No-Tune-868 t1_iuh80iv wrote on October 31, 2022 at 9:19 AM

Reply to comment by StabnShoot in How to watch and analyse arthouse cinema? by lonzosch

Not sure how important theme is. Every movie has one more and cant think of a movie ive liked cos of its theme.

StabnShoot t1_iuh84h9 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 9:21 AM

I don't want to sound mean but if you think a movie's theme isn't important then maybe you don't really like movies.

To_The_Past t1_iuhneac wrote on October 31, 2022 at 12:27 PM

That's tangible vs less tangible details. I never though about the editing in Bloody Sunday or Being There but those films wouldn't work without masterful editing.

The filmmakers commitment to themes determines so much of the mise en scene, editing, plot focus and motion, characterisation, acting choices, and more. You take the theme out of your favourite movies and you simply won't have the same movie at all.

What a film makes you feel and the parts that jump out to you as what you liked, and what made it work that way, are two very different angles.

No-Tune-868 t1_iuhnuw6 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 12:31 PM

Not sure ur addressing my point at all. Every movie has a theme. And lots of shit movies have the same themes as great movies. Fact.

To_The_Past t1_iuhob85 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 12:35 PM

Same only applies here in the absolute broadest strokes (like plot, lots of good and bad films with the same basic plots). How they develop and explore that theme is tremendously important to the film you get, in virtually every aspect of the film, and there are also other variables as well as theme.

Replace the basic themes in Blade Runner and you simply don't get Blade Runner. You get something completely different.

A lot of shit films have the same type of editing as good movies too, that's just a fact too. Doesn't mean editing isn't critically important to the movies you like working as they do.

No-Tune-868 t1_iuhonay wrote on October 31, 2022 at 12:38 PM

Then ur proving my point. I didnt disagree with how themes are explored affects quality. I disagreed that themes affect quality.

And of course if u replace themes ud get a different movie.

To_The_Past t1_iuhp7gl wrote on October 31, 2022 at 12:43 PM

>I didnt disagree with how themes are explored affect quality. I disagreed that themes affect quality.

I disagree that this is a meaningful distinction, let alone one that I proved. You said you're not sure themes are important - bad movies have the same basic themes as good movies, after all! My contention is that they are, and that bad movies have them too is a bad argument.

Bad movies often have the same basic editing or plotting as good movies too, but this doesn't mean editing or plotting are unimportant, that's a bad argument. Editing, plotting - and themes - and getting them right in the execution of a movie - are crucially important. Even if they're not the tangible things that jump out to you as why you liked the movie, they are crucially important factors that resulted in that end.

No-Tune-868 t1_iuhq2vu wrote on October 31, 2022 at 12:51 PM

Yeah i read what u said last time. No need to repeat urself.

Im still right and ur still moving away from the point onto editing and blah blah blah.

Sophistry at best.

To_The_Past t1_iuixe0z wrote on October 31, 2022 at 5:56 PM

I don't think you understand what either me or yourself are saying. Editing is used as an analogy that illustrates why your argument doesn't make sense. You're not right, you have decided that you have to be right but are unable to articulate your position coherently and have it withstand any scrutiny, and this is frustrating you. Have a nice day.