Movies

Who in his life hasn’t thought, even just for a little second to become an actor? To be part of this magical world called thr film industry? I know I have, as I fell in love with movies the first time I had contact with them, and it lasted until today.

I remember going to the cinema with my mom and my older brother when I was so little that I couldn’t even read. And my mom was reading the subtitles to me (later I realised how annoying that was for the other vieweres), as I was sitting quietly in my chair, charmed by what was going on on the big screen. I was so curious about how those motion pictures were created that I was driving my mother insane with all sorts of questions. Poor her had to give me from technical explanations to all the spicy detailes of the famous people’s lives. T. V. was another problem, because my mom couldn’t keep me away from it. Even if I wasn’t watching, I would still turn it on, just to hear its pleasant noise. And when I was punished not to watch T. V. for a few days (as this was the biggest punishment for me), I used to sit alone in my room, in front of the mirror, imagining I was a famous actress, cheered by all, eplaining on a T.V. show how wonderful it is to be an actress. Or, if my hair didn’t look good that day, I would just invent scripts for my dolls and direct my own movies.

Of course, those are just distant, yey precious memories of my childhood. But mostly, I haven’t changed, I still like to watch as many movies as my spare time allows me to. It’s even easier for me to get them because I don’t have to go all the way to the cinema, I can just watch them from the comfort of my bed. Without even renting them, thanks to modern technology…just a click of the mouse and I can download them off the internet. (of course, I realise what this does to the film industry, but “when in Rome, do as Romans do”…who am I to stop the internet traffic?). What has changed about me is that I watch films from a more mature point of view, trying to analise what is under the actor’s performance, what the message is supposed to be. I see movies as one of the most complex forms of art, which can combine them all: literature, picture, music, dance, architecture, etc. All the posible feelings, ideas and concepts can be transmitted through movies, having also the certainty that a large number of persones will receive them and understand them properly. Because, let’s face it, more people watch movies instead of reading books, more go to the cinema instead of an art gallery. An image can overcome a thousand words, and if that image is also moving and seams real, it can have a huge impact on our mind. It’s a pity that some men don’t have the ability to use this source of impact properly. A good film should have the power to absorb you in its world, to make you part of its story, giving you the feeling that you are actually living what is happening in it, making you forget your own identity, your life and problems for a few minutes. Because, through films, you can live other lives, enrich your experience by seeing places and meeting people that you know you will never actually see and meet in your real life. A good film should enchant both your mind and your soul, bringing tears in your eyes and smiles on your face. It should make you feel sorry it has finished when it has and remain in your memory for years to come. Still, to me the most impotant thing is to make me sit in my chair a few minutes after it’s over, contemplating its essence. Am I too demanding? Perhaps, but since it happened to me with some films, of course I wish it to happen with

all of them. But I have to admit that my expectations have often been disapointed. And that is understandable if you take into consideration the increasing demand for films. Nowadays there are being produced hundreds of films per year and it is logical that most of them are worthless and only a few deserve much attention. And there is also the fact that most films come from “the land of all posibilities”, America. But why there? Us, Europeans are used to thinking that Americans equal quality, and so, it is not only their movies that invaded us but also their whole culture and lifestyle. The entire world looks up to the “American dream” trying to copy elements of their society, including their language, which is internationally spread. This is one reason we like American movies, because we know their language; also because American superstars are the “coolest”, because Americans have the material posibility to turn an oridinary film into a blockbuster, because all the action goes on there and they know how to make it public, because they have Hollywood, the dream producing machine… It is known that the U.S. means success in every posible domain, including entertainment. So, if you are born in America your chances to become famous world wide increase substantially. But it would be a mistake to say that they are all pure-blooded americans, because the U.S.A. is also a great talent importer. Many of its celebrities have foreign origins, like Sweedish Greta Garbo, australian Nicole Kidman or british Catherine Zeta-Jones. They were all attracted by Hollywood in its fantasy world. But how did it all start? To answer that, I’ll have to take you back about a hudred years ago, when films were just being invented…