Robert W. Cort, Hollywood
producer of such films as Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
(1989) and Mr. Holland's Opus (1996), opened his discussion
with the observation that, while the act of believing might seem
to be in jeopardy because of the supremacy of science, belief is
all the more necessary to navigate this heady age of information.
Likening producer to high priest, movie house to church, and academy
to Vatican, Cort describes American cinema as an organized secular
religion that provides its faithful with sustenance for the soul.
Cort reminisced on his early movie-going by way
of explaining the roots of his cinematic faith. In 1958, an eleven-year-old
Cort braved a snowstorm to see a matinee showing of The Bridge
on the River Kwai, a war film that would win the Oscar that
same year. Cort feels that Kwai changed the course of his
life by revealing the "reality and madness" of war and
by giving him a "visceral comprehension" of courage and
redemption, concepts that would otherwise have remained abstract
and remote.
Likewise, Cort was profoundly affected by movies
such as In the Heat of the Night (1967) and Guess Who's
Coming to Dinner? (1967); the unflinching pride of Sidney Poitier's
Mr. Tibbs in the face of demeaning prejudice and the exploration
of interracial marriage, respectively, made race issues immediately
relevant to him in spite of the homogeneity of his native Brooklyn
neighborhood.
Movies, says Cort, have the capacity to teach
and touch, to inform and infuse us with a sense of the world. Great
cinema creates a mythology about ourselves, which in turn inspires
and engages us in a dialogue about our values and beliefs. Kramer
vs. Kramer (1979) explores the marriage compact; Terms
of Endearment (1983) shows us what it means to survive the
death of a loved one; Pretty Woman (1990) reinforces our
belief that love can conquer all; Chinatown (1974) and
American Beauty (1999) warn against corruption; Mr.
Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and It's a Wonderful Life
(1947) give us hope that it is faith in life, not soulless corruption,
that will win the day. Of course, Cort admonishes, movies also perform
social prejudice, as was the case with westerns that portrayed whites
as the victims of Native American atrocities without suggesting
the reverse. In spite of these shortcomings, Cort firmly believes
that film has the ability to make its audiences experience a full
gamut of feelings, from mourning to awe.
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But how well have
filmmakers performed over the past 15 years? Have they continued
to produce films that stimulate and elevate the sensibilities and
beliefs of viewers? In Cort's view, Hollywood has failed in this
mission. He believes that big-budget movies have grown "clumsy"
in evoking emotions, and that the public and Hollywood's "high
priests" alike are frustrated by films that leave their spectators
on the "outside, untouched."
Cort identifies several factors responsible
for this decline. First of all, the current generation of elite
Hollywood
filmmakers lacks the experience of life-struggle
and is diverse neither in race nor in social class. This "alarming
insularity" does not lead to risk-taking. Second, the corporate
landscape has changed dramatically: media conglomerates exert
great
control in the selection of projects and push for movies that can
support the studios, driving the cost of a single movie up to
$100M.
Third, movies now target audiences that can most swiftly generate
box office revenue. As a result, effects-driven action movies
have
proliferated because they appeal to young males who tend to be
prompt and repeat customers, and because such movies tend to
travel well overseas
in an international market that accounts for 50% of all sales.
In short, Cort warns, "The Reformation won't be coming
soon to a theater near you."
Yet he also insists that there is hope, and
that it lies in Hollywood's power to effect change. Attesting
to
the importance of movies in molding sociocultural values, Cort
cites
a trajectory of films including Making Love (1982), Philadelphia
(1993), The Birdcage (1996), In & Out (1997),
and The Hours (2003) as having constituted a long process
of confronting prejudice against homosexuals.
With respect to cinema's
profound capacity to explore the human condition, Cort points to
the recent renaissance in animation, beginning with Disney's
Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Aladdin (1992) and
followed by Dreamworks' Shrek (2001) and Pixar Studios' Toy Story (1995,
1999). In fact, one young movie-goer at Pixar's Finding Nemo (2003)
reminded Cort of his young Kwai self, for he had the distinct
look of a convert to the belief in the "power and glory" of cinema. Film allows individuals to "make a difference,"
Cort concludes. He intends to steer the course of faith in his
quest to make movies that not only entertain, but also illuminate
our
times and our souls.
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