There have been many milestones in film. The first films were silent, with superimposed music and subtitle captions. Then sound was incorporated. Then black and white films became colour. But sometimes, there are subtle shifts and changes that we don’t seem to notice, until all films in all genres are incorporating them.

Forgetting 3D for a moment, perhaps the latest massive developments in the film industry are the Matrix effect and the use of computer-generated images. But, as we have mentioned, there is a far more subtle trend which has changed the way movies are made.

What we are talking about is the dark factor. It is becoming quite noticeable, even in light-hearted movies, that there is a ‘dark’ undertone to today’s films. And by dark, we do not mean the backdrop or the lighting, but the darkness which comes from the characters.

Film characters, even in period dramas ‘behave’ more like ordinary folk in the modern era, with all the complications and quirks that we posses. One wonders. When we see film characters today, they swear and cuss like we do, they tell the same kind of jokes and they react as we would today, rather than they used to in films from years gone by.

Before, the characters were idealised, sort of laminated and made to shine. Nowadays, they are shown warts and all. Perhaps, the major difference today is that a lot more historical research goes into the portrayal of characters, both in terms of physical appearance, and in the way their personality comes across on the screen. This, tied in with the fact that film characters are made to reflect the nuances and realities of today, makes for a darker and more realistic portrayal of the story on the screen. Perhaps the word ‘dark’ is not quite right, ‘gritty’ being more appropriate. Whichever word one decides to use, one has to say that film portrayals are becoming much more believable, at least in terms of the characters which we see on our screens.

It is also a trend which is becoming more noticeable in books, particularly those with a historical context. Is it a revolutionary style? No. It is merely an evolution of the way writers express themselves and try to bring characters to life. Is it everyone’s cup of tea? Perhaps not. But it is interesting and it does offer something, different.