From time to time I get bored discussing commercials (which are mostly boring) so I plan to include other cranky copywriter gripes or praise for such things as movies and books. Like the following. I first noticed it in Ingmar Bergman's 1978 film, Autumn Sonata. Since then I have come aware that it is epidemic in movies, even films by the finest directors. It amazes me that it even happens. You think someone would point it out, possibly even the actor. But they don't. And it remains: the empty suitcase syndrome. We all have had to carry suitcases sometime in our life. And usually they're heavy. Why? Because they are packed with things. But not in the movies. When people get off trains in films, or arrive at the airport, or show up at a hotel, their luggage is as light as air. They don't grunt when picking it up; they don't seem eager to put it down. Why? Because it's empty. It is so empty that it spoils the realism of the scene. The same is true of wrapped packages. Not only do they always seem to include many empty boxes, but unlike real-life packages, movie gifts only require you to lift the ribboned lid to reveal the present inside. You would think Hollywood would have noticed this flaw decades ago and changed it. But they haven't. Today, even the newest movies feature the ever-empty suitcase.
Note added October 25. Last night on Boardwalk our fallen heroine was moved from her tacky home into a posh residence by her wealthy protector. The servant who was helping her with this transition was obviously carrying two empty suitcases. Though previously engrossed, this error screamed soundstage!
And every time a character on TV goes grocery shopping, he or she comes home with ONE lightweight paper bag, with a loaf of French bread sticking out of it.
ReplyDeleteDamn it. You beat me to it. I meant to mention the lightweight shopping bags (always paper) with the empty boxes of cereal, weightless eggs, 1 oz gallon of milk, and, as you pointed out, the loaf of French broad.
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