Joy of movies
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.DAVID THOMSON's article "A hundred years of solitude" (Review, 13 August) really depressed me. It is not that I want my movie critics to be mindless advocates for every piece of celluloid, but I would like a sense of love and passion for the potential of the medium. Instead Mr Thomson seems to have put us back in the tug of war between "real" high art and nasty commercial entertainment which is not worth analysis.
The only films he praises are either from the past or those by European "art house" directors. The only modern films mentioned are dismissed instantly and seem to be a very limited selection. If Batman Forever and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein were the only films I had ever seen, I too might have trouble justifying the medium. To understand those films in the wider context of film history and what they might represent within it is another matter altogether.
I think that contradiction is what makes Hollywood fascinating and why all films are worth analysis. I didn't particularly care for Pretty Woman myself, but I want to know why a sizable percentage of womenidentified with Julia Roberts' character, what this says about their dreams and desires and how they live in the "real" world.
If, by watching films and studying the fantasies they provide, I can understand more about the sense that people make of their lives, given the tools available, then I think it is not only enjoyable but also worthwhile.
Helen Pleasance
Manchester
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments