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my son's "film class"

Vic Sage Aug 07 2017 11:03 AM

So my son loves movies (big surprise), but the only film classes in his high school are for seniors or for students in the performing arts program. So, I registered him for an online college course this summer, about "superhero cinema", which seemed perfect. Well, he started it, and the readings were overwhelming in both density and volume, and were more about philosophy and psychology than about films, and he was starting to get seriously stressed by it, so we withdrew him from the class. I promised him, instead, that he and i would watch double features every Sunday, and talk about them, and he'd get a basic grounding in classic Hollywood cinema and history. We've just finished week II and so far, so good. The program i've put together is a 28-week survey of classic Hollywood films of the 20th century, largely based on the AFI top 100 (revised in 2008), pairing older films with more recent ones around some common theme or element. I didn't include films he'd seen already (or ones i thought he probably wouldn't like). For those of you who'd like to follow along at home, here's the program: 1. Modern Times (36)* / 2001: A Space Odyssey (68)* - [7/30] 2. King Kong (33)* / Alien (79) – [8/6] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Duck Soup (33)* / Dr. Strangelove (64)* 4. Bringing Up Baby (38)* / North by Northwest (59)* 5. Maltese Falcon (41)* / Chinatown (74)* 6. Citizen Kane (41)* / Touch of Evil (58) 7. Sullivan’s Travels (41)* / Network (76)* 8. Casablanca (42)* / Annie Hall (77)* 9. Double Indemnity (44)* / Fargo (96) 10. The Third Man (49)/ Saving Private Ryan (98)* 11. Sunset Boulevard (50)* / The Player (91) 12. High Noon (52)* / Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid (69)* 13. On the Waterfront (54)*/ Raging Bull (80)* 14. Singin’ in the Rain (52)* / The Producers (68) 15. The Searchers (56)* / Wild Bunch (69) 16. African Queen (51)* / Apocalypse Now (79)* 17. Vertigo (58) / Taxi Driver (76)* 18. Some Like it Hot (59)* / Tootsie (82)* 19. Psycho (60)* / Silence of the Lambs (91)* 20. The Apartment (60)* / American Beauty (91) 21. Lawrence of Arabia (62)* -- 22. Bonnie & Clyde (67)* / Untouchables (86) 23. The Graduate (67)* / Animal House (78) 24. The Good, the Bad, the Ugly (67) / Unforgiven (92)* 25. MASH (70)* / Platoon (86)* 26. A Clockwork Orange (71)* / Goodfellas (90)* 27. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (75)*/ Shawshank Redemption (94)* 28. The Godfather (72) * / Godfather II (74)* * = AFI top 100

MFS62 Aug 07 2017 07:12 PM Re: my son's "film class" Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Aug 08 2017 08:44 AM

Vic, I know you mentioned Hollywood films and the AFI 100 list. But an interesting companion movie to Lawrence of Arabia might be Hill 24 Doesn't Answer. You know. The British officer trying to find himself involved in a war in the Middle East. Just a thought. If not, how about Gunga Din? Anyhow, it sounds like a great thing to do with him. Later

Centerfield Aug 08 2017 07:34 AM Re: my son's "film class"

Terrific list. And I don't have the words to describe how cool of a thing this is to do with your son. I'm motivated to go through that list and fill in the gaps myself. Also feel like I should go back and re-watch some of them. I remember having watched Double Indemnity and Vertigo but remember almost nothing about the films. Has he seen Gone With the Wind? Or was it one of those you thought he didn't like? It may be a bit played out but is a must for anyone interested in classic cinema.

sharpie Aug 08 2017 12:23 PM Re: my son's "film class"

Very nice. Seen all of them myself other than The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (now I should take care of that one). I have some quibbles but it's your list not mine. I did see a number of those with my son as well but not as a program.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 08 2017 12:48 PM Re: my son's "film class"

My son has also inherited a love of classic films from his father. Early on, I would just keep an eye on TCM and record whatever looked to me to be an "essential", as they put it. We never had any kind of formal curriculum. I've seen all of the movies on your list except for three: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly; Touch of Evil; and American Beauty. I agree with sharpie, it's a good list, although mine would probably have been somewhat different as well. Of course Casablanca is on the list! It HAS to be! (Gone With the Wind is a notable omission. Sure, it's a chick flick, but it's the one chick flick that everyone should see.) I'm glad to see several movies that I have a particular affection for: High Noon, King Kong, and Double Indemnity. Modern Times is a good example of Charlie Chaplin -- I would have gone with The Great Dictator but I'm glad you didn't choose City Lights. The only movies from the sound era that I would have definitely included but that you left off are Treasure of the Sierra Madre, I am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang, and Young Frankenstein. I would also have included some silents. The Birth of a Nation is an essential part of movie history. Others that are worthwhile are The Crowd and Sunrise.

sharpie Aug 08 2017 01:10 PM Re: my son's "film class"

If you were doing silents I would have gone with Metropolis although I have no quibble with Sunrise.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 08 2017 01:15 PM Re: my son's "film class"

Oh, and you definitely picked the right Marx Brothers movie!

