In "Distinction & the Aristocracy of Culture," Bourdieu compares pure taste with naive taste. These are characteristics based on class and upbringing. Someone with pure taste is likely higher class and has learned to appreciate things on a deeper level. They look for details within the work and then decide on its quality. In contrast, people with naive taste come from lower classes and look at art in a superficial manner. They only classify it as good or bad.
We can consider Bourdieu's ideas in thinking about movie critics. Often when we go see a movie, we either consider it good or bad and many people don't think about it on a deep level. This doesn't have to be because they are naive thinkers as Bourdieu asserts, but merely that they want to relax on a Friday evening and not have to think. Nonetheless, they are not using an analytical view. Critics, however, look at the movies on a deeper level. They hunt for characteristics that aren't superficial, though this doesn't excuse flaws on the surface from being critiqued.
These different ways to view movies come into conflict when we look at a site like rottentomatoes.com. Often critics and the general audience are in direct opposition to one another because they watch the movie in a different way. Take the 2013 version of The Great Gatsby for example. Less than half of critics liked it (49%), while a majority of the general audience (68%) did like the movie. If you read some of the reviews, they watched them in different ways.
One critic stated, "There are no two ways about it: The Great Gatsby is misconceived and misjudged, a crude burlesque on what's probably American literature's most precious jewel." He is clearly comparing the movie to the book and his expectation was that it would try to do it justice.
An audience member gave the review 4/5 stars by stating "I had forgotten everything about the book, so it seem to be a fresh telling of an old story!" We can't even consider these two review to be using the same scale because they have very different standards. The audience member wanted to enjoy a movie, while the critic wanted to see an accurate portrayal of the book.
These two reviewers demonstrate Bourdieu's concept of naive versus pure taste. One looks on a deep level, while the others merely wants to enjoy culture.
We can consider Bourdieu's ideas in thinking about movie critics. Often when we go see a movie, we either consider it good or bad and many people don't think about it on a deep level. This doesn't have to be because they are naive thinkers as Bourdieu asserts, but merely that they want to relax on a Friday evening and not have to think. Nonetheless, they are not using an analytical view. Critics, however, look at the movies on a deeper level. They hunt for characteristics that aren't superficial, though this doesn't excuse flaws on the surface from being critiqued.
These different ways to view movies come into conflict when we look at a site like rottentomatoes.com. Often critics and the general audience are in direct opposition to one another because they watch the movie in a different way. Take the 2013 version of The Great Gatsby for example. Less than half of critics liked it (49%), while a majority of the general audience (68%) did like the movie. If you read some of the reviews, they watched them in different ways.
One critic stated, "There are no two ways about it: The Great Gatsby is misconceived and misjudged, a crude burlesque on what's probably American literature's most precious jewel." He is clearly comparing the movie to the book and his expectation was that it would try to do it justice.
An audience member gave the review 4/5 stars by stating "I had forgotten everything about the book, so it seem to be a fresh telling of an old story!" We can't even consider these two review to be using the same scale because they have very different standards. The audience member wanted to enjoy a movie, while the critic wanted to see an accurate portrayal of the book.
These two reviewers demonstrate Bourdieu's concept of naive versus pure taste. One looks on a deep level, while the others merely wants to enjoy culture.
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