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Adults' or childrens' doesn't matter- only the intelligence of the movie matters

Posted by Bambi B on January 6, 2010 at 18:54:20:

PAINTING: "Design for a Study for Prospero"

tinear,"

I honestly can enjoy a movie of any genre, and intended for any demographic as long as there's a noticeable intelligence- and hopefully some good craftsmanship. This is why I think some childrens' movies to be highly worthy of serious attention: I know I 'll think of 20 more examples later but consider in this regard only "Pinocchio", Tom and Jerry, Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast", the many Warner Brothers Bugs Bunny and Co. cartoon, "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "The Princess Bride", more recently, "Shrek", "The Incredibles". These movies all are attractive and memorable for me because they are all really smart- they don't pander to what adults believe children want- or should want or what adults believe children can and can not understand. Adults almost always get it completely wrong when they underestimate kids' understanding of how thing work. Strange how so many seem to forget what being a child was like.

Whatever we may feel is lacking or mis-proportioned in James Cameron movies, there is no doubt that they are among the finest crafted and visually memorable- and smartest. Of the most important contributions Cameron has made in my view is in the realm of internal logic- which with Cameron is impeccable. This amazing tightness of concept- possible only when one person can devise a integrated, total work of art- what the German's call a Gesamptwerk. < [I wish English had such a good word for this.] Further, the totality of vision in turn means that within the hierarchy of plot structure to image, every tiny detail is contributing to the big picture- telling the story.

And, certainly Cameron knows how to tell a story! Cameron is just not nearly as verbally orientated as he is bursting with visual inventiveness. And while some quibble that the plots and/or dialogue are derivative and not refined or mature, there's a simplistic politic statement and so on but that there's no denying that there's a giant brain and engineer/craftsman/artist shining through and with all the faults elsewhere, that creative intelligence on it's own is enough to pay attention to his work.

Cheers,

Bambi B