> Subject:      Re: silent films and history
 
Surely I can't be the only one out here who finds this entire
discussion petty and slightly ridiculous.  How can somebody summarily
dismiss 60+ years of cinema with a mere wave of his/her hand?
 
What about Hitchcock?  Kubrick?  Ridley Scott?  Scorsese?  Even the
more commercial directors such as Billy Wilder?  Speilberg?  James L.
Brooks?  These artists have all pushed modern cinema in slightly new
directions.  The people involved in the inception of a new technology
inherently have a much easier time breaking ground, seeing as how
there so much ground to be broken, but let's belittle the
contributions of others.
 
This writing-off of modern cinema most likely comes from the same line
of thinking that spawns such groaners as, "Springsteen never did
anything worthwhile after his 2nd album."  Or how about, "Most modern
ballplayers couldn't hold a candle to Joe Dimaggio."  Or even, "The
'65 Mustang is the last great car."  Give me a break.  Come to think
of it, this whole discussion sounds suspiciously like a Levi's Dockers
commercial.
 
 {{{{{     |  Chris White
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