Cinema Vitæ

Language is powerful.

It means the ability to communicate complex thoughts or feelings. This blog wouldn’t be possible without it . . . neither would most films.

In this first post in my series on film ethics (see my previous blog), all I have to say is f*#k. Well, that’s not really all I have to say, I just wanted to catch your attention. I’m guessing that it worked. That’s the power of language . . . the ability to communicate a lot with a little. Granted, there is more to film language than obscene words. In fact, I’d suggest that in the cinema world, words matter much less than visual imagery. Movies tell stories in pictures . . . still frames (or, now, digital pixels) projected rapidly in a chosen succession on the screens of our retinas.

Still, ever since the invention of “Talkies” (movies with spoken words), films have told their stories in words as well as images. What of these words? Do they really hold sway over what we think, how we feel, the way we see the world? Does film language, obscene or not, become the dictionary from which we harvest words to form the thoughts in our minds, the words on this page? Well, yes, to a certain degree. Of course, it depends on how many movies you watch, but also on the richness of your vocabulary diet. Reading, listening to podcasts, talking to your parents . . . all these things (and more) inform the core base of words from which you think, write, and speak. A heavy cinematic diet must have an impact on your thought and speech in the same way that the breakfast you ate three weeks ago has impacted cells throughout your body. Perhaps you don’t remember what you ate (or what movie you saw three weeks ago), but it has changed you.

If what we hear at the cinema provides the building blocks from which we create thought, should we not be concerned about the language to which we are exposed in the movie theater? I am concerned here not just with obscene language in film, but also limited language. Points of views expressed in words limited to a small subculture residing predominately in Los Angeles and New York (assuming you’re watching American cinema). Granted, foreign films, independent features, and short films on YouTube can expand the breadth of our internal dictionaries, but how many average Americans search out these alternate forms of film content? Thankfully, more and more are doing so because of the infiltration of the internet into our lives.

Still, a diet filled with film is much like eating the same food everyday. Yes, you may be eating a wonderful salad of films, but after a few days your body is going be craving bread or cheese or chocolate. I’m not suggesting that people should watch less films, only spice up your language consumption with a good book, regular conversations with friends and family, or an occasional random outing (you never know who you’ll meet).

People often ask me if I find coarse or obscene language in films offensive. Truthfully, I do not . . . I only find it boring. I once had a co-worker who modified every noun with the F-word. One day I nonchalantly turned to her and asked, “Do you know any other modifiers?” Overuse causes words to lose meaning. The F-word is an extremely powerful word and when used at the right moment can convey more than full paragraphs of language. I’m saving my use of that word for the appropriate moments. Those times when no other word in my lexicon can accurately describe what has or is happening in my life. Movies that rely too heavily on one word (like the “F-word”) to establish character or emotion are like symphonies with only one instrument — it may be interesting at first but quickly becomes monotonous.

Film language, like most things, can be used for good or evil. The greatest evil is perhaps not that film creators use any particular word, but that they use the same words continually. Maybe it’s time we browse the foreign film section at Blockbuster.com or watch a few independent films (check-out this site for help). Please feel free to leave a comment if you have a good outlet (or suggestion) for films that will expand our linguistic palates. If you like, consider it swapping recipes.