The films being made today are losing the art of suspense. I love old suspense movies and am disappointed they no longer make them the way they used. Today they make horror movies instead. With horror the films scare and surprise with disturbing and shocking images. In suspense the excitement is built up from situation and circumstances.
One of the most suspenseful movies I have ever seen was Wait Until Dark starring Audrey Hepburn. It has been so long since I have seen it but remember literally jumping out of my seat. It was a simple plot: a blind woman locked in her home with two crooks. There was no shocking violence, you saw everything before it happened and it still leaves you tense throughout.
We cannot discuss suspense without mentioning Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense. One of my favorite Hitchcock films is Rear Window. Once when watching it—I had started it alone—my roommates and a neighbor came in and the movie briefly became background to the conversations. The skill and suspense of Hitchcock gradually yet quickly took over the attention of everyone in the room. For two in the room it was the first time seeing it.
They were tense and jittery, and those of us who have seen the movie were enjoying watching them. They would nervously inch to the edge of the seat then rock back, rise to a half stand then fall back into the sofa, raise their hands to the tops of their heads then back down all the while stone silent. Even their gasps were silent. How did Hitchcock accomplish all this? With the turn of a glance, the silent click of a phone and the flick of a light switch.
Suspense films used to be simple yet effective. Today they have to be grand and extravagant to be effective.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
The Time Machine Abandoned
Something that I have read and has stuck with me was the Ray Bradbury short story “The Time Machine.” This story, like most of Bradbury’s work is set in the future.
In this not too distant future children are outside talking excitedly and arguing. One is telling the unbelieving rest that he has found a time machine. The kid tells the others to follow him and he will take them to it. They follow him into a dusty old house up the stairs and into the dimly lit attic where they see an old man sitting stiffly in a wooden chair. The boy approaches the man and sits at his feet then asks for a story. The old man then begins a story about hunting the long extinct bison on the open prairies; that is followed by a story about fighting in the Civil War. The children are captivated and gather around.
I like this story because it places great value on the experiences of elders as those who lived in times we the younger generations were unable to see. The older are wiser.
I also like the value placed on storytelling. This is something that is being lost in current generations. Movies and television have made us unwilling to hear the telling of a story. We want to see it. Watching our stories we lose much of the humanness that used to be central to stories. Stories were about people and they were told by people. Today there are shown to us in pixels.
Think of how better things used to be when people tell stories, of when your parents told bedtime stories, sharing an exciting story of you day with a friend or sharing some unique experience. Tell stories, listen to others stories that is how we share our lives.
In this not too distant future children are outside talking excitedly and arguing. One is telling the unbelieving rest that he has found a time machine. The kid tells the others to follow him and he will take them to it. They follow him into a dusty old house up the stairs and into the dimly lit attic where they see an old man sitting stiffly in a wooden chair. The boy approaches the man and sits at his feet then asks for a story. The old man then begins a story about hunting the long extinct bison on the open prairies; that is followed by a story about fighting in the Civil War. The children are captivated and gather around.
I like this story because it places great value on the experiences of elders as those who lived in times we the younger generations were unable to see. The older are wiser.
I also like the value placed on storytelling. This is something that is being lost in current generations. Movies and television have made us unwilling to hear the telling of a story. We want to see it. Watching our stories we lose much of the humanness that used to be central to stories. Stories were about people and they were told by people. Today there are shown to us in pixels.
Think of how better things used to be when people tell stories, of when your parents told bedtime stories, sharing an exciting story of you day with a friend or sharing some unique experience. Tell stories, listen to others stories that is how we share our lives.
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