Please note, it says ‘Flashback’, not ‘Flashdance’, which I just realized is actually on my list (nope, never seen it, but I guess I will). It could be several days before I get my next movie in from the resource-packed Dakota County Library or Netflix, so I thought I would take the liberty of recapping my thoughts on previously viewed movies. As usual, there is little methodology, so just go with it:
Captains Courageous 1937 Best Actor – I remember watching this movie for the first time with my dad and just being totally captivated by the bratty kid who gets his comeuppance and learns a lot of life lessons on a fishing ship at the knee of Spencer Tracy. I love Spencer Tracy, and not just because he was named after me. Okay, there is no connection whatsoever, but a girl can dream. I still enjoy this movie whenever I can catch it.
A Streetcar Named Desire 1951 Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress – I wanted to see what was so special about this movie. Everything – the cast: Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Kim Hunter; the setting – New Orleans; the story by Tennessee Williams. It’s hard to take your eyes off of Vivien Leigh; and Brando before he became a caricature of himself 30 years later. This film is the subject of so many social and cultural references.
The Ten Commandments 1956 Best Visual Effects – What do you mean you have never watched this movie? What is wrong with you? The late 1950s through the late 1960s were known for their great biblical and mythological epics. This movie was as much a part of our family’s tradition as Passover. It was a great treat to see the whole movie (inevitably shown on Easter Sunday and running way past my bedtime). To see the plagues made life-like, and the parting of the Red Sea was so cool. Better than Sunday School.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 1966 Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Art Direction (B&W), Best Costume, Best Cinematography (B&W) – I’m sure what I’m about to write will make place me outside the pale, but ugh, this movie was so painful to watch. Perhaps that was the point, some deep psychological probing into the miserable lives of these two couples, but, again UGH. Glad I saw it, to cross it off my list, but I do not ever need to watch it again. You’re welcome.
Gone with the Wind 1939 Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction – This is the movie that started me on this whole journey. After watching it on the big screen at a theater, and thinking what a great year for movies 1939 was (Wizard of Oz, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Wuthering Heights among a few). So, I began my informal list and here we are. Vivien Leigh shows why she was one of the greatest actresses of her time. The colors, the sounds, the story and the wonderful performances were something to watch on a full-sized movie screen (even if the audience was made up of high school students who were probably angling for an easy A in some social studies/history class – ooh, my snob is showing).
