> The cinema that dared to move beyond the mere production of adrenalin or the
> easy conspiratorial delight in camp has largely disappeared. Oh, yes, one can
> always point to exceptions, but the thrust of cinephilia today is
> depressingly degraded.
>
 
I'll certainly agree with that -- could a "Paper Moon" or "Last
Picture Show" be produced and widely distributed (and accepted by
audiences) today?  Probably not.
 
The bigger question to ask is "Why?"
 
My own personal theory is that the filmgoing experience has been
degraded.  You can now trot off to a video store or turn on the cable
TV and have any number of choices of vintage or current film fare.
When I was in college, in the mid-80's, this was still fairly new and
going to see a new film was still a special experience that added
some expectations of, well, something _special_.
 
As a working filmmaker, I ask myself everyday how to bring back that
experience of watching one of my pieces something special for the
audience.
 
RAND
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Randy A. Riddle, Winston-Salem, NC
[log in to unmask] -- http://www.infi.net/~rriddle
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