What makes a classic?
Posted: April 25th, 2010, 4:38 pm
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Hi All:
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A few years ago in the old neighborhood (TCM city), we had a discussion of when a movie becomes a classic, and many (me, too), argued that 1960 was a fairly good year and anything newer was 'way too modern. My reasoning for this statement is, today is Al Pacino's 70th and Talia Shire's 64th birthday. I realized that someone who was born in 1974 (the year Godfather II was released), probably would not have seen Godfather II until around sometime between 1990 and 1994, at which time that viewer would be between 15 and 20 years old, watching a 20 year old movie. So that viewer would consider Godfather I, II, and III all classics I'm sure. Beyond the fact that they actually are classics, I used II because both Al and Talia are in it, and now 36 years later, both are considered ICONs just as my generations' icons are from the 40's and 50's.
I've always known in my head that each generation has it's own heroes, but in my heart, I couldn't accept that anyone new on the scene could be as good as, or better, than my heroes. I'm not a silent or foreign language film advocate, but I would rather watch an old black and white mystery than a new one in color. I think the reason for that is, I've seen so many films, of all genres, that the new ones are pretty much formulaic to me and I know what will happen before it does. However, those same mysteries are new to a younger person, and thus becomes new all over again. As Betty Bacall said, something like, 'whenever you see a movie for the first time, it is new'.
I recall seeing White Christmas, Singin' in the Rain, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, all on the big screen and it's a shame I was too young to fully appreciate the special things I was seeing. I'll bet the people at the Festival are overcome by Kelly, Reynolds, and O'Connor and how great they were. I'm terribly jealous of them and envious of their trips, but I know they will return home with a new understanding of the words super and amazing, two words that have become much too overused today.
.
Hi All:
.
A few years ago in the old neighborhood (TCM city), we had a discussion of when a movie becomes a classic, and many (me, too), argued that 1960 was a fairly good year and anything newer was 'way too modern. My reasoning for this statement is, today is Al Pacino's 70th and Talia Shire's 64th birthday. I realized that someone who was born in 1974 (the year Godfather II was released), probably would not have seen Godfather II until around sometime between 1990 and 1994, at which time that viewer would be between 15 and 20 years old, watching a 20 year old movie. So that viewer would consider Godfather I, II, and III all classics I'm sure. Beyond the fact that they actually are classics, I used II because both Al and Talia are in it, and now 36 years later, both are considered ICONs just as my generations' icons are from the 40's and 50's.
I've always known in my head that each generation has it's own heroes, but in my heart, I couldn't accept that anyone new on the scene could be as good as, or better, than my heroes. I'm not a silent or foreign language film advocate, but I would rather watch an old black and white mystery than a new one in color. I think the reason for that is, I've seen so many films, of all genres, that the new ones are pretty much formulaic to me and I know what will happen before it does. However, those same mysteries are new to a younger person, and thus becomes new all over again. As Betty Bacall said, something like, 'whenever you see a movie for the first time, it is new'.
I recall seeing White Christmas, Singin' in the Rain, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, all on the big screen and it's a shame I was too young to fully appreciate the special things I was seeing. I'll bet the people at the Festival are overcome by Kelly, Reynolds, and O'Connor and how great they were. I'm terribly jealous of them and envious of their trips, but I know they will return home with a new understanding of the words super and amazing, two words that have become much too overused today.
.