When I left Sundance Cinemas last weekend, I was one excited film nerd. I had the transcendental experience of a Friday matinee viewing of ""The Social Network."" When I discussed the film afterwards with my friends I encountered an opinion I've heard many times before. I described the film as flawless, and a friend of mine, who had not yet seen the film, told me that he highly doubted that it was flawless and that the term ‘flawless' should be, ""reserved for like, ‘The Godfather' and ‘Star Wars' and ‘Chinatown' and that ilk."" This notion really irritated me, and I'll tell you why.
The 1970s were a magical time in film history, but not one that can never be replicated. Films are going to be produced, and have been produced, that are better crafted, better acted and have a more resounding presence than ""The Godfather,"" ""Star Wars"" and ""Chinatown."" There, I said it. While these films were early examples of great filmmaking, that doesn't mean that they will always be the greatest examples. These films do have flaws, and there have been many great cinematic innovations since the their hayday. You can't let the build-up of critical praise over 30 years hyperbolize how great films from that era actually are. Thirty years later, any great film is going to be remembered as better than it originally was, because it has had 30 years of being remembered as ""that awesome film"" by 30 years worth of viewers.
I am dumbfounded as to why everyone worships at the altar of the past and won't give due props to the present. In the '70s we were only beginning to be introduced to the first wave of formally educated film school directors. Film will continually improve as film education develops and new technical tools and innovations are placed at the disposal of filmmakers. The recent emergence of the Red One and other professional digital cinematography cameras is what has allowed directors like David Fincher to shoot as many as they need to get the perfect shot without worrying about incurring astronomical costs. Furthermore, while some may look negatively on CGI for some of the cheesy films that have utilized it as a mere gimmick, it has had a very positive impact on filmmaking when used in the right hands—and ""The Social Network"" is one outstanding example of this.
The movie's Winklevoss twins were actually played by two different, unrelated actors. Armie Hammer did the facial acting for both twins, with his face being digitally grafted seamlessly onto a body double. Clearly, when done right, these new tools of the trade open doors for filmmakers, doors filmmakers of the '70s could never have imagined. The past is not some lost utopia of artistic creativity that we will never be able to live up to, but rather it is a foundation for us to refer to, to improve upon, to build upon and to incorporate into something better.
I've encountered this idolization of the past in every area of art that I am interested in—film, literature, music—and I am frustrated with it. It prevents people from recognizing the quality of the art being produced right in front of them. They would rather worship at the altar of filmmakers who peaked decades ago because that's a safe opinion. You can't be wrong about ""The Godfather"" or ""Star Wars"" or any of those other films being great because they are so ingrained in our culture as ""great"" that no one is ever going to dispute that with you. But try taking a freaking risk. Try putting your opinion out there and not playing it safe for once. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe thirty years from now no one will remember ""The Social Network,"" but at least I'm being original and true to myself. It's a film I love and I think it's on the level of any of those enshrined '70s films. Instead of worshiping George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola and contributing nothing to our cultural discussion of film that hasn't been said a thousands times before, go find the next Lucas, the next Coppola, and worship them. Contribute something to our zeitgeist instead of simply plagiarizing the same old opinions. By enshrining the past and dismissing the present we are going to let so many great films, great filmmakers, great art and great entertainment slip by unnoticed. And that would be a tragedy the likes of which even Shakespeare never wrote.
Can we ever top the films of the '70s? E-mail David at dcottrell118@gmail.com.
