What is Quality?
A decent enough question to ask about film. We at the society are constantly rating and reviewing films based on a number of items. We thought about having a rubric, but none of us are educators or have that much experience in “grading” things, so it made sense to stick to a 1-10 ranking system.
So what makes a film get what it gets? For me that always depends on a couple of items:
- Did the film accomplish what it set out to do?
- Did it teach me something about humanity?
- Did the performances of the actors engage in true human experience and emotion?
- Was the eye of the audience (the camera) used in a way that was satisfying and entertaining to keep my vision?
- Did the story captivate me?
Now I don’t always have the answers to these questions off the cuff. Most of the time, I like to allow myself to sit within the afterglow of the piece and think about major moments and memories from the experience, and let them wash over me like a shower. Sometimes that shower is ice cold, like in Phase IV when it just felt like the damn thing would never end. Others, it evokes a primal sense of joy like in The Master.
The crux of quality (for me) is how the movie changed your perspective. Film is unique in the arts in having several ways to change how we see the world. Whether it’s overt or subversive a good film can make you feel several different feelings at the same time. No one in the world can hear the Imperial March from Star Wars and not conjure an image of evil approaching in their mind’s eye. No one can look at the perfect composition of Stanley Kubrick and not be amazed by his life’s work.
A quality film is evocative, stunning, and life-affirming. A quality film is something that deeply embeds itself in the subconscious of the viewer.
Quality for me, hits you right in the soul.
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