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Examples
To help you understand these
categories, here are a couple of examples from the work of two
very well-known artists.
As a vehicle for Audrey Hepburn,
the movie SABRINA
is filled with delightful moments, but we find the movie itself
dated. We each rate it a three. BREAKFAST
AT TIFFANY'S will always be a timeless touchstone for a specific place
and time. We each rate it a four. But ROMAN
HOLIDAY transcends these boundaries. It resonates with
mythic qualities familiar from the work of Joseph Campbell --
Princess Ann learns that she “must be what, in fact, she
is.” We rate it a five.
Like SABRINA,
Steven Spielberg’s SAVING
PRIVATE RYAN is filled with wonderful moments that never
quite come together. We rate it a three. ET
is filled with magic moments hooked by a driving narrative that
carries you along and compels belief. We rate it a four. But SCHINDLER’S
LIST transcends its intense subject matter and finds
itself in the mystery of human motivation. We rate it a five.
Even if you disagree with our
examples, we hope we’ve conveyed our framework. It has to do
with the relationship between the parts and the whole. In a fine
film, the parts are knit together and the whole is seamless. The
viewer suspends disbelief. It isn’t “just a movie,” it’s
a complete world with internal coherence. So, to summarize:
