I've been in Paris for three weeks
Taking advantage of our stay in the world capital of cinema, Sophie and I took our son to see lots of films by foreign authors. Korean, Iranian, Spanish feature films, etc.
To our great pride, son loved most of the movies we showed him. But one night he asked us to go see the latest Thor.
" Why not ? we said to ourselves.
AT THE SUMMIT OF EVEREST
If cretinism is a mountain, we are, with Thor: Love and Thunder, on the roof of Everest.
The top of the hollow.
Whenever I see a Superman, Spiderman, Aquaman, Antman, Assman, or any other nanar starring a superhero in pantyhose, I'm always like, "Seems to me like when I had the age of my son (14 years old), the commercial films, those which attracted crowds and sat at the top of the box office, were a lot more intelligent and complex than the nonsense that the megaplexes present to us today”.
Am I right, or have I become an old jerk?
To get to the bottom of it, I've released the titles of the 20 films that made the most money in 1975 and 2021 in North America.
These two lists speak for themselves...
TWO WORLDS
The four most popular films of 2021 were: Spider Man: No Way Home, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Black Widow and Fast and Furious 9.
Three superhero movies and one tank movie.
And the four most popular films of 1975 were: Jaws, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Shampoo and Dog Day Afternoon.
A masterfully crafted thriller, a drama about a prisoner in a psychiatric hospital, a brilliant political satire written by one of Hollywood's greatest screenwriters (Robert Towne) and a heart-pounding crime drama recounting the misadventures of a gay man. who robs a bank to pay for her boyfriend's sex change.
Four films that are considered major works of American cinema.
What other great films were on the list of the 20 most popular films of 1975?
Three Days of the Condor de Sidney Pollack, Rollerball de Norman Jewison, Love and Death de Woody Allen, Barry Lyndon de Stanley Kubrick et Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore de Martin Scorsese.
And in 2021? Dune by Denis Villeneuve and No Time To Die, the latest James Bond.
I repeat: I am talking here about the films that have sold the most tickets, not the films that have received the best reviews!
ADULTS VS CHILDREN
To say the level is dropping is an understatement. He fell. Head first.
In 1975, popular cinema was aimed at adults. Today, it is aimed at children.
Or to adults who have childlike tastes and interests.
Oh, don't worry, we still produce complex and deep films! I see them regularly... Fortunately!
But these films no longer draw crowds. Or sell popcorn.
The level drops. Culturally. Intellectually. And politically.
It gives what it gives.
