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February 10, 2012
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David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Dec. 18, 2009
/ 1 Teves 5770
Dreaming While Awake
By
Greg Crosby
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Watching a movie is like dreaming while you're awake. Just like sleeping, the body is in a relaxed state, the mind is clear and receptive. It doesn't work that way when you go to a play. When watching live theater, one is sitting upright in the seat, concentrating on the stage, and listening intensely. Not so at the movies, where you allow yourself to relax completely, you slump down in the seat, let your mind go blank and carry you into and through the story - just like in a dream.
Of all recreational pastimes, there's no question that the movies come the closest to that dream experience. Listening to music is wonderful; it can be relaxing or stimulating depending on the music being listened to, but it is not a dreamlike event. Watching television is a passive activity; it requires almost nothing of its audience except for attendance and the ability to use a remote control. But while watching a movie is being in a dreamlike state, sitting in front of the TV is more like being put into a trance.
The movies enable people to do things they might ordinarily never have the chance to do, it allows people to go places they might never otherwise get to, and to experience things that are totally out of their everyday lives. Reading books used to fill that function for most people but in the past century or so it is the movies more than books which now provide the adventure and escape from the humdrum for the average person.
Watching a beautifully produced motion picture on a large screen in a darkened movie house is a personal experience unlike any other - except for one's own dreams while asleep. The big difference is, in the movie theater environment you are sharing that personal dream with other people, the members of the audience. Sit in that darkened theater and watch "Gone with the Wind" and you, as a woman, can be Scarlet O'Hara for almost four hours, right along with every other woman in that theater. Every young man is living the life of Luke Skywalker for a couple of hours when viewing "Star Wars." The movie experience is a shared dream experience.
I can be Fred Astaire or Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart anytime I want to be, depending on which movie I choose to watch. As Errol Flynn I can out-duel Basil Rathbone, as Bing Crosby I can croon with Grace Kelly in my arms, as William Powell I can drink martinis all day and night and never get a hangover, as John Wayne I can win the West, and as Gregory Peck I can be intelligently sincere in every single thing I do.
Each succeeding generation has their equivalent movie heroes in which they can live their vicarious lives. I guess for many young movie-goers today it would be Johnny Depp or Sarah Jessica Parker. Millions of teenagers lose themselves as quirky pirates and self-assured young women in those darkened movie houses. It's too bad most movies today don't have the variety of genres that they had years ago. No westerns, no musicals, and (with the exception of the occasional Jane Austin rehash) no period pictures. Traveling back to another time in history was a great escape.
Movies are different from what they were back in the classic days of the "golden age" in the 30's and 40's. They're very different from what they were even 20 years ago. There's no question that they will different still in the future. No matter how movies change in the years to come, there will always be the basics in place for escapism, a way for people to have experiences which take them totally out of their ordinary lives for a time. The human mind seems to require a modicum of fantasy every so often to counterbalance the realities of the world.
Whether it's romantic comedy, wise guy gangsters, science fiction, superheroes, animated frogs, or puppet-toon animals, there will always be something to lose yourself in. Dreaming while awake. Everyone needs to get away, even if it's only for a couple of hours or so.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Greg Crosby, former creative head for Walt Disney publications, has written thousands of comics, hundreds of children's books, dozens of essays, and a letter to his congressman. A freelance writer in Southern California, you may contact him by clicking here.
Greg Crosby Archives
© 2008, Greg Crosby
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