Our discussion in class today made me think of why people decide to go the movies or watch them. I think the reason for going has changed immensely. The first thing that came to mind was Tennessee William‘s play “The Glass Menagerie.” In this play, Tom goes to the movies often, too often according to his mother, Amanda, who thinks he spends too much money and time on going to the movies. After Amanda confronts Tom about his lavish habits he tells her this, “Yes, movies! Look at them – All those glamorous people – having adventures – hogging it all, gobbling the whole thing up! You know what happens? People go to the movies instead of moving!” Though times have changed and people are constantly moving (more than they ever have), we still have this fascination (maybe not the same fascination as Tom) with movies. There’s something about the adventure and the glamor of movies that is unrelentingly attractive.
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Screening Africa 1 
This reminds me of a quote from the book ‘Q and A’ by Vikas Swarup (the one Slumdog Millionaire was based on). The main protagonist, who is a poor kid, wonders why people like to watch ‘realistic’ movies. He says, ‘Why go to a movie to see something you can see happening in the house next to you?’ I guess even though escapist cinema is frowned upon by many, it does serve a very important purpose of helping people gain repsite from their stressful lives.
This is particularly apparent with the reality television craze. It does beg the question- *why* is it so enthralling, when the footage covered is often pretty banal? It’s like the puppy cam. Adorable as it is, it shouldn’t really warrant the colossal amount of attention it received. So what is it about the view through a camera lens alone that merits something “worth watching”?
Too much thought for me.