Director Martin Scorsese said recently that many people today rarely bother to watch movies or TV shows made before their own time. Do you agree, and if so, why do you think this is?

Chronologically Age becomes an arbitrary period.

Artistic merit and interest are one thing, but if you are 6 or 60 there are vastly different quantities of cinema to choose from.

Scocese’s observation is pertinent though.

I would guess this is a result of much more entertainment being available now than there was just 20 years ago. Before, it was quite possible to run out of entertainment, so old films filled the gap. Now, we have an endless supply of YouTube, movies, Netflix, Amazon, games, etc. Attention spans have also been shortened, so that many viewers would struggle to sit through the slower story-telling of the past. They need constant visual stimulation. It's a shame, since there are some fine films they are missing that could give them another perspective than the usual current fare.

@Commanteer

Good post.

the slower story-telling of the past

I’m not a big film or TV drama watcher but I did watch Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo’ about a year ago after listening to a discussion which said that it it doesn’t suit a modern audience.

I must admit I found it myself checking my watch rather than feeling the suspense.

Lawrence of Arabia and Spartacus still hold up for me despite their length.

I personally grew up watching movies made well before my time on TV. I still watch black and white movies on Youtube from time to time. Always discovering real gems. And I still love Laurel and Hardy (shorts with dialog).

The advantage of older movies is that they can't do special effects as well as today, so they rely more on the acting and script.

Watching movies on YouTube is for me more upsetting than people not watching movies before their time. Low resolution, 2 channel sound, how is this experiencing a film as the director intended? YouTube for me is somewhere where I go to check how to check cabling is correct or how to put a household item together.

I watch Turner Classic Movies (TCM) all the time. You get to see the original story lines and movies that new movies copy.

The quality of a new movie is inversely proportional to the number of helicopters and car chases.

Depends on the person and their tastes. Personally, I enjoy movies and shows from the past and now. Movies before had to work within the limitations of technology and special effects so in some ways, they were more creative and script and acting driven, giving them an edge over movies today that are sometimes too reliant on CGI. Like, one of my all-time favorite TV shows is Bewitched, which came out in the 60s and its first season was shot in black and white. Sure, to those used to the advanced CGI used nowadays, the special effects on Bewitched may seem antiquated and silly but you can appreciate the talent, skill, and creativity that went behind creating all that magic. Also, as a horror movie fan, some of the best horror flicks - in my opinion anyway - came out in the 70s and 80s. So yeah, matter of taste.

No. I often watch and enjoy films made long before I was born.

For the young time began now.

People these days are into YT vlogs, YT documentaries, reality shows and most of time wasting videos such as mukbang, daily vlogs of strangers, etc.

So people rarely even watch 10 movies a year.

Hollywood and Japanese films aren't like they used to. Korean film industry were going up but fell down hugely last 2 years. HK films are gone. The only film industry that are going high is South Indian Films.

As others noted great increase in the availability of entertainment choices today.

And re watching old movies, the disinterest is across the popular board?

How many people really listen to old music these days. Like from the 20s, 30s, 40s?

How many earnestly read the classic novels of past?

How many people enjoy dancing in the style of years ago?

And more.

All these things have value but new stuff is being created all the time.

You'd need to bend a few arms backwards to force people to watch old grainy B & W films, with stilted acting often reminiscent of stage plays. A lot of the stuff wasn't actually that good - just it had little competition.

The medium of the 90-minute movie is obsolete.

I'm delighted to see that posters above are fans of Laurel and Hardy.

To my mind, the funniest men who ever lived, I find it sad that the Japanese don't seem to have ever been introduced to them, whereas the mawkish Chaplin is automatically regarded as a genius, regardless of whether or not they've watched any of his work.

It's the same with Audrey Hepburn. Japanese ladies of a certain age all seem to feel compelled to say she's their favourite Hollywood actress, but if you ask them to name three of her films, you get :"Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany's....errrr....errr".

If she's your favourite actress, watch her films. If she's not, don't pretend she is.

Scorsese’s movies not only glorify the most despicable people but they are also extremely unrealistic. They should show what it means to be the bad guy and what ( really ) happens to you if you’re that kind of person. I’m not gonna listen to what he has to say.

Also, as a horror movie fan, some of the best horror flicks - in my opinion anyway - came out in the 70s and 80s

agree