Taking in a Movie Show

I had a moment the other day. I was nearing the check-out stand in the grocery store when I rammed my pull-cart into a basket of $6.99 movies. I did a quick scan of the titles before deducing they were flics I had no desire to see again. As I rolled my groceries towards the conveyer belt I had a terrible thought: what’s the point of making a film if its final destination is a discount bin at your local grocer? Like I said, I was having a moment.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm one of those people who loves movies, but more than loves them, I believe in them. Great films are analogous to great works of art. Every viewer has a different experience screening a film: some relate, some recoil, some find the humour, some see the humanity, some take away little from its message, some sit awestruck when the screen finally fades to black. But no matter the reaction, like all great works of art, films matter because films change people.

It wasn’t long after my 'little moment' in the grocery store that life (or should I say TV) provided me with the answer to my earlier question. Nursing a summer cold I curled-up on the couch to discover a movie marathon on Turner Classic Movies. They were screening 24 hours of Katherine Hepburn films. So I watched... in rapture. Oh Katherine Hepburn, where have you been all my life? Well, it turns out she’s been there all along, her movie career lasted 73 years in fact, but I’d obviously been unaware of a large portion of it.

Just when I needed a girl like her to shake me out of my pessimistic wannabe filmmaker's dilemma, there she was in front of me: luminous, understated, extremely gifted; more of a human being than a pretentious actor. Katherine was enough to nurse me through my summer cold (with the added help of another special someone) and wake me out of my glum, ho-hum, movie slump.

Her movies got me thinking about all the other old films that have affected me. Films that show a different, less glamorous side of screen legends. Films that exemplify the delicate craftsmanship of filmmaking.

Films that make a difference, each time a person sits down to watch one.

So watch.

Adam's Rib (1949 - George Cukor)

Often times when people think of classic films (especially young people), they think them sentimental and out of date. Well here's a film that is neither things. Adam's Rib brilliantly showcases the sharp wit and charisma between two greats: Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, and manages to take on the battle of the sexes all at the same time.

Two lawyers go head to head in the courtroom, arguing a case where women's rights and discrimination are on the line. That's right, a film shot in 1949 talking women's lib pre bra-burning. And who better to take on such a topic than the remarkable Hepburn.

This film, like all great classics, is just as intelligent and timely as the day it was shot.

Lilies of the Field (1963 - Ralph Nelson)

If there was a man for me (there isn't), Sidney Poitier would be the one (I know, James Dean is coming up fast in this column, but don't worry, I'll get to him). Sidney in another life would absolutely be the one for me, but alas, he's not. Instead he's one of the most brilliant actors to scorch the movie screen, and Lilies of the Field is the perfect venue to showcase his acting chops.

Once you've seen his work, you won't be able to help yourself from comparing him to other less talented, present day actors. Poitier is the real deal, and Lilies is an excellent film. Rent it.

East of Eden (1955 - Elia Kazan)

James Dean only made three films. (I'm sure you knew that). And he made all three of them in one year. Considering his very fast and short career, it's crazy how famous he is, even today.

But how many of you have actually seen more of him than a photograph, or his handsome face on a poster?

The first time I heard Dean speak in Rebel Without a Cause I was struck by how strange he sounded compared to his image (have you ever noticed that the young Marlon Brando sounds just like Billy Crystal if you close your eyes?). James is so soft spoken, so subtle, so dramatic, so internally conflicted. He breaths life into his roles, when he's not saying anything. That's a great actor.

East of Eden is a perfect film. It's thoughtful, it's beautifully directed by Eli Kazan and the script is masterful. Based on a John Steinbeck novel, East of Eden is my favourite James Dean film. And one of the best classics out there.

The Misfits (1961 - John Huston)

I'm saving a real treat of a film for last. Like Dean, Marylin Monroe is a screen legend, and yet I don't think there's a film out there that does more to show off her superior acting range than this film.

The Misfits takes two legends, Clark Gable and Marylin Monroe, and de-glamourizes them, so you finally have a chance to focus on their talent, rather than their stature.

Marylin's acting is so much more complex in this film than her previous forays. And Montgomery Clift and the rest of the supporting cast are exceptional.

It's obvious to me that only a director like John Houston could have wrangled up such strong performances from these already great actors. See this film, and then tell me Marylin is just a pretty face.

It Happened One Night (1934 - Frank Capra)
The Thin Man (1934 - W.S. Van Dyke)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966 - Mike Nichols)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958 - Richard Brooks)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962 - Robert Aldrich)
All About Eve (1950 - Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
The Hustler (1961 - Robert Rossen)

Want more movie reviews? Check out Kiki's previous picks: