Film Elitism

[Her]

me: reads one pauline kael book and

What makes a movie worthy of being designated a 'film'? Do you believe in the inherent elitism used to separate the two terms?

 

[Amore]

This makes me think of Entourage:

"Movie? Well I hate the word "movie". i don't make "movies", I make "films"."

Honestly I always thought it was just another case of Americans getting words wrong - like how the U.S. invented some substance called "aluminum" when we have a perfectly good "Aluminium". In American t.v. and that people seem to talk about "going to the movies" whereas everyone I know talks about "the cinema", "films" (even "the pictures" but I'm discounting those people for the sake of simplicity).

 

[moon]

I had no idea that there was a difference? Probably an English language thing; in Swedish, the only word for it is "film", regardless of if it's a feature length cartoon or an epic Marvel cinema piece. I've been using the terms "movie" and "film" interchangeably in English, but if that's wrong, then I guess I learned something new today lol

Probably "movie" originated as a nickname for "moving picture"?

 

[Nihilego]

I had no idea that there was a difference? Probably an English language thing; in Swedish, the only word for it is "film", regardless of if it's a feature length cartoon or an epic Marvel cinema piece. I've been using the terms "movie" and "film" interchangeably in English, but if that's wrong, then I guess I learned something new today lol

Probably "movie" originated as a nickname for "moving picture"?

fwiw i had no idea there was a difference either, so i'm fairly sure it's not a normal english language thing. i've always used them completely interchangably and didn't even realise anybody made a distinction.

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

The two are one and the same, and nope.

 

[Cay]

i've always thought 'film' was just a pretentious word for movie honestly

 

[Nihilego]

i've always thought 'film' was just a pretentious word for movie honestly

naw. "movie" strikes me as a more americanised word - over here it's barely ever used in comparison to "film", and i dunno about anyone else in the uk here (jon?) but at least to me when someone calls it a "movie" it sounds a bit out-of-place, although not "wrong" per se. probably nothing more than a regional thing.

 

[Cay]

naw. "movie" strikes me as a more americanised word - over here it's barely ever used in comparison to "film", and i dunno about anyone else in the uk here (jon?) but at least to me when someone calls it a "movie" it sounds a bit out-of-place, although not "wrong" per se. probably nothing more than a regional thing.

yeah that sounds about right. now that youve mentioned it, about all the times i can recall someone saying the world, it's been from someone british lol

 

[Pinkie-Dawn]

At first I thought this was about film elitism between preferences on how movies should be made, but after reading through this thread, it's something more meaningless. Aren't the words "movie" and "film" suppose to be interchangeable depending on what area you're from just like with "theater" and "cinema?"

 

[Amore]

At first I thought this was about film elitism between preferences on how movies should be made, but after reading through this thread, it's something more meaningless. Aren't the words "movie" and "film" suppose to be interchangeable depending on what area you're from just like with "theater" and "cinema?"

Yeah there's two readings of the difference between "film" and "movie".

One is that its just different regions' differing interpretation and that seems most common here, e.g. the difference between "Aluminium" and "Aluminum yeehaw!"

There is another, which I alluded to with my Entourage quote which is that a "film" is something of more substance, or artistic merit (anywhere from an indie with barely any effects or characters through to The Dark Knight) whilst a "movie" would have no merit (i.e. much as I love the characters, the Entourage movie would fit this description, as would everything Adam Sandler has produced in the past decade, and things like the so-called "torture porn" subgenre e.g. Saw

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

naw. "movie" strikes me as a more americanised word - over here it's barely ever used in comparison to "film", and i dunno about anyone else in the uk here (jon?) but at least to me when someone calls it a "movie" it sounds a bit out-of-place, although not "wrong" per se. probably nothing more than a regional thing.

'Film' is because, originally, all of these things were shot on the substance called film (as opposed to digitally, which 95%+ of all things are now shot); movie is, as Rika mentioned earlier, a contraction of 'moving picture', and was coined at the start of the silent era to determine pictures that moved.

Speaking personally, I'd probably use 'film' moreso than movie, but - as my answer above indicates - I'm not really snobbish about the term. From my impression, 'film' is definitely more of a European concept (including, shock horror, the UK) and 'movie' is that of an American one.