We have often wondered about the real function of cinema, about its true nature, even whether it should be counted among the many man-made art forms, and whether it still makes sense to categorize the various films within precise, rigidly delineated genres, as if the technical, content and structural characteristics of each film should necessarily lead to its being categorized in some genre.
All these questions, for the most part, still represent some of the main objects of debate in the cultural universes of many nations around the world, and in all likelihood will continue to be discussed for a long time to come.
A point that has not yet been sufficiently explored, and which is closely connected to the most authentic nature and essence of cinema, is the ability of best films to successfully replicate a particular thematic universe, a very precise narrative dimension, reproducing exactly all its physical, structural and emotional characteristics, allowing the spectator to deeply immerse himself in a world completely different from the everyday reality he is used to.
The films based on the literary works of J.R.R Tolkien, for example, were able to bring to life a powerful fictional universe belonging to the fantasy genre, with all the elements and characters that have always populated these imaginary worlds in the collective imagination.
Not only TV series
Nowadays, in the face of the overwhelming power of multimedia entertainment platforms such as Netflix or Prime Video, the survival of the film as the main visual entertainment product is threatened by seriality, television series, and the broken and seemingly endless shows that keep millions of viewers glued to their screens, no longer accustomed to the completeness of a film that begins and ends in a couple of hours.
Digitalization, together with the inordinate and prolonged use of social media and other sources of online entertainment, has progressively led people to prefer longer forms of visual enjoyment, as if films and other shows with a limited duration, even if only one and a half or two hours, are now the fruits of an obsolete past that must be quickly forgotten.
Under these conditions, films must find (or rather, rediscover) their ability to create powerful narrative universes, capable of deeply involving the audience and triggering extremely intense emotions, thus keeping them attached to the screen and also creating a sort of emotional, affective bond with the film itself and its peculiar thematic dimensions.
Powerful Universes
But which films throughout history have been capable of creating or reproducing a strong and powerful narrative universe, capable of imprinting itself in people’s memories and being remembered for a long time, even years later? One of these is undoubtedly Ocean’s Eleven, a 2001 comedy directed by Steven Soderbergh.
Thanks to a skillful use of soft lighting and soundtracks, but also to the acting style of the actors, this film was able to reproduce on the screen the typical atmosphere of traditional Las Vegas casinos, giving a concrete form and appearance to that vibrant feeling of excitement that one feels in casinos, and in particular when sitting at the table, illuminated by deliberately subdued and discreet light, in those peculiar moments when anything can happen.
In order to renew itself, but also to effectively counteract the flood of television series, the cinema will therefore have to insist even more on its ability to give life to deeply immersive content, representing for the spectator a true experience within a certain thematic or narrative dimension.
An equally all-encompassing experience, even if lived on a slightly different level, is that to which the best portals specialized in online gambling have given life, which for some years now have been able to propose very valid alternatives to the traditional casinos found on land.
With a great variety of casino games, slot machines and roulette games, these platforms have managed to create from scratch extremely engaging entertainment experiences, capable of entertaining and exciting even the most demanding users. Within these sites, players will feel so at ease that they will feel like they are in a real casino, immersed in the same dreamy atmosphere that they have come to love thanks to films such as Ocean’s Eleven.
Each game offered by the site has been carefully selected by a team of experts, made up of competent professionals, and is therefore safe and reliable in every respect.
The laws of entertainment and people’s tastes will continue to change in the future, increasingly favoring intense and immersive experiences capable of arousing real emotions, from start to finish.