“Cinéphile” – now that sounds like something

So Prog has already answered to my crappy post and wall of text, oh my god T_T Read his comment XD This post is the continuation of my last reflection on the love for films. I still think that my meta-posts are a drag without saying much and horribly un-humorous to read, but it seems nobody has complained yet. ^^;;; After watching “The Dreamers” a second time, I stumbled upon the word cinemaphile which shows yet again how bad my last post was considering the sparse background information I had – I even overlooked a whole movement!

In conclusion, I’d people related to movies into the following categories (what the heck is wrong with me, have I turned into a sociologist or what?), while I will devote another paragraph or so to the cinemaphilie.

1. The classmate.
Going to the movie theaters is one of the major means of social get together for these people. They make out at the end of the theater, mostly watch popular and cult movies, but most likely also watch a lot. Parties always comprise a movie, mostly one that just came out.

2. The narutard.
“Narutards” are called these people who are rabid fans of “Naruto”. Typically these people also like a few others Thus, the Narutard of film like Star Wars or Matrix or both, reads websites, buys merchandise and knows every little detail of the franchise.

3. The collector.
I’m like that when it comes to books. The collectors loves to go movie-shopping, most likely has all hardware needed to watch HD discs on a large cinema display or TV, has a more or less good taste of movies and is unable to watch everything he has bought. It’s the pitfall of people who have too much money and not enough time.

4. The professional and academic
People who are interpreting and dissecting films for their job or have a particular interest in the academic world of film. They watch classics because they are classics and are very interested in history and the impact of films on culture in general. Some of them are horribly old and have a “back then, everything was better” attitude.

5. The random film lover
I think Prog falls into this category, lol. Entertainment and what a film means to them personally is the main driver for these people to watch films while seeking those special things that make films great for them.

Finally, we have the cinéphilie. A german Wikipedia article does not exist at all and the english one is a slightly elitist stub, just as elitist as my posting here. I haven’t even read the french article yet because it’s so long and a little bit of a drag, but it shows already how France actually was the country of cinema – they are not even a counter-point to american cinema (which has always been my main focus of interest too). The european and especially french cinéphiles are much more fanatic who make films their life, and with the discovering of Hollywood, young french cinéphiles transcend their horrid french-centered society and watch everything from american to european to asian to everything else. It isn’t even about good or bad films, it’s about film in general, the beauty in imperfection and all that crap. I stumbled upon the term of septième art for film, which I find very, very charming. It would not surprise me if the french have come up with this term.
I have started reading a few articles on cinéphilie and can only say that unfortunately it reminds me a little bit of the last panel of this xkcd-strip. With my inability of comprehending other people’s views on cinéphilie, here’s my own interpretation: First of all, it’s the love of films, which goes without saying. But by loving films like the characters from “The Dreamers” or all the other parisian students at that time, they also carry a certain political message: a rebellious refuse of their society, norms, and escape into the world of film. Film gives them a meaning to life, either by escaping and by trying to change the world (in fact, in the film, there’s both). Philosophical questions around film (what is a good film, is Keaton better than Chaplin, what are people’s attitudes to film, oh and I’d also count insider jokes around films) have replaced questions around life. Indirect philosophy, I’d say *harr* Cinéphiles could spend their whole life revolving around films: Watch them, re-watch them, look out for interesting details and incorporate them into their life, spend time on dissecting and interpreting subtleties in films, care a lot about names and biographies and how authors and actors have evolved through time, make different kinds of “favourite” lists (for films, actors, directors, film music etc. etc.). This kind of cinéphile minus the historical political message would be how I would describe my personal passion for films, only that I have not yet become so passionate. XD
I don’t really want to delve further into the escapism concept through films, but this is what actually happens: When I am glued to the screens while watching a film, I am able to forget everything else. With all the other things I consume (manga, anime, books), I can safely say that films fascinate me the most and there are more films that have made me forget everything around me than other media.
I think Prog formulates it quite nicely when he explains his devotion for films. I would say that mine is quite similar to his, with the difference that my perception for technical details in film making is far less mature, and I simply don’t know much about it. What I feel comfortable to talk about are actors, storylines and pacing, and it seems I have quite a little bit to catch up when it comes to the art of film making. And I definitely want to know and understand more.