The Story of Film: An Odyssey, and subtle dis at modern cinema

Last night, I watched the first episode of the miniseries The Story of Film: An Odyssey. It’s pretty good, and a little sad. Immediately, it was apparent that the future of “cinema” is becoming an experience opposite of what the Lumiere Brothers and Edison wanted.

One of the first points the film makes is that initially, films were able to be seen on small screens and only by an individual. To early filmmakers, like the Lumiere Brothers, this was unacceptable. They wanted to submerse an audience into a story through a large screen, so it felt as if they were part of, or in, the story.

I feel like our generation has backtracked and completely forgotten the intention of cinema. It’s goal is to present an alternate reality to the point where our actual surroundings and environment are forgotten. Now, we’re viewing films on tiny screens that are constantly interrupting the story and experience by the multiple apps, windows or features of a computer, tablet or smart phone. I can honestly say that every time I’ve watched a movie on a computer I’ve either left the film to peruse another web page or check an e-mail. This “personalized” experience of viewing a film on a computer or tablet is not cinema. It’s a superficial alternative to cinema that does not submerse my senses and mind into a story. Rather, I’m half-watching a movie from my desk, constantly aware that I’m half-watching a movie from my desk, while also answering e-mails.