(very) old movies

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Mentaculus
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Re: (very) old movies

Post by Mentaculus »

Maaxwell wrote:In my experience, the vast majority of people my age (28) and younger have barely seen and have zero interest in watching "older" movies - as in anything before 1980 (Disney films and a handful of classics aside). When I ask, they tend to be worried most of all that it won't be engaging for them.


We had this joke in my undergraduate film studies: movies began in 1993.

There's not something wrong with you, of course, but IMO the more I get into "old" movies the more I find universal themes and ideas and characters that speak to me - because good stories are not time-bound. (But my wife often chides me when she comes home and I'm watching a silent film by myself, since this is my idea of a good time, now. I'm off in the other ditch for the most part.)

If you want to "ease in" to "old" movies to test the waters (and I know you didn't ask, but I feel the urge to proselytize), I recommend the approaches of some artists over individual films:
I first recommend Hitchcock. His approach is still (debatably) modern.
Lubitsch, already recommended by Bartbaard, proves sex was a thing in black and white.
Howard Hawks was behind some for classic comedies and westerns, and his pictures are often brisk.
The themes in Billy Wilder's films often help them feel like they were made yesterday.

Those are often my gateway drugs for friends of a similar inclination.

coffee
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Re: (very) old movies

Post by coffee »

To my opinion, there actually is something wrong with the OP. I can't diagnose from a couple sentences though. That user should see a professional.

What makes a person not be able to watch films older than 30 years?

My guess is father issues but of course it might be anything.

BillyShears
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Re: (very) old movies

Post by BillyShears »

I won’t watch anything made before Dracula 2000.

Luna6ix
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Re: (very) old movies

Post by Luna6ix »

gabba2k7 wrote:i cannot watch old movies. my system requirements: at least 80ies

is there something wrong with me?


Based off your ratings and what you've said, I don't think you've really given them a fair shake. To say you can't just because you have no desire to try sounds like a cop out to me.

But to answer your question, no there's nothing wrong with you, this mentality is pretty prevailant among kids these days. My kids are pretty closed minded, they basically gag at the prospect of any music or movies that was made pre-2000's. Yet pretty much every old movie I've made them watch, they've loved.

Among the general younger population, you're pretty normal. But your asking this on a website full of movie buffs, among the people on here, this is pretty abnormal. In my opinion, immediately exclude seven decades of movies from your to-watch list is a crippling deficit. Kind of like really being a foodie, but arbitrarily deciding to only eat American food, there's bound to be stuff out there you'll never know your missing.

90sCoffee
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Re: (very) old movies

Post by 90sCoffee »

I refuse to watch anything before 1931, what can I say I'm a post-20s elitist :ugeek:

VinegarBob
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Re: (very) old movies

Post by VinegarBob »

If you want to see the very best that cinema has to offer you really owe it to yourself to venture back to the 50s or at the very least the 60s. The 60s was phenomenal. Lots of innovation and experimentation. This spirit of adventure carried on into the the 70s which was also amazing. But with the mid to late 70s the arrival of the blockbuster changed the way a lot of films were made and how a lot of studios were run. It became more commercialized and less interesting and was only innovative in terms of special effects and stunts. I'm generalizing here - there are great films in every decade, especially if you're willing to watch stuff that's not in the English language, but some decades are clearly better than others. And if you want intellectually stimulating films the 50s-70s is where you want to spend most of your time.

Some of the greatest directors who ever lived did some of their best films in the 50s - Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman, Satyajit Ray, Robert Bresson, hell one of Stanley Kubrick's best films - Paths of Glory - was from the 50s. Those directors kept making great films into the 60s and 70s. Andrei Tarkovsky did his best work in the 70s - and his best work is about as good as films get imo.

By the time the 80s rolled around most of these directors were dead or had left their best work behind them. They were replaced by a new generation of directors who had been to film school and were keen to show off their bag of tricks, so there was a lot more 'style over substance' films as they flexed their cinematic muscles. Films became more flashy and ostentatious - Scorsese was doing stuff like The Color of Money, with it's hyperactive style and Spielberg was doing Raiders movies with outrageous stunt work. There were interesting directors like Davids Lynch and Cronenberg, and Werners Fassbinder and Herzog but thought provoking films were thinner on the ground. This continued on into the 90s where you had to work harder and dig deeper to find them.

I suppose it depends what you want from films. If you just can't get enough action then the late 80s and into the 90s was great. HK action cinema was at it's height, with John Woo strutting his stuff and Arnie and Stallone were doing their thing. There are great comedies from that era too, but as time goes by there's less and less challenging material out there and more and more empty spectacle. I guess the more films you see and the older you get the more you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Sorry for rambling...got a bit carried away there. Haven't posted anything in a while and haven't seen any truly great films in years. I'm off to re-watch Persona.

MortSahlFan
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Re: (very) old movies

Post by MortSahlFan »

I was born in the early 80s, but 99% of what I love was created before I was born. They're just better. We only have so much time - go with the probabilities.

Velvet Crowe
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Re: (very) old movies

Post by Velvet Crowe »

I think you should be careful with how you give praise to the industry of the past because films were still a product. While it is true that films had become more "flashy," it'd be disingenuous to say that the industry at the time wasn't concerned with profit or marketability. It's why Hollywood in the 50's and 60's churned out huge musicals that tried to have a little bit of something for everyone in order to attract a broad audience. It's also noteworthy to consider a lot of films in the past have tried to capitalize on contemporary political attitudes in a similar way we do today. For example, films like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "The Manchurian Candidate" were undeniably functioning off of Cold War paranoia, or at least the appeal of these films was. I feel you're viewing the era with Rose tinted glasses.

A lot of films of that era were schlocky and lacking in substance as many films do today, although by different means. I certainly wouldn't put films like "Rat Race" or "A Very Special Favor" on some pedestal for "thought provoking" high art.

chmul_cr0n
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Re: (very) old movies

Post by chmul_cr0n »

gabba2k7 wrote:
Gabba, are you looking for suggestions?
no tnx. was trying to find out if it is strange that i dont want to watch pre 80ies movies.

Nothing strange about having your own taste.
And you certainly don't owe it to anyone to watch movies you have no interest in watching. It's very likely you're missing out on some stuff you're really gonna like, but you also might not be, who knows.

My guess is that someday you're gonna start going backwards in film history anyway, due to upcoming curiosity about your favorite genres, actors, directors, composers, whathaveyou...

gabba2k7
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Re: (very) old movies

Post by gabba2k7 »

Luna6ix wrote:

I don't think you've really given them a fair shake. .


neither do i. but i meant that i cannot do it 'physically'. i dunno why exactly, can only assume (1) they just feel off, unnatural, non authentic (2) audiovisuals, production quality etc is perceived as low compared to what we get used to

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