Do you ever check out other peoples DVD collections and feel sad.......... (1 Viewer)

[Sam Hatch]

I haven't been saddened by anyone's collection yet, as most of my friends with DVD players are really into film, old and new.

But this topic made me think of something else... do you feel like you're snooping through someone's underwear drawer when scoping other collections? I know I do. There's something very personal about it. Maybe it's because finding out their guilty video pleasures is akin to finding dirty underoos.

Last year I was at a Christmas party at a relative's house, and they were storing our jackets in my cousin's room. He was out the whole night, but when I went in to retrieve my jacket, I was instantly drawn to the DVD collection he had. For some reason, I always look to see which discs we both own.

But the whole time, I felt as if I was looking at sacred material or something -- like I was paying homage at a digital temple. Weird...

 

[John Stone]

I never liked older films much, but recently I have found myself drawn towards them more and more. I don't think I would have liked a lot of the stuff that I enjoy now 10 years ago (I'm 33 now). When I first started watching older movies, I thought the pacing was generally slow, the acting was overblown and "stage-like" and, well...they all seemed pretty boring! Over time, though, those feelings started to change. The more classic cinema that I watched, the more I developed a "feel" for it: the pacing didn't bother me anymore, the acting seemed more charming than annoying, and one day I realized that I was actually enjoying the films a great deal! I feel that older films are like time machines and, until recently, I never fully appreciated the ability to "see back into time". It's wonderful to have a window into the past.

I feel that films like "To Kill A Mocking Bird", "12 Angry Men" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" are great "starter" films. Also, Ebert's commentary for "Citizen Kane" was very insightful.

My collection used to be very "top heavy", but over the last year I've added some excellent pre-1970 stuff. My want list of already released DVDs is mostly older films. The time invested in watching older films really pays off after one begins to develop an appreciation for them. They are addictive!

Here are some of my favorites from my collection, most of which I would recommend to anyone:

March Of The Wooden Soldiers (1934)

39 Steps, The (1935): Criterion Collection

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937): Platinum Edition

Wizard of Oz, The (1939)

Rebecca (1940): Criterion Collection

Citizen Kane (1941)

Casablanca (1942)

National Velvet (1944)

Harvey (1950)

High Noon (1952)

On The Waterfront (1954): Special Edition

Seven Samurai (1954): Criterion Collection

Night of the Hunter, The (1955)

Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957): Limited Edition

Ben-Hur (1959)

North By Northwest (1959)

Spartacus (1960): Criterion Collection

Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962): Director's Cut

Manchurian Candidate, The (1962)

To Kill A Mockingbird (1962): Collector's Edition

Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Sound of Music, The (1965): Five Star Collection

Graduate, The (1967): Special Edition

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1967)

Beguiled, The (1970): Clint Eastwood Collection

M*A*S*H (1970): Five Star Collection

Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970): Special Edition

 

[JasenP]

I have always loved older films, I was one of the rare children that was brought up by them thanks to TBS on Saturdays and Sundays.
But there was a time that I wouldn't watch anything that was subtitled. After I had seen everything in the small "classics" section at my local video store I found myself at the foreign section and rented many great films I had overlooked.
I even began annoying my friends when we watched Anime by renting the subbed version instead of dubbed.

 

[Jonathan Perregaux]

Just remember: a movie made in 2002 may be considered "a boring old movie" in 2052.

 

[Jon Robertson]

The point I'd like to make is your taste is your own, but why pick at the fresh salad when there's a whole buffet out there?

They're only films - they can't hurt you...

 

[Garrett Lundy]

Jon Robertson writes:

They're only films - they can't hurt you...

Jon has obviously never seen Manos: The Hands of Fate. This "film" (I use the term only because I probably must)Has been known to cause blindness, nausea, upset stomachs, infertility, erectile dysfunction, and suicidal tendencies.
1984 causes severe cases of Paranoia, and I believe someone had a heart attack and died during the original theatrical run of The Exorcist.
But with these three aside, he's probably right. Maybe that Criterion edition of Manos:THOF will be an improvement?

 

[Richard Stammer]

Without a doubt, this topic has generated some of the most depressing responses I have ever read in the Home Theater Forum.

 

[David Von Pein]

Everybody should order this 1932 horror Classic!! It'll make you want more older films! .........

 

[Michael Taylor]

I don't usually feel sad when I check out my friends' DVD collections because people like what they like. However, I do have one friend, whose relatively small collection is filled with pap and drek (by anyone's standards). Invariably he will ask me if there is anything I would like to borrow and I wince as I browse his collection, hoping against hope that something of watchable quality will have found its way onto his shelf. I feel a little bad about always telling him that "I'm all set, I didn't find anything that interests me." because he knows I love movies and have a ton of them.

In response to those people who assume that movies made before 1950 are somehow inferior to those made today, I really wonder if they have watched them. As I was growing up, I couldn't stand to watch older, black and white films because I thought they were boring. I assumed it was because they are from a different era and I simply couldn't relate to the characters. I clinged to that assumption about any old film until my friend encouraged me to watch his copy of Casablanca. That movie turned me around (Once you go black, you don't go back...er..something like that.)

Casablanca made me realize that the old films had to rely on snappy, witty dialog and strong characters with great plots to keep people in the seats. They didn't have the crutch of dazzling special effects to prop up a poor screenplay *cough*StarWarsEpisode1*cough*.

Since that fateful day, I have been a beneficiary of the DVD medium offering older films in restored condition so that the quality of the presentation almost matches the quality of the performances.

My favorites are:

Casablanca,

Seven Samurai, Rashomon (and many other Kurosawa films),

M,

Seventh Seal ,

The Lady Vanishes

Citizen Kane

 

[Robert Crawford]

I simply don't understand this fascination some of you have with older movies! I mean isn't it true that the film industry really didn't take off until after "Star Wars" came out in 1977? Also, what's up with those black and white films? Didn't those old-time directors know that making their films in color makes them look better.

Crawdaddy

 

[RobertCharlotte]

Judging from the OP, maybe the problem with classic cinema is it isn't quotable enough.

 

[Chris Wagner]

"Do you ever check out other peoples DVD collections and feel sad........."

No... I just point, and laugh.