Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/06/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]"I heard recently that the Twentieth Century will be 'the century of film' because, give or take a few years, it will historically be shown as the only century in which film was used to record things which are then retained for the future. As such it will prove to be the century for which we have the most complete record." I realize it is vaguely comforting to many to think that the last century was so well documented (and, consequently, it's alarming to imagine that the future may not be so well recorded), for me, the question is: What did we learn from all that historical material? Has it really made a difference? We may not have the complete archives of Attila and his Huns (or substitute your favourite ancient thug), complete with newsreel and still footage, but we exceeded his brutality a thousand-fold in the last century and there's little evidence we won't continue doing so in the future. And a glimpse at Lascaux may convey as much about its times as the complete works of HCB. "The medium is the message." It the absence of any measurable effect, filmed history may be mere narcissistic entertainment. So I suggest we may have other worries than the switch to digital. Emanuel Lowi Montreal - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html