Even before the turn of the century, movies began to develop in two major directions: the realistic and the formalistic. Realism and formalism are merely general, rather than absolute, terms. When used to suggest a tendency toward either polarity, such labels can be helpful, but in the end, they are still just labels.

Few films are exclusively formalist in style, and fewer yet are completely realist. There is also an important difference between realism and reality, although this distinction is often forgotten. Realism is a particular style, whereas physical reality is the source of all the raw materials of film, both realistic and formalistic. Virtually all movie directors go to the photographable world for their subject matter, but what they do with this material - how they shape and manipulate it determines their stylistic emphasis.

Generally speaking, realistic films attempt to reproduce the surface of concrete reality with a minimum of distortion. In photographing objects and events, the filmmaker tries to suggest the copiousness of life itself. Both realist and formalist film directors must select (and hence emphasize) certain details from the chaotic sprawl of reality. But the element of selectivity in realistic films is less obvious. Realists, in short, try to preserve the illusion that their film world is unmanipulated, an objective mirror of the actual world. Formalists, on the other hand, make no such pretence. They deliberately stylize and distort their raw materials so that only the very naive would mistake a manipulated image of an object or event for the real thing.

We rarely notice the style in a realistic movie; the artist tends to be self-effacing. Some filmmakers are more concerned with what is being shown than how it is manipulated. The camera is used conservatively. It is essentially a recording mechanism that reproduces the surface of tangible objects with as little commentary as possible. A high premium is placed on simplicity, spontaneity, and directness. This is not to suggest that these movies lack artistry, however, for at its best the realistic cinema specializes in art that conceals art.

Question 36: What does the article mainly discuss?

A. Acting styles                                                          B. Film plots

C. Styles of filmmaking                                              D. Filmmaking 100 years ago

Question 37: Which statement is TRUE, according to the passage?

A. Realism and formalism are outdated terms.

B. Most films are neither exclusively realistic nor formalistic.

C. Realistic films are more popular than formalistic ones.

D. Formalistic films are less artistic than realistic ones.

Question 38: According to the passage, who is primarily responsible for the style of a film?

A. The director                                                            B. The actors  

C. The producer                                                          D. The camera operator

Question 39: The word "preserve" in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______.

A. encourage               B. maintain                  C. reflect                     D. attain

Question 40: The word "They" in paragraph 3 refers to ______.

A. films                                   B. realists                    C. formalists               D. raw materials

Question 41: According to paragraph 3, how can one recognize the formalist style?

A. It uses familiar images.                                          B. It is very impersonal.

C. It mirrors the actual world.                        D. It obviously manipulates images.

Question 42: The word "tangible" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______.

A. concrete                              B. complex                  C. various                    D. comprehensible

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