Old Nollywood vs New Nollywood: A World Apart
By Bethel Kalu
The storylines were great and creative. They may not have had the most modern cameras but they really did a thing with cinematography and their tricks were interesting, like having someone in a bottle, etc.
The acting was natural and the accent was not faked but polished educated Nigerian English accent. They dropped lines with great artistry and deep understanding of their roles and they made movies look real.
The women had natural beauty that cannot be compared with the hip enlargement specialists of today. Omotola, Stephanie Okereke, Genevieve, Chioma Akpota, Rita Dominic, etc did not need to enlarge their body features to get our attention. They thrilled us with timeless natural beauty and their adornment was mild yet endearing. No wonder, whenever they appear now, they still look beautiful. Genevieve Nnaji appeared in her movie premiere in the US and people talked about her ageless beauty.
Recently, most actors merely cram and repeat lines in their scripts and move their bodies. Some are shouting specialists while some are lackluster and lack the appeal an actor should have.
No wonder, whenever any of these old Nollywood features in a movie with the younger ones, the difference in organization and delivery is clear.
Genevieve Nnaji did a thing with Lion Heart. Bringing back the old Nollywood actors to a modern cinema movie and allowing them recreate legendary actions in modern cinematography. The dining scene with Pete Edochie, Onyeka Onwenu, Ngọzi Ezeonu, Genevieve Nnaji, Phyno and Nkem Owoh is a modern cinema classic.
Nowadays, we have emergency actors who just step in on set, read a script and say “let’s do this.” An actor should know who his character is. What are his motivations? Why is he angry, weak, fierce, introverted or indifferent? Knowing the actor and his environment, even other characters, helps in role delivery. For example, in Blood Sisters, Genoveva Umeh did extensive research on how mental health patients act and she produced a stunner. Worthy of note is the classic acting from Ramsey Noah and Kate Henshaw.
Where are our able directors? We saw the Teco Bensons of this world, Chico Ejiro, Lancelot Imasuen, etc. They poured their hearts into their movies and produced timeless classics, always sticking to quality and creativity.
Current Nollywood needs to study old Nollywood and see what made them a big commercial entity, loved by old and young.