I was having a conversation with a friend over the weekend and the subject of Classic Film and what we consider old versus what movie goers today consider a classic came up. I wondered out loud what young movie goers today will look back upon fondly in another thirty or forty years.
Although I started watching old black and white movies and the silents as a young girl with my mother, I realize not all movie goers develop a passion for film early on, nor do they list Charlie Chaplin, Ramon Novarro, Clara Bow or even Cary Grant among their favorite actors. Of course my appreciation for old films doesn't take away from my enjoying good movies today even though you have to wade through a lot of fluff to find something truly entertaining.
If I were to ask any movie fan under the age of twenty five to name their top five favorite films I wonder what their answer would be. I wouldn't expect Modern Times, Wings or Rebecca to be on their list but perhaps a true lover of film would have The English Patient, Schindlers List or even The Silence of the Lambs in their top five. After all they are films from the last 30 years. Now, I'm certainly not criticizing the latest generation of movie fans. For all I know there are millions who catch a great Greta Garbo movie on television or find a classic film festival showing in their city if theres not an interesting movie showing at the multiplex that weekend.
I really don't know what it is within someone that peaks their curiosity enough to seek out classic films then take the time to watch them. For some reason I can't see a college student bringing up Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and how thought provoking it was to her friends during her lunch hour. When a group of guys gather for a night of bonding I would be surprised if they watched Scarface and really enjoyed it. Of course I'm referring to the original Scarface from 1932. I might also be pleasantly surprised if one of my younger twitter followers sent out a tweet letting everyone know Out of Africa is being shown on television tonight and they can't wait to see it. If I were to venture over to Facebook and look through lists of a few teens favorite films I wonder if I would find anything that was released before 2000.
Unless there is that curiosity and the desire to actually look into the history of cinema all the way back to Birth of a Nation then forty years from now we can be certain the best part of our movie history will be all but forgotten. Sure Twilight is entertaining but so are The Thin Man series, The Philadelphia Story and Modern Times. I would hope our younger generation is curious enough to watch at least one of Charlie Chaplin's silent films with an open mind all while realizing he paved the way for the Jim Carey's and Jack Blacks to do comedy their way.
With the thousands of internet data bases dedicated to old film and even Top Films of each year going all the way back to the beginning there are plenty of resources available for finding old movies. I've even managed to find great copies of old films on Hulu and YouTube. So there really is no excuse for not knowing whats a "must see" just to have something to compare todays films to. And if all else fails ask your grand parents what their favorite film of all time is then surprise them with it one night.
As crazy as it sounds I used to rent movies with my step mother then we would dress up according to movie genre. Theres photos floating around out there of me dressed up like Norma Desmond and even Roller Girl for our viewing of Boogie Nights. All great evenings that were focused on film and family.
Hopefully once you've seen the great recent releases like The Kings Speech, The Fighter and Winter's Bone and theres not much left but Gulliver's Travels you will just skip it, grab your friends, find a great old black and white then dress up accordingly. I promise you it will be a night to remember and if nothing else you will have some great photos to laugh about in forty years.
Charlie Chaplin once confided to his wife shortly before his death that he was fearful he would be forgotten one day. I certainly hope not Charlie, that would be a tragedy.
I'll close now before I start on a rant about Drive-In theaters and why it means so much to keep them going.
Page Inciardi's website is http://myloveofoldhollywood.blogspot.com where she blogs about Classic Film from the Silents to the 1940's as well as her old Hollywood memorabilia.
No comments:
Post a Comment