57. Movies: serious or entertaining?

The question of what kind of movie to watch is a familiar one in my home. While my father does not care for movies a great deal, my mother is very fond of this kind of entertainment. Unfortunately, her tastes are very different from mine, and she mostly likes movies that fall into the light entertainment category. I, on the other hand, do not enjoy watching movies that aim only to amuse. Generally, I derive a greater sense of enjoyment from movies that get me to think, because I can find better light entertainment elsewhere and I consider movies a serious art form. Sometimes, of course, I enjoy movies that amuse or entertain lightly in order to distract myself from the seriousness of everyday life. Humorous movies such as slapstick comedies are my favorites amongst the amusing ones, and every once in a while I even enjoy a romantic comedy. These movies offer a kind of escape. However, there are other ways of distraction that I prefer. For example, I enjoy taking long walks or listening to music much more than I enjoy watching a flick that means to accomplish nothing more than diversion. Movies, to me, are serious business.

I tend to look at movies as an art form that should engage its audience and also challenge them. Of course there are different ways to accomplish these two goals. A director might make creative use of stylistic means such as editing or lighting or camera movement. Together with the screenwriter he/she might find ways to present a relationship between classical or stereotypical characters in a complex and innovative way. Ideally, he/she will present an important social issue from a point of view that has not been thoroughly discussed. Thus, through his/her work, he/she will make his/her audience think about questions they had not considered before. Thereby, they will add to the discussion and make a contribution to culture and society. In my opinion, this is the goal of all art and thus it should be the goal of movie making.

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57. 电影：严肃还是娱乐？

应该看何种类型的电影是我们家的一个老问题。爸爸对电影不大感兴趣，妈妈喜欢看娱乐类的。不巧的是，她的口味与我的很不同，她喜欢的是轻松娱乐性电影，而我恰恰相反，不喜欢看仅仅是搞笑的电影。一般说来，我更喜欢看能够引起我思考的影片，因为如果仅仅是想搞笑，我可以找到其他的娱乐方式，而电影，我认为，是严肃的艺术形式。

当然，有的时候，我也喜欢看轻松的搞笑剧，这样可以使我从紧张的日常生活中得到休息。滑稽剧是我最喜欢看的幽默影片。偶尔我也看看浪漫喜剧。这些影片让人可以暂时逃离现实。但是，我更喜欢其他逃离现实的方法，如长时间的散步或者是听音乐。看电影，对我而言，是件严肃的事情。

我认为电影是这样一种艺术形式：它应该引起观众的兴趣并对他们形成挑战。当然，要完成这两个目标可以有不同的方法。导演可能灵活地运用各种手法如剪辑、灯光或摄影角度。他或她可以同剧作家一起，通过复杂、创新的方式展现古典的或老套的人物性格。理想的状况是，导演通过一个尚未被广泛关注的角度来表现重要的社会问题。因此，观众可以从他或她的作品中思考以前没有思考过的问题，进而加入讨论，为文化、社会做出贡献。在我看来，这应是所有艺术的目标，电影制作当然也不例外。

Word List

• category ［ˈkætiˌgɔ:ri］ n. 种类；范畴
• escape ［iˈskeip］ n. 逃，逃往
• amuse ［əˈmju:z］ v. 使发笑，使愉快
• flick ［flik］ n. 电影
• sense ［sens］ n. 感觉；意义
• accomplish ［əˈka:mpliʃ］ v. 完成，达到，实现
• distract ［disˈtrækt］ v. 转移，分散
• humorous ［ˈhju:mərəs］ adj.滑稽的，诙谐的
• diversion ［daiˈvə:ʒən］ n. 转移，转换
• engage ［ənˈgeidʒ］ v. 从事，使参加
• slapstick ［ˈslæpˌstik］ n.闹剧，搞笑的戏剧
• stylistic ［staiˈlistik］ adj. 格式上的，体裁上的
• comedy ［ˈka:midi］ n.喜剧；喜剧性的事情
• amongst ［əˈmʌŋst］ prep. 在…之中
• screenwriter ［ˈskri:nˌraitə］ n. 剧作家，编剧家
• romantic ［rəuˈmæntik］ adj. 传奇式的，浪漫的
• innovative ［ˈinəˌveitiv］ adj. 创新的