Sunday 27 February 2011

Review

‘Sherlock Jnr’ 1924 and ‘Man with a movie camera’ 1929
As a modern society where technological advances are developed at a startling rate, it can be argued that groundbreaking technology of the past is simply forgotten. Despite its age ‘Sherlock Jnr’ proves it can still captivate the modern society; realised through personal experience of the reaction of peers whilst viewing this film during the Odeon cinema programme. The era of the silent movie was prevalent during the late 1800’s early 1900’s and was a popular entertainment medium. This format was accessible to all walks of life, and in the case of ‘Sherlock Jnr’ flooded theatres with laughter. This film alongside exaggerated acting was dependent on its experiments with illusion in order to create humour. In similarity ‘Man with a movie camera’ experiments with camera angles and illusions, however this is done to a much greater scale. Both films explore this medium as a way of reaching out to its audience. Delving into the world of the silent movie, it is apparent that the directors and producers wish to challenge the boundaries of film and to a great degree experiment with what experience an audience can get from cinema. In ‘Man with a movie camera’ to an extreme degree the directors create and develop different techniques of filming, which is also prevalent in ‘Sherlock Jnr’; ‘None of Keaton’s films showcased his fascination with cinema technique quite as clearly as ‘Sherlock Jnr’ . The fascination of film narrative is also clearly shown in ‘An Interview with Buster Keaton’ by Christopher Bishop ‘So I was very interested in it- the mechanics of it. I wanted to know how that picture got put together through protagonist’ . Keaton’s passion for film is obvious, an attribute which makes the film ever more appealing. This infatuation with film is also seen in ‘Man with a movie camera’ where it seems the directors would literally risk their lives to get particular shots. These silent films can still appeal to a modern day audience. Natural features to a silent film such as the organ used to play the music during the films duration, is enchanting to us now, whereas in the past it was simply a common element. The old is still relevant and appealing to us now, which was highlighted when visiting the ‘Enchanted Palace’ exhibition at Kensington Palace. This exhibition has used present day technology as well as new modern designs in keeping with the character of the palace in order to reveal great tales of seven princesses and to interact with current viewers (shown in the pictures below). In similarity to the silent films analysed, historical pieces still charm modern audiences, and we can still learn a great deal from them, both in the creative and informative sense. It seems that in the case of the silent films and this particular exhibition the old and the new can fluidly move alongside each other which reveal they have an almost timeless quality. The exhibition has adapted to the era to relate to its audience, including modern technology in order to enhance the experience of viewers to the objects within the palace. However, the films do not need to do this, possibly due to its nature of initially connecting to the masses to begin with (due to the silent genre where the film can reach out to all nations). It is important to keep the past remembered, all that it has developed and the enjoyment it can still give us today and in relation to Susan Hiller’s exhibition piece ‘Monument’ of the names of heroes forgotten, these films will not be forgotten in time.

(Postcards purchased at Kensington Palace; the modern designs interlace with the traditional interior of the palace, a Vivienne Westwood dress and rotating sculptures)

Picture I took of a modern chair piece recently created at the palace which is in keeping with the overall style emulated.

A picture of the organ player who performed at the Odeon cinema programme.



Bibliography

http://www.moah.org/exhibits/archives/movies/technology_development.html - history of film

Blackboard Week 5 Sherlock Jnr notes 2nd Feb 2011

‘An Interview with Buster Keaton’ Christopher Bishop and Buster Keaton
Film Quarterly Vol. 12, No. 1 (Autumn, 1958), pp. 15-22
Published by: University of California Press http://www.jstor.org/stable/3186072

http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?cgroupid=999999961&workid=21187&searchid=9596&tabview=image (25th February 2011 21:41)

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