People lament that movies aren't as good as the "old days," but only because we don't remember the bad movies from the old days. I'm sure they existed, I just can't name any, which kinda proves my point!What I'm getting at is a way of evaluating the worth of movies in a way I hadn't thought of until today. What movies will I own in my sixties and seventies? That is, of course, barring considerations such as changing interests and nostalgia, and only taking into account how awesome a film really is, on its own internal merits.
A recent example: I don't think Chris Nolan will, or should, be remembered for Inception (2010), but rather his far-greater The Dark Knight (2008). In 50 years, the one film that students will watch in Epic Allegorical Vigilante Mob-War Films 101 will be The Dark Knight, while over in Wicked-Cool Special Effects Driving a Mind-Bending Alternate-Reality Plot 202, they'll always be watching The Matrix (1999).
And I don't measure artistic merit in textbook-citations. I'm talking about what films people will actually still be buying when there aren't any fanboys around to defend them anymore. What films do what they do better than any other film that ever tried?
While Chris Nolan's name has been thrown out there, let's discuss his filmography. I think, in the year 2060 AD, Following (1998) will have been tragically forgotten, Memento (2000) will be dissected mostly just by film scholars, Insomnia (2002) will be rightfully treasured by the few people who still know about it, Batman Begins (2005) will have been (unfairly) rebooted at least twice, and The Prestige (2006) will have been all but forgotten (to my great chagrin). Inception will be mentioned only when people ask, "Hey, isn't that the same guy who did The Dark Knight?!"
Ok, so all of this is hearsay. My predictions are my own. But the way of evaluating film-quality based on their prospective longevity is not. Take the system, use it, if you like.
--Serge
Also consider this, however: being part of a famous and acclaimed director's filmography at all does wonders for a film's longevity, especially if the film is actually really good in the first place. After all, look at the works of Hitchcock or Kubrick, most of which are still remembered at least in some capacity--partly for their quality, but also partly as a "(director's name) film". I think/hope this is the fate to be expected of Nolan's filmography. Certainly I think Memento is bound to remain a classic to those with any serious interest in film. And The Dark Knight is already a culturally iconic movie. Inception certainly won't carry the weight of acclaim Dark Knight will, but I think there will be plenty who still look back fondly on it, even if they only compare it to The Matrix.
ReplyDelete