I bought this book a while ago and I have realized what a waste it was to not talk about it here. The Moviegoer’s Companion is one of the books in the Companion Series, we have “The Literary Companion”, “The Cook’s Companion”, “The Walker’s Companion”… anyway, the list is in a picture you’ll see below.
This is a book about facts and curiosities, filled with quotes, ratings, and even a few questions to test the reader’s knowledge of cinema. I’m really excited to share with you a few of the things I discovered while reading it. Something really interesting about it (I have never seen this in a book before) is that the number of the page also brings a fact involving that number, and of course I’ll share it with you.
So here we go! But first a few pictures because I think it’s a beautiful book and you deserve to see it too 😀
No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls – Ingmar Bergman
Movie Makers and Shakers:
The Lumière brothers, Louis and Auguste – first presented a short film to an audience in Paris in 1895. It was the first public presentation of a film. They invented the cinématographe.
Thomas Edison – It was he who suggested equidistant holes along the sides of cine film to regulate its flow through the camera. Some of the first moving pictures were made in his film studio.
Georges Méliès – French magician who saw the Lumière brothers’ first film. He is considered the father of special effects .
Edwin S Porter – he was the first person to make films for the masses. He made the first Western, “The Great Train Robbery” (1903), which lasted 11 minutes. He also pioneered many modern cinema techniques including shooting films out of sequence so as to minimise moving between locations.
Lee de Forest – developed Phonofilm in 1923, a way to synchronize sound on film, which became the basis for the introduction of talking pictures in 1927.
It is an axiom of cinema history, one admitting of few exceptions, that the longer the film’s title the likelier it is to be an outright dud – Gilbert Adair, US screen writer and critic
Forbidden Films:
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987) – a biography of Karen Carpenter, superstar who lost her battle against anorexia nervosa at the age of 32. The movie was made entirely using Barbie and Ken dolls. Richard Carpenter and Mattel both sued the director for illegally using Carpenter’s songs.
The Great Dictator (1940) – written, directed and starring Charlie Chaplin, the film made fun of Hitler and Nazi Germany. The film was banned in Hitler’s Germany and all Nazi occupied countries, although it is thought that Hitler himself saw the movie twice.
Movie Therapy
Movie therapy was developed to help people access emotions through films because it was believed that people are move likely to respond to images and archetypal situations than to a therapist in an office. Films can act as a shortcut to self discovery because viewers can relate to the characters and situations they are shown. Attending movie therapy involves finding a film that matches your feelings and then watching it while paying close attention to your reactions to the film. Then you talk about your feelings with a professional. Different films work for different people, an old favorite is “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946) which is apparently good at calming people down.
Dream Sequence
Watching a film: if you are dreaming you are watching a film this could mean that you are watching life pass you by. To help interpret this dream, try and notice how the film parallels situations in your own life. Watching a film can also signify that you are analyzing yourself without being emotionally attached. If you are waiting for the film to start, that might suggest you are not sufficiently involved in life.
Starring a film: this dream signifies that something from your unconscious is soon to emerge. It can also represent memories from your past or a new role you are about to take on your life.
Being in a cinema: this dream means you are trying to protect yourself from your emotions or actions. Viewing difficult situations on the big screen helps to distance you from emotional damage.
The baddie: if you dream about a film villain it is likely to be reflection of you thinking about starting a dangerous activity.
A young girl travels to a psychedelic landscape where she kills the first person she meets, then teams up with three complete strangers to kill again – TV Guide preview of The Wizard of Oz
Page numbers and their facts:
10 – amount, in thousand of dollars, asked of any potential investor to help the funding of The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) in return for a bit part
11 – minimum age limit for ET – The Extra Terrestrial (1982) in Sweden after claims the film shows parents being unpleasant to children
12 – number of Oscar nominations received by Ben Hur (1959) of which it won 11
13 – Year, in the twentieth century, that the first neon sign was mounted outside a cinema (West End Cinema, Coventry Street, London)
Talking7Arts 