited;

after that we planned to go to the movies. I remember

that even if I had fun talking with my friends I was

kind of eager to go the movies; that seems weird because

I couldn’t get to talk to my friends when watching it

but the idea that my whole class was in the room

enjoying this time with me (“Nothing to lose”) filled me

with excitement and makes me feel nostalgic right now.