For many in Britain, it is easy to forget that La Dolce Vita is not just the name of your local “authentic” Italian pizzeria or that Hollywood is not the only place where the world’s greatest movies are made. What little boy, like his father before him, could fail to be entranced by Sergio Leone’s The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Ennio Morricone’s instantly recognisable soundtrack?
The Mole Antonelliana, the tallest museum in the world, dominates the skyline of Turin and has become the symbol of the city. A fitting home, no less, to guard the precious history of the greatest cultural and political invention since the printing press: Cinema.
From the early inventions of Edison and the Lumiere Brothers to shadow theatres, early projectors, and memorabilia from film sets and cinematic icons like Marilyn Monroe, the museum lays before us the fascinating history of cinema which has reached out, inspired, educated and influenced the world. Ultimately, it leaves us with one question: what will happen next and will it be as enduring as what came before it?
In 2009, after the release of James Cameron’s epic science fiction film Avatar, many believed that 3D would be the next revolution in cinematography. Indeed in 2010 the Chief Executive of Odeon cinemas told the BBC that he estimated that by 2013 50% of the Odeon’s revenue would come from 3D films. However, in reality it amounts to only approximately 25%.
3D was first hailed as the creation of a more immersive, magical experience for the audience and would radically change cinema forever yet it has failed to be as popular as film studios would have hoped. As film director, Christopher Nolan explained “The thing with stereoscopic imaging (or 3D) is it gives each audience member an individual perspective. It’s well suited to video games and other immersive technologies, but if you’re looking for an audience experience, stereoscopic is hard to embrace.”
Sitting in a film set inside the Cinema Museum
The Hobbit, released just before Christmas 2012, was Peter Jackson’s attempt to address these issues. He chose to film at a high-frame-rate projection of 48 frames per second, double the conventional 24 FPS which he feels has enhanced the 3D immersion of the audience better than ever before. In an interview with MTV news Jackson states “It’s a time when young kids especially aren’t so interested in going to the cinema anymore, so
as filmmakers, I think we have a responsibility to try to get that theatrical experience to be the magical, mystical night-out we used to have when we were young and make it something you cannot get on your iPad.” However, film critics have found Jackson’s technique lacking, even off putting and detrimental to the film as a whole despite its commercial success.
Indeed, it would appear that our nostalgia for the glitz and glamour of the silver screen as preserved in Turin’s Museum of Cinema is stronger than ever and may hold the key to the future financial success of cinemas. Thanks to reality TV, we live in an era of the Z-list celebrity where everyone has the potential to be a star. So it is little wonder that screen goddesses, like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe, adorn the bedroom walls of yet another new generation of teenagers. In Scotland, Club Noir, the largest burlesque club in world have begun to work with independent cinemas to create a new form of nostalgic cinematic experience. The audience are invited to dress up to emulate the stars and style of iconic films which will be shown once again in their former glory on the cinema screen, accompanied by cocktails and a burlesque performance. Once again, cinema going has become an event thanks to the enduring allure of films from a more stylish and romantic era.
Furthermore, mainly independent cinemas (although not exclusively) have begun to incorporate other performing arts into their cinema screenings. The founder and CEO of Digital Theatre, Robert Delamere, states “Both cinemas and audiences have told us there is a demand for more performing arts content in cinemas. When we screened Lovesong at RADA, our audience research was entirely positive about the content and the experience of seeing Digital Theatre productions on the big screen.” This once again is an attempt to offer something different to the audience that was unavailable before. Furthermore, it has also resulted in boosting revenue for both cinemas and the performing arts which are now available to an even greater audience.
However, independent cinemas are quickly disappearing as the economic recession continues to take its toll. According to the Guardian’s figures, 70% of the UK cinema market is now owned by three main companies – Odeon & UCI, Vue and Cineworld – the latter just having purchased the art house cinema chain, Picturehouse, for £47.3m. These figures are assuredly frightening for cinema goers who wish to see independent films, foreign films and more than just the Hollywood blockbusters.
The Turin skyline and the Museum of Cinema
It would certainly appear that cinema in 2013 is caught between its nostalgic longing for the glamour of the past and the desire to push technology to its limits. Today, even the most proficient film directors have failed to master 3D technology in order to create a more exciting and immersive cinematic experience whilst we cling on to our love of classic and cult films of old. What is apparent is that cinema going must recapture this feeling of witnessing or partaking in a special event like it once did. Burlesque shows and performing arts are now beginning to find a new niche for themselves within the world of cinema which to an extent were almost rendered obsolete by the rise of cinema itself. Now, however, it would appear that they have to work together in order to stand the test of time as we await the next cinematic revolution.
