Video
link: https://archive.org/details/HaveITol1958
The
film Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?
(1958) is a fictionalized short story by graduate students from the
University of Southern California. The film is about the concern that digital
gadgets are taking away from real-life person interactions. It follows the
ordinary day of a family (husband, wife, and child) as they wake up, go to
work, and then relax at night. Images of the telephone, clock, car, and a few early
pre-computer technologies are included, and the abundance of how the family
uses them signifies the changing connections between families (and everyone
else).
Watching
this video made me realize that the use of digital technologies is not a new
concern by any means. Even when these earlier technologies first started to
become popular, people were unsure about how they would affect social
interactions and if they would – or could - destroy family life. The argument that
the internet is ruining physical relationships doesn’t seem as strong or
persuasive when taken into consideration that the argument is super old and has
been used in various contexts ever since technology became possible.
Also,
another random thing I saw was how similar the camera angles were to
cinematography of today – for example, there were angles of the man’s eyes in
the mirror in the car, outside images driving down the road, etc…. it seemed
futuristic to me. So, if anyone has a chance to actually watch this video, look
for that.
I was taken in by the title of this one, and I liked it a lot! I especially liked its odd internal sense of pacing and time, and that as the day goes on the editing gets slowly less frenetic and more and more melancholy (I loved the scene with the music box/cigarette dispenser).
ReplyDeleteI agree that it's neat to see how the information societies that the film uses, and the degrees to which it separates us, is very similar to those of today, and I especially like how that fits into gender and age divides as well (and then the divides even in that).
(And to your final random point, yeah I also agree! It's a genuinely magical feeling to watch a movie and see a shot, or a location, a kind of joke or even evocation of mood that feels so modern and/or familiar.)
I don't know why I said "odd internal sense of pacing and time", it's not odd. Force of habit of things that I write that I think make me sound smart!
DeleteI think it's really interesting that this argument is still so prominent in today's information society. I can't tell you how many times my mom has asked me to put my cell phone down to talk to her. I can definitely see where this concern of digital gadgets affecting family relationships can come into play. I agree with Vincent; I too loved the scene with the music box/cigarette dispenser!
ReplyDeleteThe reason I took this course is because lately i've become increasingly concerned with how technology is affecting personal relationship and daily actions. I loved watching this film because it strongly reinforced how dependence on even the smallest technologies can strain relationships. I loved watching this film and if you are like me and you are interested in what these machines are doing to our daily lives I highly recommend watching the youtube clip "Look Up"... It is a modern poetic take on what's happening and I watch it on repeat all the time but it just reminded me of this so I thought I should share. Great analysis of the film btw!
ReplyDelete