Celluloid, the Magician (1/2)

No, this article is not about the mythological ancestors of Penn & Teller. Im quite sure there would be a magician by the name celluloid somewhere in the world, but this is not about him. This article is about the most beautiful & poetic usage fo celluloid known to mankind: MOVIES.

No, this is also not a 10 lessons from the . Im not that cliche as yet.Then what is it?

Recall that one movie which is you saw and just couldnt stop staring at the screen after it ended. A movie whose mention brings a smile to your face. Why was it so good and why do some fictional characters and situations strike so deep?

Im trying to explore this question.Im a movie buff. Movies have helped me think, challenged me, revive me, and also disappointed me.

Some of the most interesting conversations Ive had were around movies. Time and again I look around in search of a movie that can help me define the world around me better. There are many, who share the same love and would know that sometimes the difference between sorrow & joy is just a couple of hours of screen time.

So let me take you through this phenomenon. The magic of movies and how they influence us.The primary question to a curious mind would be, what is the principle of its existence in our complex universe?

Is it a form of art, or its just a medium to express, like books for example? If you dig in philosophy, youll realize this is still an open question.Motion pictures actually take a lot of inspiration from various forms of art like music, dramatics etc.

It would be fair to say that movies are a medium to express these artforms on a large scale. But is that a fair representation? Perhaps not.

Another way to look at movies is that they are an attempt to cultivate an imaginary situation by a combination of creative freedom and the latest scientific tools, not artistic tools but scientific tools. I say scientific tools, particularly because were talking about motion pictures here, a concept which embarked a tremendous transformation in society. Because the way in which the motion picture began was revolutionary.

The first motion picture, The arrival of a train at La Ciotat was so astonishing to viewers that they started running when they saw the train leaving from its station on the screen. And I wont be wrong if I say that modern society is obsessed with this screen.So allow me to put this argument to you, that movies are the most perfect marriage between Art & Science, however, it is the Art part of it which has made this scientific medium unique in its own right and only a true creative can unlock its depth