Art has the power to do things that nothing else does. It’s personal, intimate, thought provoking, has the ability to express every emotion on the spectrum in vivid technicolor, it’s unique, it’s make you make of it…the word that truly describes all that art encompasses in a life is the word transformative. Art is transformative. It’s magical. The way it works in each individual’s life is special and the story of transformation is never the same.
One art form that is brilliant at showing how art is used as a transformative medium is film. Film is able to present a story as if it were real life. It includes all of the senses and draws you into take you on a journey. For the sake of example, here are movies where art was brilliantly used as a transformative medium in the lives of the characters involved:
Dead Poets Society
Dead Poets Society came out in 1989 and stars Robin Williams in what is one of his most profound roles. The story follows a teacher as he takes his students on a journey of transformation and discovery. What’s so beautiful is that the film is a demonstration of what poetry is and how it changes people.
The quotes from the movie that tug at your heartstrings and make you think about things in a different way is a testament to the power of words as well as the power of art in the form of acting and filmmaking. The students are taken on a throught provoking journey that opens up their minds and hearts to greater things in the world that are accessible through literature.
An American in Paris
An American in Paris isn’t one of those movies that changes the paradigm of how you think about life, but it is one where the plot is heavily focused around art. The movie stars the amazing dancer, singer, actor, hunk extraordinaire, Gene Kelly. In the movie, Kelly is an American artist trying to make it in Paris.
The movie follows Kelly’s attempt at finding himself in his artform and how he finds love, but movie musicals such as this show how so many different art forms can come together in one medium to give an audience a dynamic experience that alters their current state of consciousness.
The films that are out there aim to give viewers experiences they’ve never had before. The stories are as vast as the intentions behind them. It doesn’t change the fact that no matter what kind of a mood you’re in, film will cater to that mood.
Art in all forms is able to be expressed through the art form that is film. The art behind acting, writing, pre production, and every other step of the creative process is enough to make you a believer that the arts hold the power to change circumstances in lives for the better.