Posted by Isis at d7a221.dialup.cornell.edu on June 19, 2000 at 18:13:37:
In Reply to: Call me a knee-jerk fanboy, but.... posted by Darth Dobbin on June 19, 2000 at 12:07:08:
No matter what realm of life or art it is applied to, the line between mainstream and avant-garde is always flexible. For the distinction between them is not one of quality, but quantity...and while something of quality may begin as a fad among a few people, it is usually sure to expand out to the masses. Likewise, something that is geared towards a large market may fail due to lack of quality regardless of its supposed mainstream appeal.
It's an unpredictable world. Making some snottish distinction between the two is just plain silly. A person's individual opinion should not be swayed whether many, or few, or no people endorse the things they enjoy.
: Do these folk feel better about themselves passing judgement on what is or is not "relevent?"
In a very shallow ego-propping way, yes.
Coming from someone who adores lesbian art-house pathos (particularly when subtitled!), I have to say the most fascinating thing for me is the balancing point Smitty seems to strike between mainstream sensibilities and nonconformist ideas. There's something very powerful about the ability to use a style of humor that people are familiar with in order to convey concepts that they aren't familiar with. It's an admirable capability and regardless of what people think of the man's work, it's something that shouldn't be underestimated when studying his influence on both the indie & mainstream spheres.
He's the Billy Clinton (minus the sex scandals and goofy "I feel your pain" emoting) of cinema, I tell you, the perfect combination of right and left, traditional and original, he is the black & white cookie of moviemakers.
-- Isis
And I have a vicious sweet tooth. CARTOON MOVIE!