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It is always a lot harder to see an old movie if you have only been, like me, a movie fanatic for the past ten years. It demands a certain surrendering and adjustment to really appreciate a classic movie, because the pace and standards are so different compared to modern day films. I decided to set aside all knowledge of modern films (say: films released in the past thirty years) and dive into the classics I heard so much about, without actually having seen them. In my quest, I shall concentrate (though some may call this a serious restriction) on classic American cinema. I will try to discuss one work of the rich classic American cinema pallet each month.
CITIZEN KANE (1941)
What better way to start this series about Classic American Cinema, than with the magnus opus of my *cough* namesake Orson Welles: Citizen Kane? This 1941 black and white movie is a remarkable achievement, considering the impact the film had on modern storytelling and editing. Even more amazing is that this film, which many modern film critics regard as the best film ever made, was co-written and directed by Welles at the age of 25. Throughout the story, which is loaded with flash-backs, the history, live and loves of Charles Forrester Kane are unveiled.
KING KONG (1933)
The problem with watching classics, such as the ultimate monster film King Kong, is that since it has gained the status of classic you feel an incredible urge to actually like the movie. Another problem is that you constantly start to compare a classic by modern standards, which is an unfair combination. The only way to watch a film such as King Kong, is to clear your mind and try to see it through 1933 eyes. At the time, people ran out of the cinema screaming from fear, believing the giant gorilla was real. Taking this into account, the scene in which Kong is shown to the audience after he was brought to New York as ‘the eighth wonder of the world’, was one with a predicting vision.
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953)
The War of the Worlds is based on the famous novel by H.G. Wells dating from 1898, who also wrote The Time Machine and focuses on a new fear and threat for humanity: an alien invasion. This subject may not be completely new if you’d see it in the light of recent films, such as Independence Day and even Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but back in 1953 it had an incredible impact on its audience. World War II had stopped only eight years ago and the Cold War was beginning to emerge. The concept of alien live and alien invasion was established some years earlier with the rather successful release of The Day the Earth Stood Still in 1951, although this film had a slightly different and more peaceful (yet moralist) message to the earth: live in peace, otherwise we aliens have to destroy your green planet that is causing a threat to our existence.
REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
James Dean only made three films. A lot of people think that’s it, forgetting that Dean did a lot of TV work before his major motion picture successes. The role of Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause is one of the most interesting parts the actor has played. Although his acting in it is pretty decent, the major excellence of this film lies in its director, Nicholas Ray and the truly remarkable and clever screenplay by Stewart Stern.
Arjan Welles (213 posts)Arjan Welles - law graduate. I work at a bank, I work as a film critic for Dutch and English media. My favorite directors are David Lynch, David Fincher, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino. I love arthouse over blockbusters.
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