Why do older movies (not the silent movies which are intentionally sped up) look like they’re fast paced when characters move across the screen?

Question

Like Hard-Boiled by John woo for instance. The characters move quickly and recklessly across different points in the screen. The same is for other movies before 2000s. Is it cinematography or did the actors used to move really fast?

In: Technology

Answer 1

John Woo has a unique style featuring very fast action and editing. This doesn’t reflect the pacing of all older movies. In fact, the pacing of film sped up in the late 60s, got even faster in the 80s thanks to MTV, and will get even faster thanks to YouTube. But a majority of movies made pre-2000s doesn’t have the signature frantic pacing of a John Woo film.