StreetVerse

Classic Movies: Remembered for a Reason

Posted By: Sally Vox
Filed Under: Movies on February 3, 2011

It’s almost Oscar time, and AMC is having “30 Days of Oscar movies” to celebrate. This is a good opportunity to look at older movies, and see how much (or how little) has changed when it comes to making a movie that can stand the test of time, one that will be remembered long after everyone involved with it has passed away.

Film is a relatively new medium, but it is the quickest changing—people still paint using pastels and oil, but it is a rare occurrence to see anyone filming on 16mm black and white any more. I believe that this is because film seeks hypnotic levels of immersion, and anything that allows audiences to forget that they are in a movie theater quickly becomes the industry standard. Couple that with the collaborative nature of film, and you have a dynamic and ever changing medium.

But even film has its fundamentals. Like iambic pentameter with poetry, film has rules and formulas that give some sort of structure to the narrative: the 180 rule, the Kuleshov effect, cross cutting…these are things that most filmmakers use to great effect in order to keep the audience from being confused and to help keep them engaged in the story. Why not take a night or two off this month and see an older classic film? Try to see if there is anything that seems to be “missing” in these older movies. [I’ll give you a freebie. You won’t see very much hand-held shaky cam]

These are a few of my favorites:

Gone with the Wind

One of my favorite older movies, Gone with the Wind was the “Titanic” of its generation. It won 10 Oscars, and it made one of the highest grossing films ever made (adjusted for inflation). It showcases superb acting from its leads, impeccably tailored costumes, classical cinematography…it is in many ways a perfect movie (except it’s a little long, at 3 hours 44 minutes).

Citizen Kane

If you want to see the beginning of modern era of film, look no further. This is it. In one of those “oops” moments, this did not win best picture in 1941, but there is no question, this movie changed cinema forever. Watch for deep focus (everything in focus), and low angle shots (these were difficult to film back in those days). Also, see if you can catch auditory links (continued dialogue through 2 different scenes) in the movie, this was one of the techniques pioneered by Orson Welles, the director.

Casablanca

Another timeless classic. Watch for dark, low key lighting, shadows, and silhouettes, all staples of film noir (maybe check out a more recent movie like Se7en and compare lighting). And Bogart in a trenchcoat. God damn.

A Streetcar Named Desire

This is a great movie to see if you want to see a great example of method acting. This was a style of acting pioneered by the great Lee Strasberg and her partner Stella Adler (who was Marlon Brando’s acting teacher). Watch the scene where Brando screams out for Stella, his wife, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Also, a plus if you’ve seen gone with the wind, Vivian leigh plays a withered southern beauty (Hah! Tara must not have been good to her)

2001: A Space Odyssey

This is a more recent movie, but it is a game changer, nonetheless. The powerful orchestral soundtrack, the cutting edge special effects, and the uniqueness of its narrative all work together to create what many directors, such as Spielberg, Ridley Scott, and George Lucas consider to be one of the most influential movies made in the latter half of the century. Plus it has HAL, the killer robot, whose line” I’m afraid I can’t do that”, gave me the chills. Fun fact, Anthony Hopkins said that he used HAL as his model for Hannibal Lecter’s voice. Now that’s some creepy monotone. Watch for the elaborate backdrop of the first “ape-men” scene, which uses front projection, which is the precursor to the green-screen that is so loved (or hated) today. Also, if you’ve played Mass Effect, you can see where their space suit design comes from.

 

Happy Watching!

-SV

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