Essay About Poetic Cinema

Poetic cinema has been used throughout film history starting in the 1920s but was popularized in the 1960s and 1970s. Some directors that specialize in poetic cinema are Abbas Kiarostami, Federico Fellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, nevertheless none of them had an impact on poetic cinema, and cinema as a whole, as Andrei Tarkovsky did. Tarkovsky used techniques such as long takes, monologues, poetic visuals, immersive sound design, and more. In this paper I intend to reveal how much of an impact poetic cinema as a subgenre has had on cinema and people, more than people credit it for.  

What is poetic cinema? It is difficult to narrow down since it is such a unique style of filmmaking and is a different experience compared to other genres of film, but poetic cinema is a subgenre of film that combines the use of strong, poetic dialogue, dreamlike visuals, and immersive sound design to convey their meaning, occasionally referred to as “slow cinema” as it has a steady, slow pace throughout many of its films. Poetic cinema originated in the 1920s with directors such as Pierre Chenal, Jean Renoir, Jean Vigo, and more. Poetic cinema became popularized in the 1960s and 1970s with directors such as Artavazd Peleshian, Aleksandr Dovzhenko, Andrei Tarkovsky, and more. Some of the most popular films from this time being Stalker (1979) directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) directed by Stanley Kubrick, Vertigo (1958) directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and many more.  

Andrei Tarkovsky specifically has arguably had the most considerable impact on poetic cinema. Alex Ross from The New Yorker said it best, “Among directors, Tarkovsky has become a godlike figure...” Tarkovsky made 7 films in his career with each one being transcendent in its own way. For myself personally, poetic cinema has affected me the most out of all the genres I have seen movies from, specifically Andrei Tarkovsky. Tarkovsky’s film Stalker (1979) made an impact on me more than any other film I have seen. Its themes of happiness and trying to define what happiness is and what the search for happiness is like, and whether that search is worth it or not is something I have never seen in another film before. I remember my first-time watching Stalker and being completely immersed in everything about it, the visuals, the sublime long takes, which is usually paired with a monologue even better. At times I almost felt unworthy of what I was witnessing. Both me and my father were deeply affected by his films, and not only Stalker, his other films such as The Sacrifice (1986), The Mirror (1975), Ivan’s Childhood (1962), and his others have all made an impact on me as well, and each one in their own way. His film The Sacrifice from 1986 has some strong religious themes, and even though I am a non-religious person, that film still had an impact on me in many ways. His films' themes range from emotional abandonment, his own childhood, anti-war, religion, happiness, faith, and yet they all have a major impact on me and many other people who watch his films.  

Poetic cinema from the past has had a colossal impact on modern cinema as poetic films are still being made today. Some of the most influenced films include In the Mood for Love (2000) directed by Wong Kar-wai, The Tree of Life (2011) directed by Terrence Malick, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind (2004) directed by Michel Gondry. Béla Tarr was also heavily influenced by poetic cinema and has spoken about Tarkovsky and his influence on him. Tarr has made some of the best poetic films in recent times including his magnum opus Sátántangó (1994) which is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. Poetic cinema can affect people more than more popular genres such as romance, drama, horror, war, and more. Even as a subgenre, its impact on people can be just as significant as how other genres impact people. Some people are hesitant to dive into some of these films mainly because of the pacing.  A large quantity of these films tends to be a little longer than your average film. They’re also a little slower too, less action than your average movie. This makes some people immediately look at it and say no without giving it a chance. For example, Sátántangó, the film I mentioned earlier, is a 7 hour and 30-minute black and white Hungarian film. If someone asked you for a film recommendation and you suggest that film, the chances are they’re going to end up watching some Marvel movie over that. This thought process that these movies are all snooze-fests that are too deep and serious is completely wrong and people should give them a chance because they can be just as amazing as any other genre, and they have a real impact on people and people should notice that and give them a chance instead of immediately shutting the idea of watching them down. People who watch modern movies, including some that I mentioned earlier, don’t realize how much they were inspired by earlier poetic cinema films.

One of the greatest things about cinema is when you watch a movie, and it makes a change in you, whether this change is small or big does not matter, they make you cry, they make you grateful for something you weren't grateful for before, they completely change your view about something, etc. Poetic cinema is a genre that does that the best. Sure, watching Marvel movies and watching non-stop CGI action is great and all, but there is no denying that those movies don’t impact people and change people the way poetic films do. I’m not one to sit here and yap about how Marvel movies have no depth and how they aren’t cinema because I genuinely do enjoy those films, but when it comes to emotional substance and all around better made movies, poetic films are clear of any Marvel or Star Wars movie.