• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

To End the Culture of Remakes, Teach Hitchcock

April 21, 2013 by admin

Commenting on the Critics with Simon Columb…

Hayley Dixon writes for The Telegraph…

“Greg Dyke said it is ‘ridiculous’ that schools are lagging behind in a world dominated by film and television. The BFI is launching a £26 million film education programme which aims to reach every child in schools across Britain in four years.

‘People at the BFI argue all the time, and I think they’re right: isn’t it weird that we learn Shakespeare but we don’t learn Hitchcock?’ Mr Dyke, the former director general of the BBC, told the Times Education Supplement.

‘It seems ridiculous to us that in a world where the moving image is the major means of communication, schools seem a long way behind.’“

Read the full article here.

Immediately the comparison to Shakespeare is going to create frustration in readers and theatre-goers, but I do believe that Mr Dyke is correct with this comparison.

Cinema is a medium that only dates back to the late 1800s – and even then, it has only really managed to become a worldwide, artistic property within the last 100 years. Theatre and literature obviously date back thousands of years and so such a comparison is difficult at best.

Crucially, the current world is alive with video – especially as children record on their phones daily. The value of such access to art and creativity, I believe, is lost on these children as they have no clear understanding of the artistry behind cinema and filmmaking.

It seems that the only experience children have of cinema is the latest blockbuster release. Too often people will discuss the merits of a film that obsessively pays tribute to a genre. The latest example is Oblivion whereby the Tom Cruise led film seems to borrow from so many science fiction movies, it is easy to lose count: The Matrix, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes, Independence Day, Alien… the list goes on and on. To a film-savvy viewer, these “nods” to classic staples of the genre can be jarring and frustrating – especially as Oblivion doesn’t seem to offer anything new in comparison to these films. A teenager who hasn’t seen The Matrix (it is almost 15 years old now!) may watch Oblivion and assume full credit belongs to Cruise and Joseph Kosinski – could this ignorance ensure financial success and sequels?

Cinema – like English, Art, Theatre, Dance and Music – has a wealth of history that has led to the filmmakers of today. Without an appreciation and awareness of this history – in a strange paraphrasing of a philosophical statement – filmmaking is doomed to repeat itself (Oblivion is a testament to that!). Add to this how Hollywood are only too keen to establish a property to “sequelise”, and we have a situation whereby remakes and sequels will continue to become successful – as most cinema-goers will watch a remake and sequel satisfied. Indeed, through a lack of appreciation of the history of the medium, they’ve never seen anything like it before.

Simon Columb

Filed Under: Uncategorized

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Cannon Films and the Masters of the Universe

How Will Quentin Tarantino Bow Out?

The Gruesome Brilliance of 1980s Italian Horror Cinema

The Most Iconic Cult Classics of All Time

13 Underrated Horror Franchise Sequels That Deserve More Love

10 Great Action Movies from 1995

Underrated 2000s Cult Classics You Need To See

7 Rotten Horror Movies That Deserve A Second Chance

Robin of Sherwood: Still the quintessential take on the Robin Hood legend

Ten Essential Films of the 1950s

Top Stories:

3 Spectacular Performances in James Gunn’s Superman That Stole The Movie

Movie Review – Eddington (2025)

Movie Review – I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)

Movie Review – Saint Clare (2025)

Comic Book Review – Zombie Tales: Complete Collection

First look at Samuel L. Jackson and Sylvester Stallone in Tulsa King season 3 as NOLA King gets series order

Meet the kombatants with Mortal Kombat II red band trailer and character posters

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episodes 1 & 2 Review

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

Great Vampire Movies You May Have Missed

The Essential Horror Movie Threequels

7 Prom-Themed Horror Movies You Need To See

Back to the Future at 40: The Story Behind the Pop Culture Touchstone

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket