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Post by Swithin on Jan 25, 2023 0:21:16 GMT
I had two dreams based on my childhood experiences at the movies. When I was very young, my grandmother took me to the movies. Although I had forgotten the film, I dreamed about a man with an eyepatch who took a ruby out of the socket of his eye and bought passage on a ship, for himself and a boy. Years -- decades -- later, I discovered the movie was The Egyptian (1954).
More terrifying was a movie that gave me nightmares. I dreamed about a woman who opened a box, a glowing light came out of the box and destroyed everything. That terrified me. It wasn't until decades later that I learned the movie was Kiss Me Deadly (1955). Imagine how a five-year old would react to this scene:
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Post by sepiatone on Jan 25, 2023 16:17:25 GMT
As a 35 year old, I thought I was a movie aficionado growing up because I watched films from the 1970s, such as Taxi Driver, and The Godfather. It wasn't until just a few years ago that I decided it was time to remedy the situation and really delve into classic cinema, or "the studio-era." My own curiosity propelled me to begin my journey, but TCM certainly helped. Now, it is by far my favorite era of films, and I think much of that has to do with exceptional writing. Classic cinema's scripts are far superior to most modern films, and the narrative economy of pictures from the studio era, able to tell a story, in many instances, in 90 minutes or less, really provides a stark contrast to contemporary filmmaking. I've been telling myself that I'm going to ease back into consuming modern films--but honestly, I haven't brought myself to do so. There are still many classic films I've yet to see and so many favorites I've discovered that I look forward to rewatching. Would depend on what you consider "modern". We've worn out the topic of "classic" not necessarily meaning "old" on the TCM boards several times. And indeed, many would consider both TAXI DRIVER and THE GODFATHER(both 1 and 2) as "classic" in one sense. As too, others would consider THE MALTESE FALCON and THE THIN MAN as "classic", but not because they're "studio era" movies. In short.... It isn't when the movie was made that makes it "classic", but how well it was made. But what's meant by "how well" is also open for discussion. Sepiatone |
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Post by Andrea Doria on Jan 25, 2023 22:11:39 GMT
I was in West Patterson NJ in 1962 and remember Channel 9 in NYC. Elementary schools were so overcrowded, we only went half a day, which meant scads of homework. I was in the morning only group and most of the other kids in my neighborhood went to ST. Bonadventure all day. After homework I still had plenty of time before the other kids came home. Channel 9 had lots of old movies. At 9 I adored Cagney and Davis. Many moons later when we had color tv, was surprised some movies were in color. I remember the Hallmark specials-before their channels. Hallmark presented THE HEIRESS. That really hooked me- why was the father so mean, how could Cliff dump Olivia, how could Olivia be so cruel? Olivia gave an outstanding performance. When she finally "finds her tongue"--what a great transition. And it was that movie that made me look to see if a movie was based on a book. I went to the library and read WASHINGTON SQUARE. |
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Post by cineclassics on Jan 26, 2023 0:05:54 GMT
As a 35 year old, I thought I was a movie aficionado growing up because I watched films from the 1970s, such as Taxi Driver, and The Godfather. It wasn't until just a few years ago that I decided it was time to remedy the situation and really delve into classic cinema, or "the studio-era." My own curiosity propelled me to begin my journey, but TCM certainly helped. Now, it is by far my favorite era of films, and I think much of that has to do with exceptional writing. Classic cinema's scripts are far superior to most modern films, and the narrative economy of pictures from the studio era, able to tell a story, in many instances, in 90 minutes or less, really provides a stark contrast to contemporary filmmaking. I've been telling myself that I'm going to ease back into consuming modern films--but honestly, I haven't brought myself to do so. There are still many classic films I've yet to see and so many favorites I've discovered that I look forward to rewatching. Would depend on what you consider "modern". We've worn out the topic of "classic" not necessarily meaning "old" on the TCM boards several times. And indeed, many would consider both TAXI DRIVER and THE GODFATHER(both 1 and 2) as "classic" in one sense. As too, others would consider THE MALTESE FALCON and THE THIN MAN as "classic", but not because they're "studio era" movies. In short.... It isn't when the movie was made that makes it "classic", but how well it was made. But what's meant by "how well" is also open for discussion. Sepiatone For me, I'm a purist when it comes to the definitions of classic cinema and modern cinema. TCM has focused more on classic films, meaning, from the studio era. Films made approximately from 1968 to present day are modern films. Of course, not everyone will agree with these definitions. Yes, I agree that Taxi Driver and The Godfather are "classics" in the sense that they are great films. However, I'm utilizing the term "classic cinema" to define an era of filmmaking, not necessarily the quality of a particular film itself. |
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Post by sepiatone on Jan 26, 2023 17:08:04 GMT
OK. Gotcha.
Sepiatone
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Post by jamesjazzguitar on Jan 26, 2023 17:31:06 GMT
Initially you used the term I favor "the studio era" instead of the vague, "classic", but then used "modern". I just use post-studio-era to avoid confusion. Anyhow I agree with the cutoff year of 1968; 1929 - 1968 = the studio era, > 1968 is post-studio-era. But hey, I'm a purist as well, ha ha. |
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Post by sepiatone on Jan 26, 2023 17:56:54 GMT
Initially you used the term I favor "the studio era" instead of the vague, "classic", but then used "modern". I just use post-studio-era to avoid confusion. Anyhow I agree with the cutoff year of 1968; 1929 - 1968 = the studio era, > 1968 is post-studio-era. But hey, I'm a purist as well, ha ha. But not( by your reply) "purist" enough to further fracture it all by including, "Pre-code" to your categorizing. That has always been considered an "era" within an era, so to speak.  Sepiatone |
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Post by starliteyes on Jan 27, 2023 4:09:43 GMT
I can’t say exactly when I became hooked on what I affectionately call old movies, but I know it was from a very early age. In fact, I can’t recall a time when I wasn’t watching old movies.
One definite memory I have is that of looking forward to the Sunday double features that were hosted by Harold V. Cohen, theater and film critic for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. I can still remember that after Clark Gable died, Mr. Cohen paid tribute to him by showing only Clark Gable double features for several weeks. I think that’s when I first saw Red Dust and discovered Jean Harlow.
Even before that, I first saw The Wizard of Oz before it was shown on television and, of course, loved it. No, I don’t go back as far as 1939, but in the mid-50’s it was re-released nationwide and that’s when I was taken to see it.
I was also taken to see A Star Is Born, which was a new film at the time. I was very young when I saw both of these films and didn’t know who Judy Garland was, or any of the other actors for that matter. Despite the fact that she would become my all-time favorite star, I had no recollection of A Star Is Born except for the scene where James Mason walks into the ocean, thereby ending his life. That scene left a lasting impression on me and, watching it years later on television as a confirmed Judy Garland fan, it wasn’t until that scene came on that I realized I had seen this film before.
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Post by BingFan on Jan 29, 2023 1:21:10 GMT
For me, I gradually developed an appreciation of old movies when I was growing up, but there was a particular viewing experience that made me realize I loved “classic” movies.
When I was a young kid in the 60s, old movies were pretty common on TV. I don’t know how many people would have considered them “classics” then; they were just “old” and probably cheap for local stations in Cincinnati, where I grew up, to rent. I remember one of the local stations — channel 9, the CBS affiliate, if I remember correctly — having an afternoon movie every weekday at 4pm, just in time for me to watch it after school (if I could avoid my mom’s entreaties to “go play outside and get some fresh air”). I grew to know performers like Abbott and Costello (supported by the Andrews Sisters) in Buck Privates and movies like The Wolf Man (starring Lon Chaney Jr.) and The Invisible Man (with Claude Rains) from those afternoons in front of the TV.
I also remember the networks occasionally showing older (and better) movies. I first got to know Hitchcock and The Birds from a network showing, after having discussed with my friends at school that day whether our parents would let us watch it; among those of us lucky enough to get away with watching it, we had a lot to talk about the next day at school. (In a TCM promo, Eddie Muller describes a very similar experience with that movie, and since he’s almost the same age as me, I’d guess that he’s talking about the same memorable broadcast.)
I can also remember seeing The Glenn Miller Story late one New Year’s Eve on what I remember as a network broadcast, probably the first time I recall seeing Jimmy Stewart. And I was introduced to Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn by a network broadcast of The African Queen. Same with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye with a network showing of White Christmas, although I may also have known them from their television programs, too.
These occasional viewings of old movies during my childhood set me up to seek out and enjoy older movies when I was in high school in the 70s, as opposed to just watching whatever happened to be on. By that time, I was old enough to get away with staying up to watch the local “late show.” Movies like Citizen Kane and Psycho were among the films I saw during those years on the local late show. I’m not sure I necessarily knew they were “classics”; they were just entertaining movies that I enjoyed watching, but I did start to make an effort to see them.
And seeing them got me used to watching actors who were no longer the current stars I saw at the movie theater. I began to have favorites among them and would look for their movies in the TV listings sometimes. Watching black-and-white movies was never an issue for me, because everything I saw on TV was in black and white, until we got our first color TV when I was twelve; I was used to the lack of color.
It was a late-night showing of Holiday that made me realize I was a “classic movie” fan. As I remember it, I was back at my parents’ home (now in northern Ohio) from college for Christmas break, enjoying the freedom to stay up as late as I wanted to watch whatever interesting movies the late show provided. At college, I had learned a bit more about older movies from the free big-screen showings that the school offered to keep the students entertained in a very small midwestern college town. So when I got home for Christmas and saw Holiday on the late show, it was like everything clicked — I finally understood that there was something special about this movie and these performances. I loved the message of the movie, and Grant and Hepburn remain two of my favorite actors.
I was an active classic movie fan from that day on - but it was a gradual process getting to that point.
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Post by Lucky Dan on Jan 29, 2023 5:34:32 GMT
When I was a young kid in the 60s, old movies were pretty common on TV. I don’t know how many people would have considered them “classics” then; they were just “old." ... I grew to know performers like Abbott and Costello (supported by the Andrews Sisters) in Buck Privates and movies like The Wolf Man (starring Lon Chaney Jr.) and The Invisible Man (with Claude Rains) from those afternoons in front of the TV.
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Post by sagebrush on Jan 29, 2023 14:53:51 GMT
...And seeing them got me used to watching actors who were no longer the current stars I saw at the movie theater. I began to have favorites among them and would look for their movies in the TV listings sometimes. Watching black-and-white movies was never an issue for me, because everything I saw on TV was in black and white, until we got our first color TV when I was twelve; I was used to the lack of color.
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Post by sagebrush on Jan 29, 2023 14:57:39 GMT
...And seeing them got me used to watching actors who were no longer the current stars I saw at the movie theater. I began to have favorites among them and would look for their movies in the TV listings sometimes. Watching black-and-white movies was never an issue for me, because everything I saw on TV was in black and white, until we got our first color TV when I was twelve; I was used to the lack of color.
I'll try this again.......
I was a rather dim-witted child. My family had a black-and-white TV until the early 1970's, and my parents would sometimes take my sisters and I to an independent movie theater which showed classic-era films on Sat and Sun evenings (most of which were in black-and-white.) It really didn't occur to me for a while that these actors were not the age they were in the films. I remember being really sad when I told my mother I wanted to meet the actor in the film we had just seen, and she replied, "You do know many of these people have been for a long time, don't you?" My sisters teased me about that for months! 🤦
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Post by kims on Jan 29, 2023 22:26:10 GMT
generally "classic" means high standard, which I can't say all films shown on TCM are high standard. And there are lots of periods we could assign to films. I'm sticking to my personal definition of classic-do I want to watch the film over and over regardless of period made. BEN HUR I liked, but not motivated to watch it again, until must have been a re-release in the '70's because it played at the theater in the small town my parents lived. Mom loved Charlton Heston so I took her. My Mom had psychiatric issues and can't say there was a way to bond with her. I watched her watching the film and the obvious joy. After the film she seemed to be normal again, talking to me about Chuck, Stephen Boyd, like at one time she had been a big movie fan. After that, I've watched BEN HUR whenever it airs and bought the DVD. In my definition, it's a classic not because of the time period made or the quality of the film. It's classic because I remember my Mom seeming normal again while watching it.
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Post by Andrea Doria on Jan 30, 2023 15:43:21 GMT
Sorry Kims, I can't seem to edit that post and the reply button ran away without me and posted before I wrote anything.
I just wanted to say how much I understand your love of classic movies because they connect you to your mother. My mother died before I was into old movies and now I would give anything If I could watch some of these oldies with her. I know she loved Barbara Stanwyck and at the time I had only seen her on TV shows and didn't get it. Now she's my favorite.
We have mental illness in our family, too. One of my relatives has schizophrenia, and, until he got straightened out with medication, he could barely stand to watch movies or TV at all. Impressions were so intense and dialogue was hard to understand through all the mixed signals his brain was sending. However, if the movie was an old favorite from before the disease, he was sometimes able to relax and enjoy it. Even now, he prefers the old films, first, because they are less likely to have disturbing content, but also because the black and white image doesn't imprint as deeply.
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Post by sepiatone on Jan 30, 2023 16:45:16 GMT
Andrea, I suppose many of us have sentimental attachments to some "classic" or "old" movies. For me, it's HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY('41) which I first saw at my Grandma's house on TV when I was about 9 or 10. She said it was her favorite movie. And I got that. It was because she could relate to it, her being the daughter and sister to Pennsylvania coal miners in the 19-teen's and into the '20's. Of course, the coal mining was the main connection as she was Polish and not Welsh. I also remember her once saying that when he was much younger(she was telling me this in the early 1980's) she thought John Carradine was a "handsome devil". And I can see that a bit in this photo of a young John.  Sepiatone |
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