MFS62 Aug 08 2017 07:42 PM Re: my son's "film class"

I've seen all of the movies on your list except for three: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly; Touch of Evil; and American Beauty. I saw Touch of Evil in my college films class. Many people talk about the opening scene (at the time, the longest one-take continuous scene in any movie). But my most memorable moment, the one that showed me Welles' genius as a director, was the "second blink". When you see the movie, you'll know exactly what I mean. Enjoy it. Later

Vic Sage Aug 09 2017 05:59 AM Re: my son's "film class"

MFS62 wrote: Vic, I know you mentioned Hollywood films and the AFI 100 list. But an interesting companion movie to Lawrence of Arabia might be Hill 24 Doesn't Answer. You know. The British officer trying to find himself involved in a war in the Middle East. Just a thought. If not, how about Gunga Din? Anyhow, it sounds like a great thing to do with him. Later lawrence of arabia is 4 hours long - no double feature that day!

Vic Sage Aug 09 2017 06:01 AM Re: my son's "film class"

Centerfield wrote: Terrific list. And I don't have the words to describe how cool of a thing this is to do with your son. I'm motivated to go through that list and fill in the gaps myself. Also feel like I should go back and re-watch some of them. I remember having watched Double Indemnity and Vertigo but remember almost nothing about the films. Has he seen Gone With the Wind? Or was it one of those you thought he didn't like? It may be a bit played out but is a must for anyone interested in classic cinema. Gone With the Wind is dated melodrama at its worst, adapting a book that is likewise. He wouldn' have sat through 1 hour of it, much less 4!

Vic Sage Aug 09 2017 06:02 AM Re: my son's "film class"

sharpie wrote: If you were doing silents I would have gone with Metropolis although I have no quibble with Sunrise. i was only doing US films for this "semester". Metropolis will start off the 2nd series of foreign/Indy films and deep cuts.

Vic Sage Aug 09 2017 10:08 AM Re: my son's "film class"

My son has also inherited a love of classic films from his father. Early on, I would just keep an eye on TCM and record whatever looked to me to be an "essential", as they put it. We never had any kind of formal curriculum. I've seen all of the movies on your list except for three: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly; Touch of Evil; and American Beauty. I agree with sharpie, it's a good list, although mine would probably have been somewhat different as well. Of course Casablanca is on the list! It HAS to be! (Gone With the Wind is a notable omission. Sure, it's a chick flick, but it's the one chick flick that everyone should see.) I'm glad to see several movies that I have a particular affection for: High Noon, King Kong, and Double Indemnity. Modern Times is a good example of Charlie Chaplin -- I would have gone with The Great Dictator but I'm glad you didn't choose City Lights. The only movies from the sound era that I would have definitely included but that you left off are Treasure of the Sierra Madre, I am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang, and Young Frankenstein. I would also have included some silents. The Birth of a Nation is an essential part of movie history. Others that are worthwhile are The Crowd and Sunrise. about Gone With the Wind, see my comment above; I thought about GREAT DICTATOR, but the series is chronological and i wanted to start with a silent film, and i wasn't going to do more than one (to keep my son's interest). I was thinking about Sunrise and The General, but i just thought he'd like "Modern Times" times more, and it gives the list a silent comedy, which i thought was an essential place to start. If he pursues his interests in film, he can get to BIRTH OF A NATION, and other silent classics, on his own; YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN? Did you mean BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN? That was on my list, too, but i can't show him everything. I was going to pair it with Cronenberg's remake of THE FLY. i might still. Ditto with TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE. But i already had a few Bogie films and i needed to spread it around a bit.

Vic Sage Aug 09 2017 10:14 AM Re: my son's "film class"

my son's responses to date: He like MODERN TIMES ok, but hated 2001. It is incredibly slow and ponderous film (intentionally so) and his contemporary teenage mind simply couldn't handle the pacing. He loved KING KONG, and while he appreciated ALIEN for its filmmaking, he doesn't like horror movies and the discomfort it causes him is not a feeling he likes to have. Which i generally feel, too, but i just find the design and direction of ALIEN to be extraordinary, so it really transcends the horror elements. Next up is DUCK SOUP and Dr. STRANGELOVE, which i'm looking forward to.

sharpie Aug 09 2017 03:46 PM Re: my son's "film class"

I didn't see KING KONG with my son but mine also loved MODERN TIMES, disliked 2001 for the same reasons your son did and he thought ALIEN was kid of cheesy.

