Movies are an important component of the American culture, and I love to ponder the ways in which movies influence our lives. However, there's often a major difference between movies that heavily influence and/or delight one generation and what influences and/or delights the next generation.
For example - my mother has always loved the 1942 movie Mrs. Minniver, a drama about a British family dealing with World War II. Mom remembers WWII very well, and I think that's why the movie resonates with her. I saw it years later and thought it was rather silly and phony. The fact that Greer Garson later married the actor who played her son also tainted my view of the film - not fair, but it did. (There was a subtextual ICK factor there...)
Another example...
I remember 1976 very well. I started high school that year. Everyone was getting into the spirit of the movie Rocky. Sylvester Stallone was a new face and although not conventionally handsome, it was the classic underdog story, and everyone loved it. We could all relate to Rocky's story because everyone has felt like a loser at one time or another. He probably single-handedly popularized the sport of running because before that I don't remember anyone running for fun. You only ran in gym class, or if you were late to catch the bus. We also liked the movie. We also loved the fact that it was also essentially Stallone's story -- Hollywood outsider writes, directs, and stars in a huge hit.
However, it hasn't held up all that well, years later.
My friend Cindy LaJoy showed the movie Rocky to her kids recently. Here are some of the comments she got from her kids: "I can't understand a thing he is saying!!" [her youngest son said] "I just don't get boxing at all. Why would anyone with half a brain want to get into a boxing match with someone and get their face bashed in? That just doesn't seem like a smart thing to do voluntarily."
Different generation. Different perspective.
I remember when the movie The Exorcist came out, in 1973. It was a big budget, slick Hollywood horror movie. Most horror movies in those days were low budget things, not flims with big stars and popular music. Plus, The Exorcist was a major event when it was released. People were fainting and having heart attacks in the theaters. Religious folks were condemning it because there's a lot about God and Catholicism in it. Everyone was terrified by that movie. I wasn't allowed to see it. When I was in college, I finally saw it on campus and found it pretty scary, but by then I'd seen a few other horror movies that were more sophisticated and slick, and The Exorcist seemed rather quaint and dated.
Skip ahead to about a year ago when I showed Michael The Exorcist. He thought it was idiotic and silly. NOT scary. Not at all. In fact, he found the slow pacing rather boring and was more interested in playing a game on his phone. (Maybe that's why movies today have to have huge, over-the-top violence and explosions and all - they are competing for kids' attention with so much other stuff.)
It's rare to find a film that multiple generations can enjoy and appreciate, year after year.
I was watching a terrific but rather underrated film the other night, The Bucket List. It deals with something we will all face one day, death. It asks some big questions about life and death and relationships. It has a lot of truth in it. It's also very funny, in spots.
Another wonderful and enduring film is The Color Purple.I have seen it countless times, and it still affects me every time. It's not just about racism, or cruelty, or perseverence. It has so many themes in it, and it emcompasses so many human issues that everyone can relate to.
Finally, there's one of my favorite films of all time, Local Hero. It's set mostly in Scotland, about a small town that a big company wants to buy and destroy. It's got a lot of subtle humor, and every time I watch it I giggle at something different.
In the end, the movies that I think last and will be valued 100 years from now are not the ones with the biggest explosions or the biggest box office returns. I think they are the films that illustrate issues and values shared by all humans - love, death, courage, sacrifice, family.. These are the big themes, the ones everyone can understand.
