Prelinger Archive Critique
For this
assignment, I chose to watch a short film entitled “How a Watch Works” from
1949. The video demonstrates how like a human heart, a watch must function
unfailingly and never vary despite experiencing different conditions. The
narrator describes the various parts that make up a watch as being obedient in
order to allow this measuring instrument as a whole to work. Furthermore, he walks the viewer through a
slow motion step-by-step process of the watch being assembled and explains how it
is a delicate mechanism put together by craftsmen with incredible accuracy.
With certainty, this film is useful to today’s information landscape as it
shows just how drastic the role of a watch has changed over time. As declared
by the narrator, a watch is solely an indicator of time but should also be worn
with confidence. Today, watches serve as fashion statements, and represent true
wealth and success. Celebrities’ worldwide star in commercials and on
billboards representing different watch companies trying to gain more of a
customer base than they already have. This video also is very important because
it supports the widespread message of teamwork to individuals in society today.
Like a team, in order to succeed, every part needs to understand their role and
work in perfect rhythm. From this film, we can learn not only about the way a
watch is assembled, but more importantly, how progressively materialistic
society today has become. Not once in this near 20-minute video did the
narrator mention wealth or power; instead he labeled a watch as a “possession
to indicate time”. Today, people judge based on the watch they see on one’s
wrist among many other tangible items people contain and show off on a daily
basis.
This is the link where you can find the video: https://archive.org/details/HowaWatc1949
ReplyDelete