Scott Brons

Mrs. Salisbury

Movie-Made America Seminar

1 September 2015

Essential Question

As an art form, I believe movies function as both an escape and a mirror to society.

Whether the director/actor/writer/artist in question intended to merely entertain or to persuade

and change people with the film, the film must be analyzed as a piece of reflection, and not a

prophecy. And although many “forward-thinking” films seem to express the future with

surprising accuracy, these claims and predictions are only gleams shining, from the past, into

media today.

Before, films had even been conceptualized, the art forms relevant to the time period

always seemed to be pushing ever forward. Look at Bach for example: all the tonal rules of

harmony and part-writing came from his own decision. He moved away from the fourths and

fifths to thirds and sixths (which before were referred to as dissonant, even offensive). And now,

in Bach’s future, the third is a fundamental piece of harmony. So was Bach a prophesying man,

looking into the future to see what One Direction or Fifth Harmony- not comparing these to

J.S.B. en forme musical integrity- would be using as harmonic foundations? No. He was merely

furthering his art form. He saw the past. He continued on the path laid behind him.

Similarly, until films become fully self-aware of themselves as a functioning part of

society, they will never truly predict. To assume truth in movies about the future is dangerous

because without a clear, unified goal or focus, no means can be paired with method. Most

popular films made to satisfy archetypal genres and money-making attempts are only produced

to feed the casual movie-goer and refill the studio with more money to repeat the process in

happy repetition. Also, many art houses and avant garde studios refuse to acknowledge their own

goals (to push boundaries and ultimately be remembered as the film that did “that” first). Even

so, as they experiment and lean towards what seems to be the future, until a film in this vein is

successful, these films will be in the rut.

But let’s say a film of the aforementioned type finds success. The majority of films will

begin following suit. Following the curve- experimental to popular. And these trends shift so

suddenly that they seem prophetic, but it is only a wheel, ever spinning towards the next. But

never to it. I think this is where some grey area should be accepted. Maybe these films that so

violently and powerfully attack the new are to be praised for their brave subject matter. But I still

hold firm, that as humans, we will never truly predict until we absolve our biases, let go of our

ulterior motives, and realize that that society now is not society in an hour. Imagine Miranda

upon meeting all the people and experiencing the fresh sentiments associated with lives

interacting. “O brave new world.”

And whether seeing film as a reflection or as a prediction is harmful or not, the medium

of narrative or entertainment pursues onward diligently. I suspect that in the near future we will

begin seeing more and more liberal views portrayed more and more freely with less and less

controversy and less and less resistance from the masses. The film industry, admittedly, is very

good at following where the media and “popular” society want them to go. Popular seemingly to

mean controversial and forward thinking. But until the industry becomes fully self-aware, we

will not see prediction, but only candide reflection.