"Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life."
Exactly. This is the point I'm driving at in this post. Most people think that movies (or TV shows and books for that matter) are nothing more than a source of entertainment. I disagree. Everything that we watch influences us in someway even if we don't know it. Not every movie or TV show you watch is going to hit you like a lightning bolt but the influence or message, is there.
Granted, not everything has that clear cut influence. Watching something like The Room only leaves you with the knowledge that writers and directors make bad choices.
I feel like movies and all that are forever teaching us about different aspects of life. Besides being there for our viewing pleasure, we're essentially watching other people's lives unfold before us. I read this article once about the benefit of being an avid reader (which I am) and it said that one of the benefits is having had so many life experiences without actually experiencing much. That's exactly what movies are. You may not be on the run from a group if evil people who want to kill you but I guarantee you just learned something.
I attribute all of my "wisdom" to this. (It feels weird self-centeredly implying that I have wisdom so I use quotation marks). I give a lot of advice and from what I know, it's been pretty good advice. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't live a terribly exciting and adventurous life so this so-called wisdom has to come from somewhere.
It isn't much of a stretch. You live vicariously through the characters that you watch. It's no different than watching someone you know go through something. You decide in your mind that either you'll never make their mistakes or that you know exactly how you'd handle it if it were you. Besides, someone had to write that story to begin with. And they say that you can only write what you know. It starts with basic human experience and is twisted into events that are never likely to happen but the bare bones of it don't change.
Ultimately I think you have to be hit with the right thing at the right time. That's why I will always agree with kids having to read The Outsiders in grade seven or eight. (Despite the fact that I didn't and discovered it myself in grade nine). You immediatly identify with Ponyboy because he's your age and even though the circumstances may be a little much in your average teenage life, the values and teachings behind it are relevent. And it's something that will be in your mind and your heart and that you'll take with you in your adult life. I did. Obsession with the book and movie aside, I feel a strong connection to it. Plus, I totally have a "Stay Gold" tattoo so....
Newsies will always be the biggest one for me. I saw it first as a very young child. Despite the fact that the music is great and the dancing boys are hot, it taught me to always dream, to never give up what you believe even if you are tempted with taking the easy way out. I sometimes think my love of New York City came about because of this movie. I was also introduced to how awesome New York Italians can be. Oh and duh, boys who sing and dance!! Hello!! (Sigh--I think there's a new tattoo on the horizon....)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer taught me that women kick ass!! (As if we didn't always!!) It taught me that you can be a strong, kick-ass woman but it also means that you don't have to be hard and mean and almost like a man to achieve strong woman status. You can kick ass, look good doing it, be a bit girlie and sensitive, of course.
Way too many to mention. Those two were the major ones. I've learned wisdom, good advice, bad advice, pieces of history, songs, words that I had never heard or used before, facts, life in different eras, etc and so on.
And then there was Power Rangers which I think just turned me into an annoying little shit who wanted to fight and beat people up....
Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm the only one who sees things this way. I doubt it, though. Think back to childhood. What did you watch that defined your young life? What taught you about things you didn't know? What shocked or inspired you? What gave you comfort? What shaped some of your ideals? I'm a hundred percent sure you have an answer.
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