Good cinema is refreshing.
And at times, it proves
levitating as well.
Like most people, I also love films
– but I am quite selective about what I watch and how I watch.
Films are a brilliant tool to
learn from, to think over and to create a lasting memory worth revisiting – the
meaningful cinema is all about that.
Films are also the most potent
tool for soft communication (or for soft power projection) when the need is to
reach masses not restricted by boundaries.
Films created with a ‘craft
conscience’ are case studies in themselves to study the art and craft of
cinemamaking, to analyse the subject they are based on and to look into the
values of the society they are set into.
Such thoughts come to mind
whenever I watch some good, meaningful film. And all these thoughts were there
again when I was watching ‘Lincoln’ again this evening – a world cinema classic,
a production with honourable values in the annals of cinemamaking.
The 2012 film about Abraham Lincoln,
the 16th US President, by Steven Spielberg focuses on the final
months of Lincoln’s life. It is a moving document to study – for those who are well-informed,
for those who are just familiar and for those as well who are not at all aware
of. The movie is an important modern day source of one of the most important
emancipatory moves made by humans to empower fellow human beings in a
democratic society. In fact, the concept of a free society with constitutional
equality for all began with this history-making decision executed by Abraham
Lincoln in 1865 – making discrimination based on skin colour constitutionally
illegal in the United States of America.
Yes, there have been and there
are debates and critiques about the cinematic representation of the historical
developments in the film but a good piece of ‘meaningful’ cinema liberates you
to enjoy the show and inspires you to know further – like, I believe, many
would have tried after watching the movie.
The art, the craft, the soul, the
flesh – all ingredients of great cinemamaking are here in blossoming health I
can say – with acting, with direction, with writing, with lights and camera, with
score, with sets, with costumes, with props and so on – and historically, the
movie is accurate enough to make viewers sit and experience the age defining
development in the modern history of human civilization in making in a
thrilling, riveting fashion.
©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/
