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Could films possibly go "out-of-date"?

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Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 1/3/2012 11:47:12 AM   
Bloke from Oz

 

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I was wondering this the other day - could this actually happen? Would future audiences watch a film and wonder what the hell the characters are talking about? Imagine some of the questions arising:

-"What's a Cold War?"
-"What is the Soviet Union?"
-"Where's Czechoslovakia?"
-"What on earth are those two towers?"

Now, I can still watch Terminator 2 and still have a good time, but I wonder what future generations of moviegoers would make of movies like Escape From New York and Trading Places (I'm pretty sure Carpenter and Landis didn't fan the 9/11 fire).

So basically what I am wondering is, what responsibility do we hold for future moviegoers in this matter?


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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 1/3/2012 12:30:00 PM   
FoximusPrime

 

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If the question is, "Should films operate in an ambiguous, non-specific time-frame so as not to confuse future viewers?" I would say the answer is no.

Although films will obviously date (see: Star Wars hair & computer screens; 80s fashion) they will never go out of date - they're merely a snapshot of the time in which they were made. There's also the question of whether or not the specific context of the film is even important to its overall message - look at the sociological message in in the "futuristic" utopia of Metropolis or the terrifyingly relevant warning about the corruption of power in They Live...

The responsibility to future moviegoers is to leave them the films and issues that will prompt them to ask the questions you suggest and maybe broaden their own knowledge with the answers.

Whilst in a holodeck.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 1/3/2012 12:37:29 PM   
jcthefirst


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From: Bangor
quote:

ORIGINAL: FoximusPrime

If the question is, "Should films operate in an ambiguous, non-specific time-frame so as not to confuse future viewers?" I would say the answer is no.

Although films will obviously date (see: Star Wars hair & computer screens; 80s fashion) they will never go out of date - they're merely a snapshot of the time in which they were made. There's also the question of whether or not the specific context of the film is even important to its overall message - look at the sociological message in in the "futuristic" utopia of Metropolis or the terrifyingly relevant warning about the corruption of power in They Live...

The responsibility to future moviegoers is to leave them the films and issues that will prompt them to ask the questions you suggest and maybe broaden their own knowledge with the answers.

Whilst in a holodeck.


Love you.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 1/3/2012 1:03:22 PM   
Rebel scum


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Considering books have been around much, much longer and yet people still read them, I'd say the answer is no. Even films that are defiantly of their time will still have relevance, they are a time capsule of another era, complete with the concerns and sensibilities that were relevant at the time.

I mean, hell, when 2001 rolled around we didn't go "Well, Kubrick was wrong, let's never ever watch 2001 again!"

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 1/3/2012 5:05:20 PM   
paul_lfc

 

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No, Gladiator is the Roman Empire which is 2000 years ago and way older than the Soviet Union, people know what he Roman Empire is

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 1/3/2012 7:22:40 PM   
Spaldron


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 LOTR will never age!

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 1/3/2012 7:25:04 PM   
NinjaShortbread212


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Spaldron

LOTR will never age!



True dat.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 1/3/2012 9:39:08 PM   
Biggus


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 Ultimately a truly great film never ages but the reasons why certain films are held in such high regard could change with age. For example The Exorcist was a huge hit on its release and was controversial beyond belief so part of its appeal was that it was such a taboo-buster however I think the shock value of that film is far far less for cinema-goers these days as they've seen all it all before now.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 2/3/2012 1:05:29 PM   
Cool Breeze


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 Movies like the classic Indiana Jones trilogy will never age as they are supposed to feel old fashioned and will be enjoyed for many generations to come.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 2/3/2012 7:38:45 PM   
Hungrymark

 

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I was watching Team America: World Police the other day and was wondering if it wouldn't seem quite dated in a few years, with all the references to contemporary celebrities, political hot-potatoes, and Hans Blix. To be honest it's dated now but still damned funny.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 2/3/2012 11:14:49 PM   
boaby

 

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 There's nothing to say that the point a film was made to make need remain the point of the film. Same with books. Same with all art I guess.

If there was a point in the first place.

If nothing else, a film, like a book, provides an impression of the society from whence it sprang.

The passing of time won't stop a film being watch-able.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 2/3/2012 11:21:49 PM   
UTB


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quote:

ORIGINAL: boaby

The passing of time won't stop a film being watch-able.


