Recently I viewed a film that had a profound effect on me. It was entrancing and original and kept me honed in from beginning to end. Without sounding too sappy, this movie was magical in the way it captivated me and the rest of the audience. What was most impressive about this film’s ability to dazzle its viewers was that it did so without sound. The movie I am referring to is the Oscar-winning hit, “The Artist”. This film takes it’s viewers back to the very roots of cinema, before spoken dialogue and color came into play. When I saw “The Artist”, I was immediately intrigued by the idea of a silent film being transformed into the creative spectacle that we have come to know and love today. Since the inception of the motion picture, the movie industry has made progressive strides towards improving films. This is evident by focusing on aspects such as the screenplays and plots, as well as their visual and auditory effects.

The addition of special effects has played a large role in the evolution of movies. For example, when one compares a visually captivating film such as James Cameron’s “Avatar” to the likes of an older film from the pre-color era, it is clear to see which film will win the eye candy award. On one side, we have a movie that relies heavily on breathtaking CGI, which stands for Computer-Generated Imagery. “Avatar” is filled with bright, vibrant colors that had me in a state of awe for the majority of the film. Astonishing floating islands, luscious forest vegetation and graceful creatures of unknown species fill the screen accompanied by overwhelming pigments. When compared visually to a black and white film, it’s obvious that films such as “Avatar” are more dominant.

Along with visuals, auditory effects have greatly enhanced the movie genre to new heights. Prior to the introduction of “talkies”, films without sound depended on live music to control the emotion and atmosphere of scenes. As movies became more intricate and complex, so did their music. The pulse-pounding rhythms of “Psycho” and “Jaws,” as well as the erie piano of “The Exorcist,” still bring fear to audiences of all generations. The “Indiana Jones” theme song is another example of a memorable score. The iconic blare of the crescendoing brass instruments will always bring a sense of adventure to anyone who hears it.

Another aspect that has been enhanced since the origin of movies is the screenplays of films. The screenplay is the script of the film and includes acting instructions and scene direction. Starting near the beginning, the Charlie Chaplin film, “Modern Times” from 1936, consists of various mishaps as a factory worker tries to keep pace with the machine age. While this film is packed with laugh out loud hilarity, the plot itself is rather dry and most of the film’s hi-jinks would be better represented in today’s cartoons rather than an actual movie.

Compare this to the 1957 film, “12 Angry Men,” and one will certainly notice the steps Hollywood took to improve the screenplays of their films. What is impressive about this film is that the majority of the movie takes place within the confines of a jury room. It might sound like this film lacks the amount of action necessary for the movie to be successful, but director Sidney Lumet is able to place the viewer in their very own juror chair by keeping them locked in with every sequence that transpires within the room. For example, I was able to feel the temperature of the humid room rise while each character sweated profusely with each passing minute. “12 Angry Men” has become a crucial benchmark in one-setting films and has paved the way for other films fitting this description, such as “127 Hours,” “Carnage” and “Margin Call”.
While “12 Angry Men” has a setting primarily fixated in one location combined with a one-dimensional plot, “Pulp Fiction” (1994), is quite the opposite, as it contains multi-layered storylines and takes the viewer all over the streets of a violent modern day Los Angeles. The film’s non-linear narrative is very strong, keeping the audience transfixed as they wonder what to make of each sequence of plot-twisting action. “Pulp Fiction,” which was the brainchild of the dark-minded Quentin Tarantino, was a refreshing blend of interlocking subplots and paved the way for other films in this genre, such as “Crash,” “Traffic,” and Christopher Nolan’s “Memento.”

Christopher Nolan is perhaps best known for his innovative and complex film, “Inception.” One thing that caught my eye about the movie “Inception” was Nolan’s dexterity to transform something bland and ordinary into something mesmerizing and extraordinary. A simple stroll in downtown Paris is turned into something truly amazing when the streets begin to fold like an origami. A standard fight scene transforms into something purely imaginative when the hallway begins to spin and gravity ceases to exist. Nolan is also the same visionary director of the Batman trilogy, which restored the faith of comic nerds everywhere in the movie industries ability to take superheroes from the pages of comics and translate them into movies. Christopher Nolan is perhaps the most impressive filmmaker of our time. He is able to manipulate our minds and present us with riveting analysis coinciding with an impressive narrative. He has embellished the role of creativity in films and taken it to the next level.

Movies have evolved into a cornerstone of worldwide pop culture. While silent movies are an important gateway to the past, it is imperative that we keep stretching the limits of our cinematic repertoire. Therefore, we will be able to push the bounds of cinematic creativity and realize the indelible influence movies can have on their audience. Movies help spark our imagination and without them, our world would be much less exciting.