Уроците на ХХ век в следващия ХХI век или наблюдения за трудностите на студентите със старите филми
The Lessons of the Twentieth Century in the Following Twenty-First Century

Summary/Abstract: I communicate my observations about the problems students encounter in getting familiarized with classical works, stemming from lack of a broader background (insufficient knowledge of the history of the twentieth century), from the fact that cinema has not developed in direct proportion to this history, from the loose parallel with what has been happening with the other arts in that period (taught as history of art even at school). Invariably, parallels are drawn between a film image and those caught on video tapes and by a digital camera: students are prompt to tell the easiness and efficiency of the new technologies, which would, more often than not incite them against those ‘obsolete’ classical movies with their futile technical attempts. No less ambiguous is the situation with watching silent movies: they would often prefer the new dubbed versions, but what makes me happy is their surprise at editing – with all its ‘unnaturalness, to them it reveals unexpected viewpoints of the camera. Yet another problem with the perception of classics is auteur cinema: it is stomached if offered as a cinema of ideas of rationalizing rather than of empathizing. Students feel the background, but the line between uneasiness and irritation, which quickly draws reflection aside, is a thin one. As a teacher, I find it difficult to put up with the fact that teaching history of cinema goes automatically with watching movies rather than with lectures and explanations. The only game in town is potpourri of movies, selected spectacular scenes, which fail to render the rhythm of the film and its linear structure is what most of all impedes the faceted perception.

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