THE MOVIES THAT WORK THEIR MAGIC ON US…

It seems so appropriate to talk about the glittering world of Hollywood, on the heels of yet another magnificent Academy Award show that just concluded on Sunday night. Among over a billion people who watched the show live from Hollywood, there were those of us, movie buffs, in Sri Lanka too. Hollywood was on parade again – what better moment to talk about, reflect upon the power of movies to move us and shape us, even in the technologically advanced 21st century.

From the classics such as Gone with the Wind, Cleopatra and Ben Hur to the modern day feats such as Lincoln for which Daniel Day Lewis who portrayed Lincoln beautifully, won the Best Actor Award on Sunday, and Argo, Hollywood has always had that ability to have a profound impact on the world. Whether in New York, Colombo or Hong Kong, the movies have often taught us many things.

Music and movies

I remember as a young girl, growing up in a world without TV, the internet and social media, waiting eagerly for the movies that came often long after they were released in Hollywood. Today, all blockbusters hit the screens across the world at the same time but back then, it took a while. Going to the movies was an experience at the time and perhaps with 3D screens, it still is but I for one, am lazy to go to the cinema and prefer watching the movies on my computer.

Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln

As many of my generation, I picked up a lot of cues from the movies. I remember reading recently an article, which correctly opined that most of us consciously or unconsciously behave the way they do in the movies and that probably is true. Our first glimpse of jeans and other trendy wear came firstly from the movies. I remember watching the first ever and the best yet Star Wars at the then Majestic theatre. It truly was an experience, first time Dolby sound and all. Then there was the classic all time favourites such as Taxi Driver, Goodbye Girl, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Kramer vs Kramer. And of course, there was Grease and Saturday Night Fever which for most of us, defined the decade we grew up in.

These movies are etched for always in my mind – those were the seventies, a power packed decade of music and movies during which we grew up. It was a simpler world back then – yet the movies were both entertaining and story telling, unlike some of the violence filled epics of today. We would go to the movies every weekend – typical fare at the movies was icy chocks (are they still around?) and chocolates.

It is to the credit of Hollywood that the movies still survive, despite TV and the Internet where you can view just about anything. Even though technology may allow you to download movies and music, there is still entertainment in visiting the theatre, biting into the popcorn as the movie starts and watching the action unfold on the big screen. For the generations that grew up on TV, movies maybe another experience but with today’s technologically advanced theatres, the young can certainly enjoy the movies as my fifteen-year-old son has discovered. The first time he visited a movie theatre at the age of five, he wanted the channel changed and was looking for the remote!

Power packed performances

There has always been a thrill in watching the Oscars, the mother of all movie awards. Guessing who might win the plum awards, what the stars wore and laughing at the jokes typically tossed by the host and of course, the outstanding entertainment only Hollywood can put together.

Movies will always move us and influence us in ways we cannot comprehend in many ways.

The clothes they wear, the way in which they talk and their mannerisms are all picked up. They tell stories that touch our hearts and transform our thinking and they become such a part of our lives.

From the glamour of Old Hollywood, which was basically a time without surgical enhancements and technology, to the 21st century, the movies continue to tell stories that changed the world and changed human beings. Movies such as Schindler’s List which won Best Picture at the Oscars, yet another Spielberg classic, and Erin Brokovich for which Julia Roberts won the Best Actress in 2001, are some of the power packed performances that highlighted the exceptional courage and commitment shown by individuals against tyranny and might – one against the Nazis and the other against corporate bigwigs.

Yes, we love the movies. We always will. There’s something about the screen and its own world that brings out the best in us and keep us entertained for always.