After reading the text “Leaving the Movie Theater”, it inspired me two things to be thought about. Why would I go to the cinema and watching movie instead of watching it at home. What’s the purpose of it?
From the perspectice of Barthes, “he goes to movies as a response to idleness, leisurem, free time” which is the most common statement I heard before. However, I would say it’s because I want to appreciate a movie which is directed by a famous director or acted by my favourite actor. Because there are vavious methods of relaxing yourselves due to the diversification of entertainment. I understand that Barthes may treated watching movie at cinema as a “perfect lure” and they were “coalescent”. I had that feeling as well when I first went to the cinema. All that darkness, atmosphere around me and the giant screen with 3-dimentional sound effect are so attractive and fascinating. As uncountble times I went to the cinema, I gradually realized that the difference between watching movie at cinema and that at home is that I can pay more attention and foucus more on the movie at cinema. It’s easy to be distracted by different stuff at home.
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A great question as starting point to your response. Apart from going to movies “as a response to idleness, leisure, freetime” (1986, 345), what else fascinates and lures him to the movie theatre? You’ve mentioned “darkness” and “atmosphere”, your response will be enriched by unpacking a little more with reference to the text. It would be helpful to think about what Barthes meant by “dark” as “the very substance of reverie (in the pre-hypnoid meaning of the term) […] also the “color” of a diffused eroticism; by its human condensation, by its absence of worldliness.” (1986, 346).