Who the hell is Godard?

Don’t get your panties in a bunch, I know who Jean-Luc Godard is.

Listen, in Mubiwood there are talk of people such as Akira Kurosawa and Michel Carne.
But the rest of the world has no idea who these people are, let alone the work they’ve done. Society finds all areas of cultural specialization- like people who can tell their Monets from their Picassos from their Da Vincis from their Dahli’s, we can tell our Spielbergs from our Crichtons from our Peckinpahs from our Framptons. Film has lent itself an artistic value that most of the world doesn’t and never will know about.
We have dubbed ourselves a sort of “film elite”, which, for our purposes, is almost a badge of hono that we wear with pride. But regular society won’t know what we’re talking about.

How shut off are we from the rest of the world because of this? More so, how shut off are you?
Has cinema shut you off from people? Loved ones, relatives? Do you see film-loving as a handicap or a badge of honor or just a hobby?

Discuss.

Woah, that is deep.

I know, right?

Michel Carne? Welcome to Mubiland.

Marcel Carne, soryy

Man, that sounds, not going to lie, like, really egotistical, which I think you’re meaning it to sound. I don’t know, man. I love loving movies, but I try to be as respectful of those who don’t know as much about film as I do, since maybe they haven’t had the time to learn. We all started somewhere. If they’re asking the questions, why is that bad? Remember, I thought THAT’S what the site was about: DISCOVERY. Seriously. And we all help each other with that on this forum. That will never change. :D

Savvy

It’s pretty hard for me to talk to normal people…I find myself pandering quite often. People at work always see me mailing my netflix and ask what i rented…my usual response is some Japanese (insert country) film from the 30s (insert decade) and they quickly lose interest.

I don’t think it’s snobby. Most people don’t care and don’t want to learn about cinema. My friends and family are always like “what weirdo movie are you watching now?” If they ask at all that is.

Let’s just remember that within the borders of Mubi there are four tribes, the Bays, the Tarantinos, the Camerons and the Spielbergs.

There are rebels but they cannot unite to form a strong opposition.

Brand, but, that’s the thing. If someone is asking who Godard is, he probably wants to know. Why not enlighten people! :D

Savvy

I would and I do to those I can tell are genuinely interested. I’m just saying most people I know, immediately abandon or change the subject.

Brand, oh, trust me, I know. Many people I know are like that, too. I just don’t think we should hold ourselves on any kind of pedestal. I am no better than you, nor anyone else. :)

Savvy

I’m just saying that it is sort of a social barrier when all people want to talk about is Iron Man 2 or Nightmare on Elm Street and I’m wanting to talk about the Czech film series at the revival theater haha. Not saying I’m any better, but I have to feign interest at times.

Yeah I understand where this is coming from: it’s kind of a lonely thing to be at a party and talk to someone who gets excited about movies and you mention your favourites (ie. I dunno … The 400 Blows) and that person is all shrug.

But it’s also kind of bigger than all that. There are a whole boat load of topics I know 0.00 about or close to 0.00 and on which any of the people at that party (including the guy who loves say Eternal Sunshine and Only Eternal Sunshine) are experts and may feel just as isolated.

If it’s so alienating to be abreast of all the Godards and Carnes and such and such, know that at the root of your love for film is a pretty similar kind of love that nearly everyone else has for some or another discipline.

Sorry that was more flowery than the love scene in Avatar. :)

Yeah, most people lose interest immediately (who would want to read a movie???), but on the flip side I can’t wear my Janus Films t-shirt in public without getting compliments from other cinephiles…

You don’t need other people to validate your feelings, just like what you like!

But becoming too much of a film geek has its problems. If you think people should be impressed that you’ve watched 214 of the IMDB Top 250, you’ve got issues that the greatest movie in the world isn’t going to be able to solve. Mubies are there to enrich life, not replace it.

Anthony, “…kind of a lonely thing to be at a party and talk to someone who gets excited about movies and you mention your favourites (ie. I dunno … The 400 Blows) and that person is all shrug.”

Bro, you have perfectly described the horror that is my life.

You mean this dude? He’s not half bad.

I quote Anthony: “at the root of your love for film is a pretty similar kind of love that nearly everyone else has for some or another discipline.”

Exactly.

While it is amazing to run into another cinephile and discuss films and get excited, feeling we’re part of something worthwhile … there are other disciplines and areas of study we do not know…. and those people probably feel exactly the same way as we do.

I know at times I’ve behaved like a Cinema snob when I’ve asked other people what their favorite films are and I get replies like “My 50 first dates” or “Titanic”… at those times I’ve felt that maybe that person is really not worth talking to… Now I ask, is this right? Of course not and I’m ashamed to confess it.

It used to be the same with music. If anyone would have told me Brittney Spears or Paulina Rubio or Ricky Martin were among their favorite “musicians”, I would have just walked away.

But the older you get the more you learn (obviously) and the more tolerant of others you become. You begin to understand compassion and exercise it. Nowadays if anyone tells me their favorite movie is “Transformers” I just smile and change the subject. There are so many topics under the sun…

And those rare occasions in which I run into another cinephile, I treasure and my elation lasts for a week.

=)

(However all this does not mean I’d be super thrilled if this new “MUBI” site loses what makes it unique, a haven for knowledgeable film lovers. A place to connect with others of the same tastes / direction in film… To see it bite the dust and become just another “flixster” or IMBD would be very sad).

I’ve had mixed experiences, I would say overall positive.

I know that there are certain movies I’ll enjoy that most people around me won’t give a damn about, but if one chooses judiciously, I think one can actually bring some forgotten classic to the attention of people who are not film buffs. I had great experiences showing Hitchcock, Satyajit Ray, Buster Keaton, Mizoguchi, Truffaut to people who had never heard of them.

I’ve noticed I talk about movies way to much with people that don’t watch nearly any.

Knowing who Godard and Dali is doesn’t make us better than anyone else. Everyone has their own life, their own families, their own duties, their own interests. We focus on things that we find important for living, and for many, art is a luxury, not a necessity.