Older generations blaming the younger generation for almost every bad thing as old as time itself. Every generation thinks that the newer generation is responsible for turning things sour. The millennials are currently the ones being blamed for killing just about everything—including classic movies.
Reports claim that millennials hate to watch movies from older eras. However, contrary to that popular opinion, there are a large number of millennials that enjoy watching classic films. Although millennials do watch more recent movies (made within the last 15 years) than older ones, this is not from a lack of interest. It's simply because they're not as exposed to classic movies as much as modern ones. In other words, it's not a problem of interest; it's an exposure problem.
The older generation fails to expose millennials to classic films. Even when they try to, they go about it the wrong way. If you are going to revive millennials’ interest in classic movies, then you must exhibit them the right way. Here are a few dos and don'ts involved.
Don’t dismiss or shame
The best way to get millennials not to do something is to shame them for not doing it. Shaming them or being dismissive about them not watching an older film will only make them lose interest in that film and others. You don’t want this to happen.
It is bad enough that the older generation already thinks that millennials are killing classical movies, but condemning, complaining, or criticizing only pushes them farther away from such titles.
People have to realize that one of the most significant factors in watching classical movies is curiosity, not age. If these movies aren’t exposed to the younger generation, their legacy will fade away.
So, if you hear someone say they are yet to see a movie (that you think every other person has), you shouldn’t exclaim or sound dismissive. Calmly tell them to check it out or offer to watch it with them. This works better.
Don’t describe a movie with qualifiers
One mistake people make when discussing classic films with millennials is to use qualifiers such as 'old movie.’ Words like these leave their mark on millennials and don’t encourage them to watch the film. Perfect art transcends through generations. That's why you shouldn't add cut-off dates and such qualifiers to great movies.
Using qualifiers allows the other person to judge the film before they even take their time to watch it. You only need to tell them to watch the movie without including the production date or year and explain why it is worth their time.
In reality, as stated in a research paper writing service, the concept of the old movie doesn't exist. There are only movies that younger people haven’t watched because they were released before their birth.
Recommend classical movies that are similar to other ones that they love
All movies are influenced by other films that were made previously. Therefore, it may be a good idea to recommend classic movies to millennials based on some of the current movies they enjoy. However, this may involve some research work.
You can do this effectively by looking for classic films with similar themes and plot elements to more recent movies. Typical examples of this are: Star Wars/Casablanca, The Searchers and She’s All That/My Fair Lady.
An excellent way to do your research is to find out some of their favorite filmmakers and then recommend some of the classic movies that influenced their work. For instance, if they love Quentin Tarantino, let them know that he makes his actors watch His Girl Friday so that they emulate the fast-paced dialogue performances.
Take them to the big screen
Classic films were not created for the iPad or mobile devices. They are designed for the theatres. Encouraging millennials to experience these movies in theatres will help them appreciate classic films even more.
Conclusion
Young people don’t hate classical movies. Older generations just need to expose them to the films of yesteryear in the right way. The tips in this article can help pique a millennial’s interest in classic films.
Jessica Chapman is a writing editor from Chicago. She works at BrillAssignment and regularly contributes to college paper. She is into sport and politics and enjoys traveling.
If you need classic movie suggestions, order the book Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide: From the Silent Era Through 1965.
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