Last year we saw Mickey Mouse going public domain and now every year more and more talkie movies are going public domain too. The talkies began in 1928, and I would say they got very close to what we have today in about 1934 or 35.
That means that every year people will have hundreds of “new” releases on public domain, making paying for watching new movies unnecessary. One thing is preferring the new movies when you have to pay both for new and old movies. Another thing is paying for new films when you have hundreds of old movies as good as the new ones (or better) for free.
I don’t know about you, but I could spend the rest of my life watching public domain classics, no problem. For instance, I read a dozen books last year, only two of them were less than a 100 years old.
I would say Hollywood is in a pinch right now, something that will make them miss the days when their biggest enemy was piracy.
Public domain has nothing to do with consumption. You can go to your library right now and watch new movies for free.
Another thing is paying for new films when you have hundreds of old movies as good as the new ones (or better) for free.
Yeah, no. Movies made in the past, say, 20 years, are WILDLY different from the ones made 90+ years ago. I’m not talking about technology, image quality or special effects, I’m talking about cinematography (shot composition and camera angles), acting and the kinds of stories that they’re trying to tell. Some stories are classics and timeless, but not all of them are, many are a direct byproduct of the historical context in which they were created, thus serving as interesting glances into the past.
If all you end up watching are these movies, you will get alienated from the world you actually live in. For instance, I bet there isn’t one of those public domain movies that portrays native americans as anything other than uncivilized, tent-living indians; or any movie that attempts to portray, even somewhat respectfully, the struggles they had to endure against european descended settlers. Movies that don’t shy away from showing some grim, dark realities? Not gonna be in public domain for another couple decades.
What’d you read
White Nights - Dostoevsky
The Demons - Dostoevsky
The Death of Ivan Ilyich - Tolstoy
Polikushka - Tolstoy
Short Stories Collection - Tolstoy
The Metamorphosis - Kafka
The Trial - Kafka
In Search of Lost Time - Vol. 1 - Proust
Are you into speedrunning by any chance?