Vic Sage Aug 14 2017 10:28 AM Re: my son's "film class"

we saw DUCK SOUP and DR. STRANGELOVE. He liked the Marx brothers alot (this is still a very funny movie), but didn't love DR. STRANGELOVE (it wasn't funny). I was trying to explain the difference between satire (which generally just causes a knowing smile) and farce, snappy patter and slapstick (like the brothers Marx), which generate guffaws. But he wasn't buying it. He did appreciate the performance(s) by Peter Sellers, though. I might add a BEING THERE / FORREST GUMP double feature near the end.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 14 2017 11:19 AM Re: my son's "film class"

"Gentlemen! You can't fight in here! This is the War Room!" is such a great line. I also loved how Keenan Wynn's character was concerned, despite the threat of nuclear annihilation, about the Coke machine.

sharpie Aug 14 2017 11:43 AM Re: my son's "film class"

My son took a filmmaking class when he was about 12. They asked him in the interview what his favorite film was and he said Dr. Strangelove. I don't recall if we saw or how he liked Duck Soup. The Forrest Gump/Being There double bill would probably be my least favorite pairing.

Edgy MD Aug 14 2017 11:57 AM Re: my son's "film class"

Maybe Being There and Zelig or Being There and Dave, but Forrest doesn't strike me as curriculum-worthy except from a special effects perspective.

Frayed Knot Aug 14 2017 06:54 PM Re: my son's "film class"

sharpie wrote: The Forrest Gump/Being There double bill would probably be my least favorite pairing. Yeah, GUMP was, at best, mildly entertaining but was far from the significant work it was sometimes painted as upon its release, due mainly IMO to being high on the baby-boomer navel-gazing factor. And though a lot of folks seemed to like BEING THERE, I wasn't one of them.

Vic Sage Aug 15 2017 08:04 AM Re: my son's "film class"

Benjamin Grimm wrote: "Gentlemen! You can't fight in here! This is the War Room!" is such a great line. I also loved how Keenan Wynn's character was concerned, despite the threat of nuclear annihilation, about the Coke machine. he was very concerned about Sellers/Mandrake's "preversions", and warned him he'd have to answer to the coca cola company. There are so many great supporting performances in that movie -- George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens -- and then some interesting faces that pop up, including James Earl Jones as a member of the flight crew, along with William Daniels as the navigator. The Being There / Forrest Gump double feature occurred to me because (1) they fit together perfectly, (2) It is an amazing performance by sellers, and (3) Forrest Gump is on the AFI top 100 and did have a cultural impact, but there's alot less there than meets the eye and there was a reason that i didn't include it in my original list and i probably won't stick it in now. Maybe one of the Pink Panther movies.

Centerfield Aug 15 2017 01:07 PM Re: my son's "film class"

Vic Sage wrote: He loved KING KONG, and while he appreciated ALIEN for its filmmaking, he doesn't like horror movies and the discomfort it causes him is not a feeling he likes to have. Which i generally feel, too, but i just find the design and direction of ALIEN to be extraordinary, so it really transcends the horror elements. It's been playing recently so I flipped to it after Robles gave up the HR last night. It really stands the test of time. I forgot how lighthearted everyone is at the dinner scene just before the alien explodes out of Kane. And the way they were able to portray the crew as just regular working people. So good. And even after you've seen it many times, it's still terrifying. Less so than watching Robles try to navigate a second inning of work, but still terrifying.

MFS62 Aug 18 2017 08:20 AM Re: my son's "film class"

The best, and scariest, "line" in Dr. Strangelove was never spoken. As the camera pans the Generals in the War Room, the title of one of the books in front of them is Estimated Losses in Megadeaths. Later

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 20 2017 01:37 PM Re: my son's "film class"

Love "Being There." LOVE Sellers in "Being There." It's one of those performances that transcends the role as written, and plucks emotional strings in me I don't expect it to; there's a crazy amount of nuance and detail Sellers brings in his character's reactions to the world around him. "Gump" is like the idiot version of the same-- all broad strokes, on-the-nose musical cues, and Hanks prodded by his director to deliver catchphrases and CGI-infused slapstick almost as much as he observes quieter moments. I feel like "American Beauty" is the adolescent version of "Six Feet Under," also Alan Ball's brainchild-- the same weary, too-cool cynicism, only even more sneering, and largely unleavened by the complexity and generosity-of-spirit that characterized the latter at its best. Beautifully-filmed strawman-takedown, but... Blahblahblah. Super cool curriculum, with the only real suggestion being that you consider a slightly more rounded one, with some high-quality genre fare (musicals, "Die Hard," kung fu) folded in.

