Number 18 on my list is to watch my list of classic films, the entirety of which I will not clutter up space with right now. The first two on my list happened to both be films from the 50's, 12 Angry Men and The African Queen. Both of which I highly recommend. Henry Fonda stars in the 1957 drama of 12 Angry Men about a jury deliberating over a murder trial. 11 men say he's guilty on the first vote and one man says he's not sure and wants to talk it through first. Slowly Fonda introduces doubt into the jurors to
the point that a previously slam dunk conviction became a unanimous innocent verdict. Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn star in The African Queen (54) about a riverboat captain and a missionary in Africa at the beginning of WWI who decide to torpedo a German ship. Like witty banter? This is the classic hate-love story of opposites attracting with hilarious arguments and great repartee.On the surface both of these films are surprisingly simple. 12 Angry Men takes place in mostly one room, the jury room, in black and white. No explosions or car chases-- just 12 men in one room debating and arguing. And the African Queen takes place on one boat, with mainly two people in the African jungle. Yet somehow in both movies I was spellbound; the simplicity transformed the final effect into something complex and profound. Twelve men from all different backgrounds come together to discuss life and death in a very immediate and personal way. It was stunning to watch as one by one, each man was persuaded to see the reasonable doubt from their various perspectives. How often when we come together do we give each other the opportunity to explain our perceptions? The movie was less about one boy on trial in New York City and more about each one of us judging each other- putting our neighbors on trial and convicting them without hearing the defense. And in the African Queen, it was beautiful to watch two people fall in love while stuck on a boat. There were no fancy dinners or roses, no poetry, no other contending suitors-no other people really or cute dates. How often do we make dating about the things we do rather than the people we do them with? (Hint: Men- we don't want roses and steak. When we love you, even when we just like you, we just want you.)
Today in movies everything is larger than life- Transformers, seven minute long car chases, the magical look and boom! you're in love moments, Tron, double double crossings and secret identities. Most movies today are about the special effects- how big, how bad can you make it? But isn't film supposed to provoke thought and re-evaluation of some aspect, more than our cars or if our neighbor might be CIA....? Now, I'm not even close to finishing my film list and I wouldn't call myself an expert on 1950's films, but somehow I think the minimalist style makes the viewer do the bulk of the thinking work with subtle hints and unsaid ideas. What do you think?
Watch for my adventure into the artwork of Carl Bloch and my exploration into quilting coming soon!
I love older movies, they are awesome! :) Cute blog.
ReplyDeleteI think mover goers are different today. We go to movies for different reasons. We use them as a way to be distracted from our crazy, hectic lives and just relax for a couple of hours without having to think. We still have some of those thought provoking movies out there, just not to the same degree, like "Passion of the Christ". I love old movies too. They give a different prospective on life and, in some ways, help us appreciate what we have today.
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