Cinematography then and now...

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Dr. Rockso

New member
Compare the films from 2001 and 1991, is it just me or do the films from 1991 seem to have aged more than 2001 to 2011? What I mean is, take a look at Fellowship of the Ring, you could play that in theaters today and it would look just as pristine and fresh as the films being shot today. I could watch it and not really feel that this was a 10 year old movie.

Where as take a movie from 1991, Thelma and Louise, Addams Family, The Fisher King, etc. I feel like if this was 2001 and I was watching those movies and it would have a more distant nostalgic feeling.

Anyone else agree?
 
No, please read again, I wasn't saying why does something that was 20 years ago feel older than something 10 years ago.
 
Dr. Rockso said:
I wasn't saying why does something that was 20 years ago feel older than something 10 years ago.
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It has much to do with digital color correction and the typical hyper polished Hollywood look that those films already had 10 years ago, but not 20 years ago.
 
I reckon hairstyles and wardrobe have a lot to do with it too.

Watch something like Willow, Lady Hawke or any period piece that does not bring fashion elements of the time into it's storytelling. Still awesome to watch.

those ugly 80's hairstyles spilling over into the nineties could make an old Oscar bait film look like a soft porn promo.
 
Yeah, fashion and hairstyles can have a crazy effect on your viewing experience. I dont know what they were thinking in the early 80's. Technology also has a big effect - computers, phones in use etc can really date a movie. Anyone wearing a Walkman (or even a CD walkman) for instance.

But then you get timeless movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, or John carpenters 'The Thing' both from the early 80's, but they would be difficult to place in terms of the time they were filmed.

Period movies made during the 80's and early nineties dont suffer from the catalog of fashion disasters: look at Goodfellas for instance (made in 1990 but set in the 50's onwards).

There are a lot of movies from the 90's and 80's I would love to see in the cinema though. Hell, there are tons of movies from the 70's and 60's I would love to see on the big screen if I had the chance.
 
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I saw Deliverance again 2 weeks ago - still pretty much watchable, without the period adding to much distraction.
Some films of same age are sometimes hard to watch, because of the slow pacing.

The first Star Wars also still works pretty good, only princess Leia´s lippgloss gives it away,

Frank
 
I think it will be much harder for people growing up NOW to look at older movies before they were polished and perfect.
I was watching a movie with a 10 year old the other day and I put on HIGHLANDER and he was like "Why is it jumping around like that? and What are all of those speckles?"
 
I think 1992 is the watershed year with T2, after that the big and memorable films don't feel old. Jurasic Park etc. Got it right and could play now, just please for the love of God don't convert to 3D. But maybe that is because I don't want to feel any older than 1992.
 
What about period films set in the 70's or 80's made now? Just saw Super 8 and loved it, and thought its style was very contemporary to Close Encounters, ET etc. Those films could totally play now as period films rather than current.
 
older movies didnt had color correction and cinemascope aspect ratio wasnt used on tv sets and movies were displyed in 4:3 even if shot in anamorphic, more often were shot in super35 to use 4:3 or 16:9 ,new movies for cinemas are mostly in cinemascope ratio, they look more wide than old ones and a lot more perspective shots are used.
 
There are examples of restaurated versions of films from the 70's that looks like they are new. These days HD is taken for granted, back then SD on VHS was the best a consumer could get. The DVD boom and later bluray has improved the quality to a higher standard. Even laserdisc back in the 90's got Hollywood to push quality higher.
 
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