Movies are one of the most popular forms of entertainment today, and they have become the medium of choice for many customers who want to see a good film. A movie, also known as a video, short film, video cartoon or other video, is an art form used to depict stories, messages, impressions, emotions, beauty, or setting through the use of still pictures. In the past, movies were confined to mid-budget fare that were released by major studios. However, in the present day, with the power of the Internet at their disposal, viewers have a wide range of choices when it comes to viewing movies online.
Movies are usually shot on location using a sound stage where background and special effects are achieved through the help of special or digital cameras. Movie producers, directors, and actors work together to create the final master copy of the film at the movie production house. The movie elements are then transferred to DVD or the VHS tape for distribution. In the United States, the major movie distributors consist of Walt Disney Company (Walt Disney Feature Film Distribution) in Hollywood, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (Fox Digital Video Distribution), Paramount Pictures (Starz Entertainment / Viacom International Television Distribution) in Hollywood, Universal Studios Home Entertainment (Uni Distribution) in Los Angeles, Focus Features (Specialty Entertainment) in New York, Sony Pictures Classics (Films Inc.), and Walt Disney Home Video under their Virgin Digital Entertainment unit. Online services that offer DVD downloads of films can be purchased at the websites of the aforementioned companies.
Based on the book “A History of the Film Industry,” the first feature film was Cries from a Cat (1947), followed by The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, classic Italian crime drama) and Casino (Marshall Goldsmith, later best known as the creator of the series of films starring Ben Kingsley). Coppola also had a hand in the making of films including The Man Who Played with Casinos (Konstantin UAbersold, an autobiographic story of the life of an American casino dealer) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Wes Anderson, another film noir). After his return to Hollywood, Coppola worked with de Kooning on the film version of A Move in the Wind, followed by the Oscar winning Miracle Mile.
The most famous British movie maker of all time, Charles Chaplin, was actually born in Ireland. His family was of Irish descent, so the actor grew up surrounded by film and even took a few of his own first steps in the field. Although he didn’t actually direct any of his own movies, he was in charge of the production of the original version of King John’s reign of Queen Elizabeth, and worked on the films The Kid and The Tenant. Chaplin’s greatest early work was undoubtedly the legendary comedy Duck Soup, which starred him alongside his future co-stars in Gone With The Wind. Other notables include My Fair Lady, where Chaplin played the title role opposite ray Winstone, and The Metamorphosis, in which he played the title role opposite James Stewart.
The French are perhaps the country that gave the world the most influential genre of movies, horror films. In fact, there can be no other list of great French movies than that of the spooky, classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1922), in which the French master Vincent Vidaloid served as a translator for the character of Dr. Frankenstein. Other notable French horror movies that have little to do with the arts include The Night of the Dogs (aka The Perils of Peking), which starred Yul Brynner as a British soldier who stumbles into a deadly organization run by a monster. Other French horror movies that are worth watching are The Desolate Area, Le Secret de la Meuse (The Mysterious Woman), and The Shape.
Art films are usually more controversial in tone than the other genres mentioned here. However, they do not always deal with matters of faith or religion, as they are more of a social commentary. Some examples include films such as AIDS: Open Source, The Dead Man Walking, and Requiem for a Queen. There is no doubt that the future of cinema will feature more art films, given their visibility and success today. As they say, one makes movies for the art, and not for the money!
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