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Do you watch movies on your iPod?
I do. I realize that watching movies on a handheld device is not only a source of jokes (i.e., Jon Stewart’s reference, during the Oscars, to watching Lawrence of Arabia on his iPhone) but also some stinging and sharp criticism (e.g., David Lynch’s rant about the subject). I can accept the snide remarks and acknowledge the thrust of Lynch’s argument - that watching on an iPhone isn’t really watching a movie at all, and misses the point - but think there is also another side to the story.
Kurosawa - High and Low
Sure, an iPod / iPhone movie isn’t a great visual experience but it is better than you might expect, especially on the newer iPod Touch or iPhone, with their bright high resolution screens. More importantly, however, the mobile movie experience shouldn’t be compared to sitting in a dark theatre with a wall-high cinema and a hundred cinema fans munching popcorn. No, the mobile movie experience is rightly compared to not watching a movie at all. Or, perhaps it is really about watching a movie that you wouldn’t otherwise see. Or re-watching a favorite movie or reviewing an important segment of a film that you want to learn from. Or, for those of you who make films, perhaps it is sharing a piece of your latest creation.
In other words, comparing the mobile movie to the movie theatre isn’t the right or fair comparison. I don’t think anybody is kidding themselves that the iPod is some sort of replacement for movies in the theatre. If that was true people would have long ago given up on theatres and been happy with their TV sets. No, the iPod is a niche media player for a new kind of watching and it can fit in with other media forms without damaging them or the audience. It might just expose people to films that they wouldn’t otherwise see. Like the one I just watched, Kurosawa’s High and Low.
See the Wikipedia entry on Kurosawa's High and Lowand also this essay by Chuck Stephens.