Teen-Wolf says otherwise.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 3/3/2012 12:44:25 AM   
adambatman82

 

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 While I don't think films can go out of date as such, especially not for the reasons mentioned by the OP, I do think some films are dated unnecessarily by contemporary references to popular culture. Dreamworks cartoons are one such thing that comes to mind.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 3/3/2012 9:36:11 AM   
Rgirvan44


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quote:

ORIGINAL: adambatman82

While I don't think films can go out of date as such, especially not for the reasons mentioned by the OP, I do think some films are dated unnecessarily by contemporary references to popular culture. Dreamworks cartoons are one such thing that comes to mind.


Yeah the Shrek films inn particular.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 3/3/2012 10:30:25 AM   
superdan


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quote:

ORIGINAL: adambatman82
While I don't think films can go out of date as such, especially not for the reasons mentioned by the OP, I do think some films are dated unnecessarily by contemporary references to popular culture. Dreamworks cartoons are one such thing that comes to mind.


Oddly enough, I re-watched Raimi's Spider-Man yesterday for the first time in ages, and the bit with Macy Gray singing in the Times Square sequence really stuck out for being very much 'of it's time' for me. It's only been 10 years, and already it's kind of 'Macy who?'

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 3/3/2012 11:15:03 AM   
adambatman82

 

Posts: 11156
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quote:

ORIGINAL: superdan

quote:

ORIGINAL: adambatman82
While I don't think films can go out of date as such, especially not for the reasons mentioned by the OP, I do think some films are dated unnecessarily by contemporary references to popular culture. Dreamworks cartoons are one such thing that comes to mind.


Oddly enough, I re-watched Raimi's Spider-Man yesterday for the first time in ages, and the bit with Macy Gray singing in the Times Square sequence really stuck out for being very much 'of it's time' for me. It's only been 10 years, and already it's kind of 'Macy who?'


Exactly, yet I'm sure that you'd agree that as a whole the first Raimi film doesn't feel particularly dated (i.e. none of the overarching themes feel particularly irrelevant or undistinguishable)? It's arguable that the first Spider-Man film is already from an era gone-by too, as it was one of the last major studio blockbusters to go in to production before 9/11.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 3/3/2012 11:15:57 AM   
adambatman82

 

Posts: 11156
Joined: 15/12/2005
From: Sheffield
quote:

ORIGINAL: Rgirvan44


quote:

ORIGINAL: adambatman82

While I don't think films can go out of date as such, especially not for the reasons mentioned by the OP, I do think some films are dated unnecessarily by contemporary references to popular culture. Dreamworks cartoons are one such thing that comes to mind.


Yeah the Shrek films inn particular.


Yep, thats exactly what I was thinking of when I made that point. It's a shame actually, as there's a lot to like about the first film.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 3/3/2012 9:16:15 PM   
rich


Posts: 4138
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From: Neo Kobe
 Films are products of a time period and contemporary views, so no they don't go out of date. They may be "dated" but that's not the same thing. People not understanding what a historical context might be is a problem with the audience not of cinema.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 3/3/2012 10:47:48 PM   
siegfried


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 The plays of William Shakespeare are four centuries old, yet they still strike a chord with today's audiences because their themes are relevant and timeless. His works still continue to be the basis of much of contemporary cinema, and have never dated. The same applies to the works of Dickens and Jane Austin.
The best of cinema over the past century has the same timeless quality. I and many other members of this forum can still watch the likes of Keaton's The General, Sherlock Jnr. and Our Hospitality, Chaplin's The Gold Rush, Murnau's Sunrise and Griffith's Broken Blossoms, and appreciate them for the works of cinematic genius that they are, even though they were made almost a century ago.
Great cinema, as with great lierature, will never be out of date.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 8/3/2012 4:57:37 PM   
st3veebee


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 I don't think you can compare any written art to film. Film is so final: you can't manipulate the image yourself and every viewer see's the same thing while plays can be updated and interperted differently while everyone imagines characters and setting from books differently in their own mind.



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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 8/3/2012 9:41:03 PM   
Cool Breeze


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quote:

ORIGINAL: st3veebee

I don't think you can compare any written art to film. Film is so final: you can't manipulate the image yourself and every viewer see's the same thing while plays can be updated and interperted differently while everyone imagines characters and setting from books differently in their own mind.




