Sociology of film : studies and documents (1946)

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THE ADULT AND THE CINEMA people influenced by such things frequently fail to adopt them with any real degree of success. Misapplication, resulting in artificiality rather than attractiveness seems all too often the inevitable result. Finger nails and hair 'do's' are not necessarily indicative of character or self reliance, or even of good taste. Personally, I cannot say that I have been influenced in any way here. I believe that real poise and self confidence result from an objective rather than a subjective attitude to life. I would far rather be my natural self (at least as far as I am capable of being), than a second rate edition of some movie idol I admired, or might happen, faintly to resemble. Love and divorce do not apply to me. For one thing I have never really been in love, and for another I do not believe that the screen exercises so much influence with morals as seems generally to be supposed. So now to dreams. I believe that few people dream about the films they see, but I can recall (though of necessity, only partially) dream experiences the content of which included the Cinema in one form or another, although I have never dreamed of any particular film. When I have dreamed about Cinema, the building itself seems always to have been included. Sometimes it has been curved in shape, (which is when I have been inside) , and sometimes square, and rather aggressively strong looking, (and then I have been outside) . Recognising, in my limited understanding of Freudian psychology, that 'shape' has significance in dreams, I draw, or imagine I draw, the obvious conclusion here. I have also dreamt of meeting 'stars' personally, and having them regard my criticisms of their work and of Cinema in general as something to marvel at. I certainly do feel that the Cinema can and does exercise considerable, and probably far reaching influence on individual psychology, and mainly in the sense that many filmgoers tend unconsciously to identify themselves with pictured characters and emotional situations. More briefly, many of us see ourselves in the movies we like. I think, for example that it is possible to read into films the things we would really like to do and be. But are the things we enjoy really projections of the hidden truths about us? I cannot arrive at a decision about this. I do think about it, but I really do not know. I would very much like to determine just why I believe my initial reactions to say 207