The information superhighway has much to offer the cinephile; Michael Open presents a roadmap of some of the hotspots.

For most people, the internet has been a part of life for only just over a decade, yet it is becoming an integral part of our interface with the cinema. What I aim to do here is run over some of what I consider to be the most important, useful and stimulating areas of the net for the avid cinephile. Start, of course, on our site (www.filmireland.net) where you will find many reviews and details of back issues, some of the top articles from previous issues, and links to all of the major web sites serving film culture in Ireland.

For those with a conceptual sensibility, it is worth noting that the act of web-surfing is not unlike watching a movie – images and (sometimes) sounds that lead you to a new understanding of (part of) the world. However, such Godardian notions rarely, one suspects, cross the mind of the average web surfer, who is most likely in search of information, goods and services. Before proceeding, it is worth issuing the standard cautionary reminder that, just because something is on the net, that doesn't mean it is true. It is also the case that you can interact with the web in a passive or active manner – passively by simply accessing websites to find information or see clips, or whatever, or actively by contributing to various debates that may be taking place on the site of your choice.

Where the net scores so highly for cinephiles is in its capacity to embrace the enthusiasms of the world. If you have a passion for a particular niche of cinema, you can be fairly certain that there are others out there with whom you share it, and one or more of them has committed their passion to the web. I just mentioned Godard – a filmmaker who tends to induce extreme responses. An example of the type of site to which I was just referring is Cinema=Jean-Luc Godard=Cinema (http://www.geocities.com/glen_norton/), which waxes lyrical about JLG and gives dozens of (usually functioning) links to corners of the web with useful bits of information about JLG and his work.

Fishing the mainstream
However, specific 'fan-sites' are minor tributaries in the great river of cinema on the net. The mainstream is the net's most famous and visited film site – the Internet Movie Database - known to all and sundry as IMDb, and accessed via http://uk.imdb.com. This started out in the early days of public internet access via Usenet (newsgroups) and the popular newsgroup 'rec.arts.movies' (still in existence). Amongst the general chit-chat of the newsgroups there were dozens of lists posted and in October of 1990, Col Needham – founder of IMDb – decided to write some UNIX scripts to allow them (the lists) to be searched. From these small beginnings, the wonder that is IMDb has grown. In the intervening decade and a half, the database has grown from 23,000 entries and 10,000 titles to, currently, over 350,000 cinema films, nearly as many television episodes, and tens of thousands of made-for-TV and straight-to-video movies. More, indeed, than one could watch in ten lifetimes. It is now owned by internet sales giant Amazon, giving helpful links from films to DVDs, VHS tapes and CDs relevant to the title under consideration.

The full article is printed in Film Ireland 113.