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When viewing programs, how do you "see' them - especialy shows not within your era?

posted 3 months ago by TruMovieFan (1968)
3 replies | jump to latest

I'm curious how people prepare themselves for films or shows prior to watching? I mean, how do you set your frame of mind? And especially for programs or movies outside of your living generation.

For example, I just watched a film from 1943 and it was pretty good for a film from that year and for its genre. Others here, panned it for what I considered more out of generational issues, rather than how the film really existed among other entertainment in 1943.

To further illustrate, it is like how one born into the era of exceptional CGI sees a movie from way back where the flying saucer is just a flat object being held up by a poorly hidden piece of wire. It's almost like this sort of viewer can't get beyond the poor special effects even though the film might have been exceptional within it's own time frame.

What I seem to pick up is that many viewers can't get beyond what was normal in the past when seen in today's environment instead of seeing these shows and programs in a more time-relative way.

[–] sslssg (27985) 3 months ago

Perhaps it's because of my age (late gen x) but I've always watched movies as a product of their time. I've always enjoyed older movies. Sometimes, I think that things look a little silly, especially poor stop motion, but that usually doesn't take me out of the movie.

I do sort of understand not getting past effects though, for me, bad CGI is probably the biggest offender. If a movie is good outside of the effects, I will enjoy it. If not, then I will probably give more attention to the bad effects.

As for what is normal in the past, sometimes it is a little jarring to see what used to be normal. I don't get upset at movies for that, but there are moments when watching movies from my youth, that I am a little like "wow, this was okay??" I don't have that as much with movies from my parents time, as I already had those moments watching those movies as a kid. But yeah, I sometimes look at ones from the 70s and 80s (and even 90s I guess) and shake my head a bit. I still think they are good movies, and sometimes I wish that people who weren't alive at that time could see past those moments, and just enjoy the movie as we did back then.

[–] samoanjoes (51006) 3 months ago

It's always good to know the decade a film or TV show is released. It wouldn't be fair to judge the "Mary Poppins" visual effects to the effects in "Lord of the Rings."

Sometimes things may come off sexist or racist but were normal viewpoints back then. While you can criticize society for being that way, I can't really judge a film or TV show for being that way.

[–] capuchin (2671) 3 months ago

Oh, I view them through two lenses, I suppose. Inevitably, I'm watching them in 2024, so I can't help but view them as someone who is alive and living in society in 2024. But I don't think you get very far with stuff if you don't also consider the context -- which includes the era in which it was made, the technology that was available, the budget that was available, the audience it was primarily aimed at, &c.

As samoanjoes says:

While you can criticize society for being that way, I can't really judge a film or TV show for being that way.

Every film and TV show is a document of its own time. We can, for example, criticise lots of elements of Star Trek: TOS, especially perhaps its gender politics. But it was progressive show for network American television in the 1960s, challenging some of the views of its audience, and has to be viewed in that context.