Not Just Cable TV Film Flam
By Chris Dunmire
Last weekend, and for the first time in my life, I watched (sat through the entire) classic movie Gone with the Wind. I now get a lifetime of satire spawned from the story, especially that famous skit on the Carol Burnette show involving a dress with a curtain rod sewn into the shoulders.
Since my high school film appreciation class (1990) I've developed quite a liking for old movies. We viewed a handful of classics in 12th grade including Hitchcock's Psycho, young Dustin Hoffman's The Graduate, and the once-banned The Manchurian Candidate. I believe my liking for Simon and Garfunkel songs began at the same time ("Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson..."). Who could not like Simon and Garfunkel after watching that movie?
Old Movies
"Old" in this essay is defined as any movie made before 1970, and especially black and white classics from the silver screen days. I know, I know, "old" is relative, so don't take it personally. You have to understand that I'm a child of the 70s and so my timeline and context of old must begin before my existence.
Back to the theme: My favorite films include anything by Alfred Hitchcock, and those featuring Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Katharine Hepburn, and Spencer Tracy. I also enjoy films produced in the late 50s and 60s for their Technicolor and quirkiness, room-sized computers (Desk Set), and the ever popular black thick-framed glasses. I also find watching technology grow and change through the years fascinating. A movie without desktop computers and cell phones? The Internet? Gasp!
On my list of unfulfilled "Great Ideas and Inventions" is the notion of opening my own classics movie theater. How cool it would be to offer a place for classic movie lovers to view their favorites on the big screen, with stadium seating and the latest theater digs, and free popcorn. Yes, why not?
So cool I thought this idea was that I conducted an informal poll on a discussion board populated by women of various ages around the globe. My poll had two parts, a question about the movie Gone with the Wind, and a query about which movies the viewers would like to see in my classics theater when I open the doors.
The Results: Out of 20 votes, 5 people (25%) had not seen Gone With the Wind in its entirety. Here's an alphabetical list of requested movies people will come to see in my pretend theatre:
An Affair to Remember
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Backstreet
Best Years of Our Lives, The
Bicycle Thief, The
Blue Angel
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Bridge on the River Kwai
Brief Encounter
Bringing Up Baby
Bye Bye Birdie
Calamity Jane
Captain Courageous
Casablanca
Charade
Citizen Kane
Dark Victory
Dr.Zhivago
Gaslight
Goodbye, Mr.Chips
Graduate, The
Great Escape, The
Guns of Navarrone
Heidi
It's a Wonderful Life
Jane Eyre
Laura
Little Women
Miracle Worker, The
My Foolish Heart
Magnificent Seven, The
North by Northwest
Oklahoma
Pandora's Box
Philadelphia Story, The
Picture of Dorian Gray
Roman Holiday
Searchers, The
Singing in the Rain
Some Like It Hot
Sound of Music, The
South Pacific
Stagecoach
Stalag 17
Ten Commandments, The
To Kill A Mockingbird
Vertigo
Wizard of Oz, The
Yearling, The
400 Blows, The
Well, here's a great start to my classic theater movie list. The best thing is that I still have a lifetime to catch up on the past. With Turner Classic Movies and an endless cache of DVD's, I'll time-travel with ease. So, here's looking at you, kid. •
© 2004, 2009 Chris Dunmire. All rights reserved. |