Try telling that to George Lucas

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 9/3/2012 11:26:17 AM   
darthbane


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 I agree with mist of the previous posts in that movies don't go out of date. If the ideas or themes of an older movie seem strange or out of touch with modern audiences, it purely because they're products of their time. I'm sure that people will look back on lots of old films as a reference to things like social attitude and defining trends.

As for "dated", if I'm watching a movie from say the seventies, of course the clothes and hair are going to look awful, but that's just how it was. I often find the little things in older movies that are different from today, to be the oddest. For example, a few nights ago I watched Before Sunset, a great movie and less than 10 years old. But in an early scene both main characters sit inside a cafe an have a ciggy together! CRAZY!
This honestly made me think for a second, "wow how times have changed"

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 9/3/2012 11:46:33 AM   
MovieAddict247


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quote:

ORIGINAL: darthbane

I agree with mist of the previous posts in that movies don't go out of date. If the ideas or themes of an older movie seem strange or out of touch with modern audiences, it purely because they're products of their time. I'm sure that people will look back on lots of old films as a reference to things like social attitude and defining trends.

As for "dated", if I'm watching a movie from say the seventies, of course the clothes and hair are going to look awful, but that's just how it was. I often find the little things in older movies that are different from today, to be the oddest. For example, a few nights ago I watched Before Sunset, a great movie and less than 10 years old. But in an early scene both main characters sit inside a cafe an have a ciggy together! CRAZY!
This honestly made me think for a second, "wow how times have changed"


It's like in Jurassic Park - Samuel L. Jackson's character smokes throughout it, despite being in the control room the whole time. It's details like that which show a film's age..

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 13/3/2012 2:33:35 PM   
fuzzy


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 Anything that basis it's story on 'current' technology will always date from that perspective. Doesn't make it a poorer film, it just takes on an added layer of curiosity for the next generation. I'd put WarGames in that bracket.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 13/3/2012 2:36:08 PM   
st3veebee


Posts: 2354
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From: 9303 Lyon Drive
quote:

ORIGINAL: Cool Breeze


quote:

ORIGINAL: st3veebee

I don't think you can compare any written art to film. Film is so final: you can't manipulate the image yourself and every viewer see's the same thing while plays can be updated and interperted differently while everyone imagines characters and setting from books differently in their own mind.




Try telling that to George Lucas


I don't consider Lucas to be human.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 13/3/2012 3:55:37 PM   
Spaldron


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quote:

ORIGINAL: fuzzy

Anything that basis it's story on 'current' technology will always date from that perspective. Doesn't make it a poorer film, it just takes on an added layer of curiosity for the next generation. I'd put WarGames in that bracket.


Fuck yes, the scene where Broderick has his massive computer hooked up to this old wind up telephone and starts using some floppy disks to hack the US government.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 13/3/2012 11:26:53 PM   
fuzzy


Posts: 1787
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From: Grizzly Flats
quote:

ORIGINAL: Spaldron


quote:

ORIGINAL: fuzzy

Anything that basis it's story on 'current' technology will always date from that perspective. Doesn't make it a poorer film, it just takes on an added layer of curiosity for the next generation. I'd put WarGames in that bracket.


Fuck yes, the scene where Broderick has his massive computer hooked up to this old wind up telephone and starts using some floppy disks to hack the US government.


These are the tools hackers had back in the day - and they still brought the world to the brink of global thermonuclear war.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 14/3/2012 10:43:51 AM   
spark1

 

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good as 'robocop' is it has not aged well for a film set in the near future.

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 14/3/2012 11:15:59 AM   
adambatman82

 

Posts: 11156
Joined: 15/12/2005
From: Sheffield
quote:

ORIGINAL: spark1

good as 'robocop' is it has not aged well for a film set in the near future.


Seriously? The satirical tongue still has bite. Its one of those thought to be of as "as relevant now as it ever was then" types isn't it?

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RE: Could films possibly go "out-of-date"? - 14/3/2012 11:16:04 AM   
st3veebee


Posts: 2354
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quote:

ORIGINAL: spark1

good as 'robocop' is it has not aged well for a film set in the near future.


It really hasn't. Humourously so.



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