By Marisa Spano
Special to the chronicle
Movies have impacted by life irreversibly, and I suspect that movies have also influenced your lives. Movies like “The Godfather” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” are not only popular culture, but are also huge pieces of our social lives.
Films are partly entertainment, but did you ever think they could have shaped and built you into the person you are today? Think about how many “Mean Girls” lines you or your friends can probably quote, or think back to a time when you tried to duplicate the mannerisms or catchphrase of a favorite character. We’ve all done it; it has become typical human nature.
The movie screen has spoken volumes. Cinema has started movements and brought into effect all kinds of controversial issues. Society and movies reflect each other. Movies form our present and help create our future.
Film is considered to be an important art form, a powerful method for educating people. Humans create films to express emotions and ideas.
Sometimes, however, movies blur the line between reality and fiction; what we see as just a form of amusement and what we as a society take to heart. Some movies are taken too seriously, and the social reaction is too loud.
By the time the average child starts elementary school they will have seen over 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence due to mediums such as movies and television. Researchers say that those exposed to violent movies are much more likely to be convicted of a crime. Why is it that we let movies affect who we are and what we do?
I believe the answer to this question may be because all of our actions are based on what we learn; and what we know and as people, we learn by seeing and imitating.
One of the most famous horror movies, “The Exorcist,” has ideas and images that are embedded into our subconscious after seeing the movie just once. However, what about this movie made it so significant to society in the 1970s?
The story of “The Exorcist” was simple: the Devil possessing a little girl and priests struggling to free her. But beyond the simplicity of this storyline, people questioned the ideas brought up in the movie and everything they have previously learned about religion. It reminded people of what evil may truly be.
Sociologists who have studied the movie say that after “The Exorcist” premiered, a number of children and teens became more ingrained in their religion and churches. After the movie, churches all over became crowded with people. The social reaction to “The Exorcist” was to find solace in faith.
After “The Godfather” became popular, Italian culture became fashionable. Fans became obsessed or enthralled with mafias.
All this just goes to show that movies can open doors for viewers. The silver screen can shape our views and interests as we grow as people and as a society.