Vic Sage Aug 22 2017 08:37 AM Re: my son's "film class"

I do have SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (and THE PRODUCERS), but i did want to add more musicals. He's seen alot of them though, as well as action films, so he's not unfamiliar with the best stuff in those genres and I'm not including anything he's already seen. I was thinking of TOP HAT and either HAIR or PENNIES FROM HEAVEN, but i wanted to keep it to 26 weeks. And i was also thinking about ENTER THE DRAGON and CROUCHING TIGER, but i was saving that for our "foreign film & indie" class. And i think AMERICAN BEAUTY is not only brilliant, it pairs well with THE APARTMENT as satires of middle class values and aspirations.

Vic Sage Aug 22 2017 08:39 AM Re: my son's "film class"

oh, and he gave a thumbs up to both BRINGING UP BABY and NORTH BY NORTHWEST. Its interesting to see the young Grant and the older Grant back-to-back like that, and see the development of the Grant style. And Hepburn is just amazing.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 22 2017 09:24 AM Re: my son's "film class"

I like North By Northwest too. It's much better than To Catch a Thief, which is from the same time period, same director, and same star. Katharine Hepburn was really a great talent. I saw her recently in Mary of Scotland, an early historical piece by John Ford, and her subtle approach was so good; I couldn't help but compare it to how I imagined that many of her contemporaries would have spoken similar lines.

Vic Sage Aug 29 2017 01:13 PM Re: my son's "film class"

So we just watched MALTESE FALCON and CHINATOWN. Matt liked MF alot, and CHINATOWN was ok, but less so. Franklly, i agree. CHINATOWN is better in my memory than it is on my tv. FALCON, however, is timeless. next week: CITIZEN KANE and NETWORK.

metsmarathon Sep 01 2017 12:25 PM Re: my son's "film class"

good god, i'm pitiful. i think i've seen maybe a dozen of these films...

Ashie62 Sep 03 2017 04:23 PM Re: my son's "film class"

Knowledge is Good.

Vic Sage Sep 05 2017 01:40 PM Re: my son's "film class"

he loved CITIZEN KANE so much, he was even willing to watch the "battle for Citizen Kane" pbs documentary right after it (it's about Hearst vs Welles). NETWORK is still over-the-top fun, and he appreciated that one too. I've made some revisions to the schedule. Here are the upcoming films, at this point: 7. Sullivan’s Travels (41)* / True Romance (95) 8. Casablanca (42)* / Annie Hall (77)* 9. Double Indemnity (44)* / Fargo (96) 10. White Heat (49) / Goodfellas (90)* 11. The Third Man (49)-n / Saving Private Ryan (98)* 12. Sunset Boulevard (50)* / The Player (91) [or May Favorite Year (82)] 13. African Queen (51)* / Apocalypse Now (79)* 14. Singin’ in the Rain (52)* / The Producers (68) 15. High Noon (52)* / Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid (69)* 16. On the Waterfront (54)* /Raging Bull (80)* 17. The Searchers (56)* / Taxi Driver (76)* 18. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (56) / Close Encounters of 3rd Kind (76) 19. 12 Angry Men (57)* / Defending Your Life (91) 20. Vertigo (58)* / Blue Velvet (86) 21. Touch of Evil (58) / L.A. Confidential (97) 22. Some Like it Hot (59)* / Tootsie (82)* 23. Psycho (60)* / Silence of the Lambs (91)* 24. The Apartment (60)* / American Beauty (91) 25. West Side Story (61)* / Hair (80) 26. Lawrence of Arabia (62)* 27. Bonnie & Clyde (67)* / Untouchables (86) 28. The Graduate (67)* / Animal House (78) 29. Wild Bunch (69)*/ Unforgiven (92)* 30. M*A*S*H* (70)* / Platoon (86)* 31. French Connection (71)* / Sev7en (95) [or Robocop (86)] 32. A Clockwork Orange (71)* / Terminator 2 (91) 33. American Graffiti (73)*/ Ferris Bueller’s Day off (86) 34. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (75)* / Shawshank Redemption (94)* 35. The Godfather (72) * / Godfather II (74)* * = AFI top 100