1 . Is a moviegoer different than a movie-lover? I’d say so. You can love a movie by watching it at home.     1    . I’ve spent a lot of time talking to people about movies. By listening to what they say, I can report they only share one thing in common: they go out.

I’ve thought about two views of the moviegoer lately.

The first view comes from Roland Barthes. Most often, his moviegoers don’t go to the movies for a distinct purpose.     2    . They are bored. Once they get inside, they can’t help but sink into a relaxed state. When they leave the movie theater, these moviegoers don’t want to talk to anyone about the movie.     3    . Barthes sees them as a lonely being, one who is introspective (自省的). I think some of us use movie theaters to retreat inside ourselves.     

The second view comes from the Clark Theater manager, Bruce Trinz. When people go to the movies they go for a certain personal motive. They may want to forget something, or escape from the lives they are leading. Or they may want to see a film they liked years ago.     4    , they are the hopeless addicts who, quite simply, like movies. The only thing I would challenge in this definition is the word hopeless.     5    , but they come to the movies filled with hope. They may not be able to define what they hope to experience, but they will know it when they feel it.