What is Film?

Film is known to be the construction of images projected in rapid succession onto a screen to create the illusion of movement. However, this may be the technical explanation for what is happening but film stretches far beyond imagination and it is probably the most powerful medium of communication that the human mind has conceived. One of the great gifts of the cinematic experience is escapism; the opportunity to seek temporary respite from the high and low dramas that fill up our days and to lose ourselves in the taste of popcorn and the flickering images of shadow and light for a couple of hours. It is this reason why we watch certain films; it takes us away from some of the grim realities of life.

Although many films are made purely for a didactic purpose a number of films have been made for their escapist values. Richard Dyer talks about the way in which musicals offer a ‘wish-fulfilment’ or a ‘utopia’ from our day-to-day lives. He states that musicals, whether it b...