Cinematic Excellence

So the question is, what makes a film great? Some people would argue that it must be entertaining. Others would argue it's aesthetic value. Some might even determine a film's greatness by the actors. Maybe a film's greatness is simply found in the eye of the beholder. I can't say that there is one single aspect of a film that makes it great, rather it's a combination of many things. So here it goes. To be truly great, a film must:

- As I just mentioned, good acting is crucial. To me, acting can literally make or break a film. I'm not saying a film must have A-list stars (in fact, sometimes that can actually take away from a film), but character developement and relationships must be engaging, or I'll often tune myself out of the film.
- Cinematography. This has always been one of my favorite aspects of film, but I just never knew what it was! As with acting, cinematography can make or break a film. This was especially the case in Diving Bell.
- It must innovative. No one wants to see something that has been done before (*cough* sequels). For a film to be great it must either address a new issue/event or address it in a way that hasn't been done before.

Now, this is quite a short list, and I plan on adding to it in the future, but this is all I can really think of right now. I was going to add historicity, but then I realized that I don't think a film neccesarily has to be historically accurate to be great. I was also going to add genre, but after seeing Do the Right Thing I think genre is actually quite overrated...

Anyway, I would say that these criteria are timeless and universal when it comes to the greatness of a film. However, there is no denying that there is additional criteria that changes with the times and the culture. For example, within the past decade we've witnessed an age of the "mythical film," which began with Lord of the Rings, and led us to Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Golden Compass, Pan's Labyrinth, and so forth. Now, I wouldn't consider all of those films to be great, but a huge chunk of the population probably would.

I guess my point is that the definition of 'greatness' is in a way timeless and ever-changing at the same time. I know that that is contradictory, but that's how our society is! And, that's how films are. Film is art, and directors are constantly trying to push the envelope and introduce new, innovative, and even controversial movies. So to say that there is one definition or set of criteria for a great film is naive.

As I mentioned, I do plan on editting this post in the near future. "What makes a film great?" is a question that I never really thought about much, and now I can't stop thinking about it! Hopefully I'll find that answer throughout the rest of this semester...