The Big Screen

This past Sunday I had the glorious opportunity to see Back to the Future at the ArcLight's Cinerama Dome. Fellow spectators jostled me as we all flooded into the theater, and everyone let out a resounding cheer when Michael J. Fox hopped on his skateboard. I felt camaraderie with people I never knew as we enjoyed the same movie, popping kernels in our mouths and chuckling in unison. In this age of streaming movies digitally onto computer screens (or even phones) and dwarfing the scope of cinema, there's something to be said about seeing films in their intended form.

I admit I have fallen prey to the temptation that is Instant Netflix. And why not? I can't survive a week bereft of cinema, and in this way I get to watch essential classics without having to wait. But every time without fail I gnash my teeth at my smudged computer screen when the image turns to pixels. Besides the obvious annoyances, though, compacting the film into a narrow screen distorts the message the film is trying to convey in each frame.

To make a film and to produce an overall effect takes a staggering amount of time, effort, and collaboration. In a well-made movie, everything you see in a shot has a purpose, whether it be lighting or costume or ambient noise. No matter how much you increase the lighting, a murky computer screen diminishes these facets.

Why am I making such a big fuss about such a trivial matter? I suppose I'm just sensitive to the artist's plight. I know most students gripe about how English teachers analyze books too much, but to not do so is almost disrespectful to the author; writers don't want you to fling aside their work after a skim -- they want you to ponder over its content. It's the same way with film: to not watch one on a sizable screen is to ignore all the toil the maker underwent to achieve the final product.

I cringe at the thought of anyone watching Gone with the Wind on a miniscule screen, but at least people are watching Gone with the Wind. I hope that through Netflix people will find gems from the past. Still, while I am pleased that through streaming services people have more access to great cinema, I would always rather see a film in all its wonder on a big screen.