Movies are moving images recorded on film that tell a story or recall an event. They entertain and sway audiences, introduce people to other cultures, and let them escape into fantastical realities for a few hours. But what makes a good movie?
The term “movie” has been around for over 100 years, and it came from the original name of films – motion pictures. When sound was added in the late 1920s, movies were referred to as talkies.
In the early days of cinema, the earliest movies were simply static shots that showed an action without any editing or other cinematic techniques. The first directors started stringing together several scenes to create a narrative. Then they began using camera movements and angles to immerse the viewer in a space, or jolt them out of one place and land them somewhere else. They also started showing different views of an event, creating the illusion that multiple characters were witnessing the same thing.
It’s a testament to the skill of those involved in the making of movies that even the lowest-grossing films can have some of the highest cultural impact. After all, who can forget Stanley Kubrick describing The Godfather as the best movie ever made? Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Mario Puzo’s novel combines style and substance to perfection. It’s full of iconic moments – from the way Brando’s cotton-cheeked patriarch grins to the way he sleeps with fish and the horse’s head – and its discourse on corruption, violence and family honour are just as relevant today as they were back then.