Tim_C
Stunt Coordinator
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2004
- Messages
- 84
No one is obligated to like every "classic" film. In fact, I'm positive that there isn't a single "movie buff" or critic who likes ever single film that has been deemed a "classic." Roger Ebert recently wrote that he wasn't very impressed by "High Noon." Leonard Maltin loves the film and gave it 4 stars, and it's made it onto many "great films" list. Film is an art and different people are going to react differently to different films, depending upon their experiences and personality. (Being a teenager, I realize that some of the films I like now I probably will not like fifteen years from now, and some I don't enjoy now will probably me more entertaining then.) I first watched "The 400 Blows" at a time in my life when I was having a lot of conflict with my parents, and it "struck a chord." I loved it and it's now one of my favorite movies. I've heard other people refer to the film as "pretentious" or "boring." Something I could never agree with, but I can respect. A film isn't considered a "classic" because everyone found it boring or monotonous. No matter how much some people hate "Gone with the Wind" or "Bringing Up Baby" they're still great movies with a lot of fans.
I like the acting and dialogue in old movies, even though it does tend to take a little while to get used to. I sometimes have a harder time staying away for films over three hours, but that's mainly because I choose to watch them late at night. I always try to sit through a film in one sitting (without pausing even,) but sometimes it's just not possible if I get too tired.
"Vertigo" is my favorite film of all time (when I say favorite, I mean the films that I enjoy the most, not necessarily the ones that are most important or influential,) and I thought "Lawrence of Arabia" was wonderful and never got boring. The fact that other people were disappointed by them doesn't make them any worse movies in my eyes. I didn't like "The Grand Illusion," "The Searchers," or "The Passion of Joan of Ark" (among many other "classics,") but I can still recognize their importance and influence, and I appreciated their "great cinematic qualities." I realize there are people who love those films and find them to be highly enjoyable. Respect and enjoyment are two different things. I don't like any film because it's considered great, I like it because it "connects with me" and strikes me on an emotional level. I love all three "The Lord of the Rings" films not because they're "great" (though they are to an extent) but because I was highly entertained and "captivated" by them. I thought they were wonderful, emotional, and intelligent. Other people disagree, and I respect that.
My father and I recently watched all of Tarkovsky's "Solaris" in one sitting and we both found it to be quite compelling and even entertaining. Some people I've talked to or read on these boards found watching grass grow to be more enjoyable, and I can certainly understand that.
I've never been a fan of judging someone's intelligence by their taste in films. Many times I've read posts (mostly on the IMDb) claiming that anyone who likes "The Lord of the Rings" movies "obviously" have not seen any of the "classics" or are "stupid" or some other such thing. While I'll admit there still are a lot of classics I haven't seen (I'm trying to "catch up") I'd like to belive I'm a bit more than "stupid" and I'm more than positive that I have seen quite a few of the classics. I think it's rude to generalize all the fans of a film into one group or another, because it's never going to be true. There are a lot of intelligent, informed movie-goers who enjoyed "The Lord of the Rings," I'm sure there are also some less than intelligent people who like any given film, but that doesn't make every fan of that film less than intelligent.
It goes the other way around too. Too often a fan of a film such as "UHF" or "The Fast and the Furious" will assume that the only people who like a film such as "Ciitzen Kane" are snobbish film buffs who hate every modern film and thinks anyone who likes them is "subpar." I like a lot of movies, old and new, from "Citizen Kane" to "Big Fish," and I know a lot of other people who like "Citizen Kane" also enjoy quite a few newer movies, so,,,
I think the most important thing to remember is that for every film there are intelligent people who did not like it and intelligent people who did. No one has "seen the light" or "seen through the hype" for a certain film. No one's opinion is invalid, and the fact that one person or a group of people don't like a film doesn't make the movie any less of a classic, or at least any less enjoyable in the eyes of those who do like the film (obviously.)
Here's a quote I post a lot on different sites:
"The wonderful thing about film (or any art form) is that one person can hate a movie and one person can love it and they can both be right."
I like the acting and dialogue in old movies, even though it does tend to take a little while to get used to. I sometimes have a harder time staying away for films over three hours, but that's mainly because I choose to watch them late at night. I always try to sit through a film in one sitting (without pausing even,) but sometimes it's just not possible if I get too tired.
"Vertigo" is my favorite film of all time (when I say favorite, I mean the films that I enjoy the most, not necessarily the ones that are most important or influential,) and I thought "Lawrence of Arabia" was wonderful and never got boring. The fact that other people were disappointed by them doesn't make them any worse movies in my eyes. I didn't like "The Grand Illusion," "The Searchers," or "The Passion of Joan of Ark" (among many other "classics,") but I can still recognize their importance and influence, and I appreciated their "great cinematic qualities." I realize there are people who love those films and find them to be highly enjoyable. Respect and enjoyment are two different things. I don't like any film because it's considered great, I like it because it "connects with me" and strikes me on an emotional level. I love all three "The Lord of the Rings" films not because they're "great" (though they are to an extent) but because I was highly entertained and "captivated" by them. I thought they were wonderful, emotional, and intelligent. Other people disagree, and I respect that.
My father and I recently watched all of Tarkovsky's "Solaris" in one sitting and we both found it to be quite compelling and even entertaining. Some people I've talked to or read on these boards found watching grass grow to be more enjoyable, and I can certainly understand that.
I've never been a fan of judging someone's intelligence by their taste in films. Many times I've read posts (mostly on the IMDb) claiming that anyone who likes "The Lord of the Rings" movies "obviously" have not seen any of the "classics" or are "stupid" or some other such thing. While I'll admit there still are a lot of classics I haven't seen (I'm trying to "catch up") I'd like to belive I'm a bit more than "stupid" and I'm more than positive that I have seen quite a few of the classics. I think it's rude to generalize all the fans of a film into one group or another, because it's never going to be true. There are a lot of intelligent, informed movie-goers who enjoyed "The Lord of the Rings," I'm sure there are also some less than intelligent people who like any given film, but that doesn't make every fan of that film less than intelligent.
It goes the other way around too. Too often a fan of a film such as "UHF" or "The Fast and the Furious" will assume that the only people who like a film such as "Ciitzen Kane" are snobbish film buffs who hate every modern film and thinks anyone who likes them is "subpar." I like a lot of movies, old and new, from "Citizen Kane" to "Big Fish," and I know a lot of other people who like "Citizen Kane" also enjoy quite a few newer movies, so,,,
I think the most important thing to remember is that for every film there are intelligent people who did not like it and intelligent people who did. No one has "seen the light" or "seen through the hype" for a certain film. No one's opinion is invalid, and the fact that one person or a group of people don't like a film doesn't make the movie any less of a classic, or at least any less enjoyable in the eyes of those who do like the film (obviously.)
Here's a quote I post a lot on different sites:
"The wonderful thing about film (or any art form) is that one person can hate a movie and one person can love it and they can both be right."