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Value in Movies

We can encounter things through movies that we might not otherwise get a chance to explore. This goes beyond mere entertainment. Movies provide a way to experience a myriad of situations with a measure of detachment that is impossible in real life. Rather than being shocked and ill-equipped to deal with these situations when they arise, it can be beneficial to safely explore these issues through cinema before being faced with them in real life.
DOUGLAS M. BEAUMONT

From Message Behind the Movie by Douglas M. Beaumont. This is only the third book I have read on making sense of cinema. What I found very helpful in this book was its tips on understanding how the story line develops. Most of the books I have read so far take it for granted that the viewer can easily grasp the storyline of the movie. When in fact we are quite poor at understanding story, which of course makes it difficult to disentangle the main message of the movie and its underlying worldviews.

Copyright © Chola Mukanga 2013

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