Dial FILM for Fake

April 25th, 2007 in Movies, Romance, Top 5 List

This article from the UK times caught my eye. It seems that us fans of film tend to indulge in a porky-pie or two. In February 2007, an organisation called YouGov conducted a survey with over 2,000 British people to ascertain which films they lie about seeing, and which films they secretly like.

It’s no surprise that one in ten people lie about their film taste in order to appear more cultured. As humans we’re determined to compete with each other. Centuries ago that may have involved a sweaty wrestle, but now information is our weapon. And since cinema has completely obliterated any other medium in terms of “culture”, it makes sense that we use the most common ground as a basis to usurp each other. Hence a tendency, especially amongst men, to “film-drop” titles into the conversation in order to assert authority. A friend once advised me that in order to score points with girls, I should state that The Shawshank Redemption is my favourite movie. Was it my taste in cinema that made my university years devoid of hedonism? Regardless, Shawshank is the most name-dropped film. Admittedly, I’ve claimed to see one or two films I actually haven’t in my life here at Screenhead, but it was only to criticise them, and I’m pretty sure I’m right anyway!

The lists below do spark concern in me regarding the utter lack in imagination people have when it comes to cinema. Why lie about Schlinder’s List? Why not lie about being a fan of Tarkovsky, or Truffaut, or somebody with a bit of pretension, something worth lying about!

What does surprise me is that The Da Vinci Code is currently the second most popular film to lie about seeing. After watching it on a long-haul air journey, I much prefer to lie and say I haven’t see it. If I keep lying maybe I’ll convince myself and forget everything about that excruciating movie.

Those lists in full:

Top five films to lie about seeing

1. Schindler’s List
2. The Da Vinci Code
3. The Godfather
4. Apocalypse Now
5. Gone with the Wind

Top five films people like but dislike admitting to

1. The Sound Of Music
2. Ghost
3. Dirty Dancing
4. Love Actually
5. Harry Potter

Top five “film-drops”

1. The Shawshank Redemption
2. The Green Mile
3. The Lord Of The Rings
4. The Godfather
5. Casino Royale

Popularity: 1% [?]

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