This afternoon, I have just watched the film Billy Elliot. I haven't watched it for some time, and sometimes, like today, having a break from a film can result in a new appreciation of it. and a reawakening of the power of the film to both move and create deep responses.
I suppose at the moment I am in the fortunate position of seeing my old films in a new light. Part of the reason for this is simply that I have obtained via the Internet a new media player, VLC, which seems to play my DVDs with richer and sharper colours, a complete bonus because the reason why I discovered its existence in the first place was that it has enabled my Intel Macintosh computer to be able to play DVDs from all regions. Instead of having to change the region setting of my DVD player within my computer, which you can only do five times in total, this media player, available free from the Internet, plays DVDs differently. So that the region setting for the DVD is unimportant.
This is pretty helpful, since I have one or two American imports which up until now I have not been able to play on my computer. I have had to use the DVD player in my living room, which I suppose is no big deal since it is part of a surround sound system, which delivers quite amazing sound.
And let's face it, the quality of sound reproduction for a film does make a big difference to one's experience of that film.
Since I have been so technical already, I might as well carry on, and the simple fact is that I have recently purchased a new speaker system for my computer, the one that I can most easily access when I am in bed, that delivers in itself quite phenomenal sound reproduction.
This is Harman Carden Sound Sticks, which have good looks as well as amazing sound reproduction. There is a separate bass speaker, and in each of the clear plastic sound sticks there are four small speakers. The net result is that I have an extraordinary sense of sound quality, making it a joy to watch films old and new all over again.
In this context, a film like Billy Elliot which has a fabulous soundtrack including T-Rex and The Clash comes across brilliantly.
Add to this the emotional journey of such a redemptive film, and it is an explosive experience.
Nostalgia plays its part as well, in that in the final scene of the film, Billy Elliot as an adult dancer plays one of the principal parts in the ballet performed by Adventures In Motion Pictures, Swan Lake. This is extraordinary because of the way in which the entire ballet is performed by men, even the whole of the chorus.
The fact that I have seen this production live is one thing, but I have had the privilege as well when I was working of having worked closely with the Dance Company, when they worked closely in partnership with the orchestra that I worked for. I remember meeting one of their senior managers backstage in Edinburgh at some point, and of course I have also seen them perform alongside Opera North when they created a unique production of The Nutcracker.
So my afternoon has been indulgent in every sense, I have seen a good film in good circumstances and been reminded of the professional life I once led before I became disabled with multiple cirrhosis.
It is a reminder, if one were needed, that I have plenty of reasons to go back through my large collection of DVDs, many of which have been recorded from films broadcast on television. I have been fortunate to be able to edit out the advertisements. So that I can see films as they were intended to be seen.
Anyway, one down, and just several hundred more to go. And that's before I go back to the DVDs I have purchased, which in themselves one might expect to have better quality of reproduction to them.
The simple fact is that film can be a transformative experience, especially with the benefits of modern technology at your disposal.
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