Recently a friend of mine told me that the last movie he saw was The Maltese Falcon. I’m not sure if he asked me how I felt about it, or if it was just a knee-jerk response, but I know I told him I didn’t care for that movie much. Then he told me that that was because I was a film snob and I had to remind myself that he was too drunk to argue with. “Film Snob” is one insult that makes me cringe above all others, mainly because it is a totally misguided accusation. Trying to dissuade people from this accusation is nearly impossible, but I thought it may still be beneficial to repost an article I wrote for another blog. One day I’d like to take another shot at an identification guide. But right now I have limited time and a half dozen other films to mull about, so a repeat will have to do.
Generally, people presume that because I love film and study film that I must be a film snob. If you pay attention, as in actually speak to me, you can quickly find that this is just not true. But perhaps you just don’t know the signs.
Last year I bought The Film Snob’s Dictionary and every know and then I pull it out and flip through it, counting all the items I’ve never heard of as points in my favour. The book tries to give an introduction on what a snob really is, I’m working on a more comprehensive list. Hopes are that making traits more defined, my name will be cleared and you can spot your own snob tendencies needing possible adjustment.
1. The gauled response to unviewed films.
Ever heard someone talk about a movie and then you say you haven’t seen it and they get all outraged and say “What?! How could you not have seen that movie?” or some variation of? This is the primary snob statement. American cinema has been in operation since the apparatus was invented by Dickinson (stolen by Edison) around 1895. I don’t have an estimate of how many films have been made per year since then, even dealing simply with the U.S. and ignoring the rest of the world. If you’ve seen everything, you are a fictional human being.2. Degredation of tastes.
This point is an extension of item 1. Somehow, the snob has created an interior list of what movies are worth seeing and what ones are not. Most likely they copied it from some published snob’s list, or they’ve read The Film Snob’s Dictionary too seriously. I believe that life is too short to spend time watching things that make you miserable, especially when there is so much to choose from. If I had the money I would go to the theater and see every movie playing, even the ones that I presume will be crappy, just so I can form my own opinion on them. Unfortunately, I have to pick and choose, and selections are generally based on what I believe I will enjoy or what has been recommended by someone I trust (off hand, I can think of two people, and my trust in them is extremely limited). However, I can think of very few films that I feel obligated to see. While it is good to discuss and investigate diverging opinions, the only one who knows what an individual likes and respects is the individual, not the resident snob. If you love movies, give as many things a chance as you can. And please, leave the guy alone who still enjoys Homeward Bound.3. The terminology argument.
There are quite a few words that can be used in reference to a motion picture. Cinema, film, movie, kino…and at some point in time (I truly don’t know when) it became necessary for some folks to make distinction about specific divisions of these words. The most common distinction ariese between the words “film” and “movie” with people saying the former refers to something unpleasant to watch, probably subtitled, boring, hard to understand, and similar traits that make an “art-house film”; the later then is the slop, the blockbusters, the things that the vast public (those callous bastards) greatly and mindlessly enjoy.
Kids, I hate to break this to you, but all the words mean the same damn thing. They’re synonyms, borrowed from various languages, and assigned various meanings by folks that want to feed the horrendous myth that if you don’t understand something than it’s on a higher plane than you are and you are supposed to revere it. Sometimes, if you don’t understand something, it is being poorly communicated and therefore can be classified by you without shame as crap. Fear not! art should evoke feeling but that feeling does not have to be pain.
I’ve decided to start using the word “kino.” As far as I’m aware, no one’s using that phrase at the moment so maybe I can introduce it as a kinder, gentler, umbrella word of safety.*it was later pointed out that I forgot to include the word “flick”
