In the past I have had the students judge the films on various levels. I resist it becuase I think they're all great, and very differnt, from different times, so any comparison is unfair. For example, which of the films is "the best." You'd have to define the term. Is one genre inherently superior from another on the basis of it's gravitas? Are modern films superior? They are certainly better made. From a technical point of view, the film that was superior to all the rest was Unforgiven. The acting, direction, production values, etc. were all very superior. It was probably the film that cost the most to make, with the possible exception of Dark City. But, does that make it superior? Runaway Train was not lavishly endowed wtih bells and whistles, and yet it is probably my personal favorite, mostly because I like to think of myself as Manny. Fortunately, I'm deluding myself. Why would I want to be a sociopath? All Quiet.... is the most primitive film, but in some ways is the best of them all, in terms of being a groundbreaking work. That, and Citizen Kane. The 7th Seal broke ground in establishing foreign cinema in the US. By the way, I never pointed out, (and nobody mentioned) why the plague was so timely a topic in 1957. I won't give it away, but you'll probably be able to answer in a comment below?
If I had to judge the best film based upon the look of rapture on everyone's face, then it would be Dark City.
One strange and sad point. Ask 20 people if they've ever seen, (or heard of) Runaway Train, or Dark City, and see how many affirmative replies you get. Then ask about some piece of trash like Titanic, or Independence Day, or, worse, Sex and the City, and see how many nods you get. Can you imagine the incredible sadness of the artists who created those timeless works to know that they are totally obscure, while such banal tripe is higly praised? Well, Herman Melville, and Van Gogh, and Mozart, to name just a few geniuses, all died unrecognized, the latter in a pauper's grave. Grey tells us that "the paths of glory lead but to the grave." So it's all equal ultimately. But, I'd rather have my face on Mt. Rushmore, though I'll never see it or know it.
My favorite film was the documentary you showed us, The Atomic Cafe. This film I thought was superior to the other films in the sense that it delivered a very powerful theme. This documentary was all based on real events and archives from the government which makes is frightening to think what would happen if an atomic bomb is head towards the United States.
ReplyDeleteI love Independence day. Runaway train and Dark City ( i loved Dark City by the way) are better movies in all the ways you described. But hey i'd rather watch America be badass in that movie all day, every day
ReplyDeleteI hate Titanic! I never understood what the huge appeal of it was.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post because it is really so truthful. In the world of film criticism, the line between good and bad is subjective and thin. I've had friends tell me Citizen Kane is boring garbage (which inevitably sparks rage deep within me) and then go on to say they enjoy loud action movies like Transformers.
I think with film criticism, it's important to acknowledge that for every person who wants to see a film for culture, there are 20 who want to see robots punching other robots. If I were to review a film like Independence Day, I'd say it's good for a specific audience, but I'd never call it a "good movie".
As for the films you showed in the class (which from what I read are the same as you showed my class), it's almost impossible to find a "best". I remember I gave Best Picture to The Seventh Seal, but only because I'm a sucker for films that deal with religious belief or lack thereof.
I'd say my absolute favorites in this class are Runaway Train, the Seventh Seal, and Dark City, with Citizen Kane coming in fourth. I've always loved a good epic, and when the directors go all out, I can't resist. If they're dystopias and they have an antihero, it's even better. I have a wide range of taste in film, but I avoid any film that has vampires, if only because of Twilight. I seriously have no idea why anyone reads any of the books or watches the movies...
ReplyDeleteI just finished watching the asphalt jungle so I was inspired to visit the blog-ring. For those who are interested dr. strangelove is on tonight at midnight on tcm.
ReplyDeleteI hope I can still put my two cents in after a year and a half absence. My top three is the asphalt jungle, the seventh seal, and dr. strangelove.
Glad to see the blog-ring is alive and well. I hope your new job is going well and my former classmates adjusted to college life.
Please forgive me for being so ignorant but why was the plague such a timely topic in 1957? I used to pride myself on my ability to answer questions like that so apparently I have lost my gift
ReplyDeletePerhaps my question was poorly phrased and caused you to think in terms of some modern micro-bacterium. The over-arching theme is not illness, but rather human extinction. I'm sure you know the answer now.
ReplyDeleteOh, how rude of me. Great to hear from you, Danny. I saw your Mom recently and asked her to convey my warmest felicitations. Can you believe I'm back at Tech after all that fuss overy my "retirement?" Fortunately, they haven't asked me to return the watch they gave me. I sneak in and teach first period every morning, so I'm figuring half the staff doesn't even know I'm back. Not only that, but the staff is so littered with new teachers, most of them barely out of their knickers, that it is all meaningless anyway. I had the chilling experience of having a young and rather attractive new teacher literally look right through me the other day as she walked past. I was going to accost her and inform her of my exalted status, but I was out of breath from ascending a flight of stairs.
ReplyDeleteI just saw a few scenes from Asphalt Jungle myself, on TCM. But then I turned it off to watch the HBO series, "The Pacific," which was based on one of the greatest war memiors every written, "With the Old Breed" by E.B. Sledge. I recommend both the book and the HBO series very highly.
My apologies for going awol for the past year and a half. It's always a pleasure to hear from you Mr. Bennett.
ReplyDeleteThank you for elaborating on your plague question. I am ashamed to say that I could not read between the lines. The answer is now obvious.
Will you continue teaching film or history next semester and beyond?
I was indeed thinking in terms of diseases and epidemics in 1957. I was so focused on insignificant details I missed the big picture.
ReplyDeleteDanny White!! He's back! I always appreciate seeing your name attached to a comment because I know it will be so enjoyable. And Mr. Bennett, when I go back to Tech I will make sure that the administration create a bronze bust of you (echoing that of Lenin's) and this way no new teacher will ever "look through you."
ReplyDeleteBut Danny, if you read this, I hope you are doing well. I assume that Facebook group never got 251 members so you haven't made a Facebook and thus you are very difficult to keep in contact with. However, I hope we cross paths someday soon. I always enjoy your wisdom and humor!
Also, if anyone is interested. Looking back on my posts from a year and a half ago, my four favorite films were:
ReplyDelete4) The Seventh Seal
3) Dark City
2) Runaway Train
1) The Asphalt Jungle
I think they were all awesome films and if I had a chance to watch them all again, this would be the order I would watch them in. They are all outstanding film so it is hard to choose a favorite but these stood out and I believe that our class was the first that actually adequately appreciated Asphalt Jungle. I'm glad to hear of another successful semester. Good luck Mr. Bennett with whatever you are doing next semester at your new job. And to the seniors, good luck in college and enjoy the ride!