| Over the past century, cinema has steadily deepened its stronghold as the foremost venue for the myths and transformative stories of our time. Although films vary in the depth of the mythic experience they provide, the impact of the institution of cinema on individuals and culture is profound.;Of the many theories formulated to explain aspects of film's impact, all point toward deeper insight into what is termed herein mythic quality. As a lens for exploring this deep experience, the mythic quality of film can be seen to emanate from four dimensions: the diegesis, the moving photographs narrative form, the cinematic form, and extrinsic influences. In each of these dimensions exists a number of specific elements which compound film's mythic quality and strike chords of resonance within the deep realms of the psyche.;The realm of the diegesis, the story itself, takes into account Joseph Campbell's hero's journey and Aristotle's poetics and is the dimension whose impact is most commonly considered. The impact of the moving photographs narrative form derives from elements such as camera angles, montage, and the ideologies inherent in the film apparatus. The dimension of the cinematic form accounts for the impact of the quieted, communal setting of the darkened theatre and the projection of an image of reality onto a giant screen. The two major extrinsic influences are movie stars and the impact of technology and marketing and distribution strategies.;Film's mythic power is finally seen to be derived from the mysterious alchemical marriage of feminine and masculine energies but is nevertheless dominated by patriarchal ideologies. Although the prevailing venue for contemporary culture's myth, film falls short of the vitality found in such past rituals as the Eleusinian Mysteries and the original Eucharist. For film to fulfill more deeply what is possible in its role as the source of contemporary myth and ritual, a shift in perspective is necessary. An honored space must be made available for it to express itself as subject, and that expression may provide ever deeper and more meaningful experiences for its audience. |
