Tolkien is a very good example. He disliked allegory, and would protest when people tried to pull allegory out of Lord of the Rings, as they often did and still do. Yet, his books, Lord of the Rings being no exception, are chock full of messages and lessons.
skyjedi2005 said:Subtext in films is not an abuse of art, it is an abuse of art for films to be a puff of air representing nothing other than noise, special effects and ticket sales. The idea of film is that it is supposed to provoke a response in the viewer, whether of joy, sadness, fear, absolute terror, horror, being uplifted, or being shown the destitute and evil character of man.
Very well put. I think it sums up most of our frustrations rather nicely. I for one am getting very tired of puffs of air representing nothing other than noise, special effects and ticket sales. I think it is that emotional response we are all missing with the typical BS blockbuster these days. When I saw "silly" sci-fi films like Planet of the Apes or Star Wars when I was a kid, they provoked a huge emotional response from me. The trench run at the end of Star Wars was extremely intense to me, even after I had seen it several times, I was still on the edge of my seat. And for some reason, I still feel a bit of excitement and dread everytime Taylor stumbles upon the Statue of Liberty at the end of Planet of the Apes. Perhaps this is due to the age I was when I first saw that film.
Maybe kids these days are so used to seeing stuff like this and that is why so many of them tend to find Star Wars incredibly boring, and much prefer Return of the Jedi and the prequels. I suppose films like Attack of the Clones and G.I. Joe and their high paced action provides young audiences with a bit of a rush, much like the rush of excitement I used to get from watching Sean Connery or Roger Moore as James Bond when I was a kid. So I suppose the modern blockbuster does evoke an emotional response from its core audience, unfortunately, I am unable to tune into that emotion. To me, it comes off as little more than annoyance at the ridiculousness of what I am seeing before me.
Perhaps my grandfather felt this exact same way when he watched James Bond or Star Wars with me and labeled them as "foolishness". And I suppose the way I felt about his "boring" old black and white westerns that he'd play for me with pride, stating that they were "movies worth watching", is very much the same way my best friend's youngest brother (he is thirteen) felt when I tried to convince him that Star Wars (1977) was absolutely the best of the bunch, and that Revenge of the Sith (his favorite) was hardly worth watching.
Damn generation gap! Makes me feel really old... and disappointed that this younger generation will never experience the greatness of the films I love in the way I experienced them or feel the fondness for them I had.