Quote
JamesJM
Is it possible, today, for the younger generation to watch and appreciate 'classics'.... I think 'yes' for future 'classics'.. not so sure about the older ones... like "The Seven Samurai" by Kurosawa. Here's why:
Using The Seven Samurai as an example... but there are MANY others, most of Hitchcocks films, for example - a lot of Kurosawa's brilliance is not so much in the story told but in the innovative manner in which it's told.... subtle things such as camera angles. Subtle things that today have been mimic'd so much that to younger people they seem 'old hat'... thus, 'where's the brilliance?'
Unless you study film, and film making technique, the 'genius' of most older classics aren't readily apparent, IMHO. In fact... basing this on comments I hear from people today.... 'brilliance' almost works against the older classics by reversing chronological order... in other words - older classics are nearly, if not fully, seen as 'copy cats' to those directors of today they begat.
By the way... when I say 'younger generation' I think the same thing applied to my generation, at the time - and perhaps all generations.
A story. I am the oldest sibling. A few years back I was with my youngest brother discussing film, and I realized he didn't know what film noir was. So I said, let's watch The Maltest Falcon, which of course he had never seen. He was game/
Afterwards, I asked him what he thought, and his response was, I dunno it's so full of cliches....