Escape from ugliness
I found this article by Greg Crosby in today's edition of Jewish World Review, and wholeheartedly endorse what he says. He starts by lamenting the ugliness of 21st-century popular culture, repeating the word ugly (or its derivatives) so frequently as to emphasize that it is -- well -- ugly, in and of itself. Then he suggests old movies as a way to escape from this sewer. (He specifies that by "old," he means pre-1960s films.) Finally, he supplies a list of his "top 10," which actually numbers 25, for reasons he mentions in the column.
In the same spirit, I present here a few of my own favorite pre-1960 movies, and invite my readers to weigh in with lists of their own.
1. "High Noon"
2. "Singin' in the Rain"
3. "Rear Window"
4. "The Ten Commandments"
5. "Magnificent Obsession"
6. "Twelve O'Clock High"
7. "It's a Wonderful Life"
8. "Pride of the Yankees"
9. "Sergeant York"
10. "Gone with the Wind"
posted by Garry Wilmore at 7:12 AM
6 Comments:
I have seen a few of those on your list (perhaps time to visit the library again!). The kids and I really liked "High Noon". :) And of course, as pseudo VonTrapp Family singers, we LOVE "Singin' in the Rain"! :)
One that I really love is "An Affair to Remember". Ok, all mushy, love story kind of thing. But I love it. :)
I can expand the list and add some others; and perhaps I should. After all, the fellow who wrote that article came up with 25!
I'll see your ten, and raise you -- a few:
I agree with "An Affair to Remember".
Also, "Casablanca", "Cyrano de Bergerac", "Random Harvest", "The Maltese Falcon", "Key Largo", "The African Queen", "Tarzan", "King Kong", "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", "To Kill a Mockingbird", "Wizard of Oz".
(Not sure all are pre-1960, but I think they are).
Looks like we still need a couple more to get to 25...
"To Kill a Mockingbird" is one of my favorite films of all time, and definitely among the top five. (Parenthetically, it is also one of the few movies I know of that is every bit as good as the novel upon which it is based; Harper Lee's masterpiece happens also to be one of my favorite books of all time.) But I did not include the film on this short list because it was actually produced in 1962. It seems a bit older than that because it's a black-and-white film.
I havent't seen all the films on your addendum, but I trust your judgment, and hope to get around to all of them one of these days.
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I'll have to think about my top old movies. But I would certainly include "It's a Wonderful Life." Margaret and I went to see that movie for our first date, on February 1, 1985. After dinner at La Dolce Vita, we went to the DeJong Concert Hall (HFAC at BYU) where the movie was being shown. Jimmy Stewart was there, in person, being honored after having given his memorabilia to BYU. We were in the balcony; he was below. I remember him, tall and skinny, standing up and waving--at us, I'm sure. We now watch the movie every Christmas Eve.
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