movies and art

Lets discuss for a moment movies. Are movies art? I believe that some movies quite clearly are and some are simply appeals to entertain the masses. Let us examine Beerfest and A Clockwork Orange. Now Beerfest was a funny movie with a simple premise. Not much depth here, not much though goes in while watching this movie. Watching this type of entertainment is a very passive activity. On the other hand we have A Clockwork Orange. This movie forces you to think. Watching this move is not a passive event, you actively have to work at it. The movie posters reflect this. We have a Beerfest poster which essentially says BEER! And we have a poster for Kubrick's work. Just by looking at the poster and reading the blurb, you have to wonder, who is the young man in the picture, why s he dressed like this and why is he wielding a knife? I think that this is the greatest definition between the sophomoric (though thoroughly enjoyable) low art movies and the thought provoking high art pictures.

One of my favorite things about A Clockwork Orange is the use of music as a counterpoint to the happenings of the movie. We have a scene where Billy-Boy and his Droogs are about to rape a young woman and what is the music we have playing? A light waltz. How off putting is this? A scene of the utmost cruelty broken with a light waltz. We see this theme constantly throughout the movie where acts of violence and cruelty are offset by light classical music. I am willing to bet that after seeing this movie, you will never hear Singing in the Rain the same way again. So what are your thoughts on movies in the arts?