Do you like to watch old films? Give your reasons.

1. Old films are quite different from what we see today, and I must admit that I enjoy watching some old films.

2. Originating from the era of mute motion pictures, old films of the thirties and forties reveal a brilliant acting technique of saying very much by simple gestures and facial expression.

3. Even indoor scenes which last long do not seem dragged-out because professional acting appears to be on the first place.

4. When I compare old and modern films I see that many of today’s scripts are copied from almost forgotten scripts of the past.

5. Surely, many of those scripts are quite naï ve and are aimed at having the happy end through the chain of romantic experiences.

6. But at the same time, there are plots and roles of unrivalled quality the psychological depth of which cannot be reached by the majority of modern script-writers and film-stars: I mean Lawrence of Arabia, All Quiet on the Western Front, Waterloo Bridge, The Cranes Are Flying.

7. Besides, I find the Soviet comedies by Ryazanov and Gaidai the best films in this genre: they are characterized by good taste and vivid humour that never becomes old-fashioned.

8. Moreover, such pictures as The Garage by Ryazanov or The Relatives by Mikhalkov combine the traits of different genres.

9. Their films make spectators both laugh and reflect upon love, human weaknesses or justice.

10. Modern films are often marred by vulgar jokes or poor, unconvincing performance.

11. Some film directors of the twenty-first century are too focused on striking public imagination by unusual computer effects which overweigh the message and turn the plot into a set of fast-moving actions and bright colours.

12. Old films were shot in the time when there was neither the internet nor computer technologies and audience was not spoilt by the abundance of visual products.

13. Though it sounds as some kind of a paradox, even the censorship of old cinematography sometimes contributed to the higher quality of films: prohibiting words of obscenity it made directors invent more fascinating ways of imparting their ideas to the public.

14. To my mind, tastes differ, but if we compare old and modern films, I give a lot of old films a higher grade.