March 22, 2011
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Old School Hollywood
I’ve always been quite the movie buff, but have never gotten into old movies. And by old, I mean, prior to about 1975. In fact, I can count on one hand how many pre 1975 movies I’ve seen all the way through. Let’s see. The Godfather, Citizen Kane, A Clockwork Orange and………well, I think that is it. Honestly, how can I consider myself a film buff if I haven’t seen many older, classic movies. So, I’ve kind of made it a goal of mine to see more of the classics. I should also clarify that I have seen most but not all of some other classic films, like Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Sound of Music, Wizard of Oz and Psycho. Of those movies, the one I liked the most was by far and away Psycho, I mean after all, Alfred Hitchcock is nothing short of amazing.
So it was with that in mind that recently I watched the 1951 Hitchcock classic, Strangers on a Train. I first heard of Strangers on a Train from the 1987 Danny DeVito hit Throw Mama From the Train which was basically, a loosely based comedic remake of Strangers on a Train. I’ve long been curious about Hitchcock, seeing the original Psycho only about 8 or so years ago, however since I was a kid, I’ve always been familiar with his show Alfred Hitchcock Presents. I really liked Psycho, so it would stand to reason that I would like some of his other movies.
Strangers on a Train was simply amazing in my opinion. I was wondering how well some of those classic movies would hold up today and honestly, Strangers was every bit as intense and captivating as the best movies we have to offer today. There is really nobody even close to being like him these days. Oh sure, M. Knight Shyamalan made a classic in The Sixth Sense along with a couple of other movies that were a little better than average, but he hasn’t made a halfway decent movie in the better part of a decade. They called Hitchcock the master of suspense and I can certainly see why. I was on the edge of my seat for much of that movie.
So I need to move on and see some more older movies, perhaps Casablanca or Gone with the Wind but definitely more Hitchcock. I’ve always wanted to see The Birds, Dial M for Murder, Vertigo and North by Northwest.
Comments (3)
The Birds is really good!!! I saw this with my dad as a kid and it freaked me out. Then i saw it again as an adult and it’s really a great movie. Watch that one next!
I don’t like most old movies. If it’s between 1960 and 1995, the cinematography usually gives me a headache. But I like some classics, like Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, etc. REALLY old ones.
I’ve never really been into old movies either, but figured if I want to consider myself a movie buff than I really need to start seeing some of the classics and see what made them so great. I’ve always been interested in filmaking and to see how some of those older films were made is interesting to me. Plus, everything has been done to death so many of todays films are just rehashing older films or older ideas for movies. It’s not to say that there are not great films being made today, it’s just that there are so many coming out that an overwhelming majority of them kind of suck. I think I’m going to put Gone With The Wind on my list to see next; it was my mother’s favorite movie.