I’ve been trying to get my sisters into classic movies for a couple decades now. I have failed utterly. Their objections are:
- The acting is stagey.
- Who can get over the black and white?
- Just as technology has improved, so have the films using it.
I have to give some share of the blame to my mother, who has a weakness for Hayley Mills Disney flicks and insisted the three of us view them as kids; Pollyanna, That Darn Cat! and The Parent Trap may have done irreparable damage. Mom tried to make up for these deplorable choices with some Shirley Temple movies and The Song of Bernadette, but though these films represented a qualitative improvement, they still didn’t demonstrate any perceptiveness about her children’s likely preferences.*
Hayley is calling for help, as am I.
Some of the blame for my sisters’ hostility toward classic film must go to my father too, as he shares his daughters’ innate sarcasm and should have known to discourage the viewing of such sugary slosh, which would shade their opinion of all classic movies thereafter. (Had I not caught a five-minute clip of Ball of Fire as a teen and been lured into AMC addiction, I might possess my sisters’ baffling convictions myself.)
Luckily, my sister Rachel wants me to watch Breaking Bad so much that she has accepted a trade: I watch the show; she watches 10 classic films.
In terms of time, of course, this is not a fair exchange, as Rachel knows me well enough to predict I’ll be sucked into all five seasons. However, I am desperate enough to go along.
I’m sure you can see what’s at stake here: this is my best chance, possibly my only one in the (hopefully) decades left until I croak. Would anyone who either knows my sister or these films weigh in with advice on or alternatives to my tentative list?
My choices are based on my sister’s love for sports films; interest in the media, crime, and politics; sense of humor; and previous film favorites. Since she hates stagey acting, I’m a little hesitant about melodramas not of the dark variety—Sweet Smell of Success, perhaps; Grand Hotel, not so much. I’m thinking of James Garfield, Barbara Stanwyck, and their ilk for acting style—the more natural, the better. Rachel lists the following as among her favorite movies: The Big Lebowski, Absence of Malice, …And Justice for All, Good Will Hunting, Shawshank Redemption, Office Space, Ordinary People, Il Postino, Some Kind of Wonderful, and The Legend of Billy Jean.
One note: I’m better at predicting her taste in dramas than comedies, as she tends to be annoyed by my love for broad humor. She’s appreciated my Coen brothers and Arrested Development recs, but is disturbed by my appreciation for Judd Apatow.
Here’s my first try, with options (in no particular order):
- Scarface (1932) (since a remake, she might be interested)
- Ace in the Hole (since she liked The Paper)
- Notorious/Shadow of a Doubt (both reminded me of My Cousin Rachel, a Daphne du Maurier book she liked—I don’t think she’d appreciate the du Maurier adaptations)
- 3:10 to Yuma (for the Glenn Ford-Van Heflin interchange)
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (since she’s into politics)
- His Girl Friday (she’s seen Switching Channels and likes good dialogue)
- It Happened One Night/The Awful Truth/Libeled Lady/The Lady Eve (Which one???)
- On the Waterfront (as she likes some of Brando’s admirers)
- Hud/Out of the Past (since she likes Paul Newman, and might appreciate the style & looks of Robert Mitchum)
- The Third Man (perhaps iffy–I can’t come up with plot objections, but she really hated Citizen Kane and might therefore dislike Orson Welles.)
Films I haven’t seen yet she might like: Body and Soul, M, or possibly a noir such as Kiss Me Deadly or They Live by Night. I worry about any films with bad acting, as that will confirm her prejudice against old films. She couldn’t get past the mysteries’ quality in Psych, so I have no hopes for her with The Thin Man.
Any help you can give me?
*I should admit that Mom may have some odd favorites, but she is willing to read about all of mine; she has been my most loyal blog reader.
What about The Apartment? I’m also thinking of 12 Angry Men, but I saw that 15-20 years ago– I don’t remember it all that well.
Or Cat on a Hot Tin Roof? It’s literally stagey– in that it is an adaptation of a play– but that’s different than what you’re talking about.
Thanks, Meagan! I think 12 Angry Men is a great idea–I’ll check to see if she’s seen it. The Apartment I liked, but I’m not sure I would have when I first started watching classic films. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof IS fun. And lots of eye candy:)
Ooh, this is tough! I definitely support starting with the shameless eye candy approach, if she’s demonstrated an interest in Newman and Brando. Cat, Cool Hand Luke, Long Hot Summer—hoo boy… Waterfront, maybe Streetcar—as a bridge between Brando’s more modern naturalistic acting styles against Leigh’s stagey presence. Maybe add some Montgomery Clift or Gregory Peck?
Something like M, Rebecca, or another Gothic-y horror where the black and white really enhances the ambiance of the film?
Hope it works! I really liked Breaking Bad too, for what it’s worth 🙂
It’s true. Much easier to go right with that than other choices, isn’t it?:) You’re right–Gregory Peck might be a good choice for her, and possibly Montgomery Clift. Thanks, Emily! Leah
My heart aches for you. I’m the eldest of four sisters, but we were raised as movie buffs. There’s always somebody to talk to. I did that trade-off thing with my daughter as she got older (she’s now 23). She was crazy for William Powell in anything, so “The Thin Man” was easy. I’m just now getting to watch “Psych” with me.
Meagan’s suggestion of “12 Angry Men” has always worked for me. My daughter has used Hitchcock to force her peers to watch some older films: “Foreign Correspondent” worked. She also had success with “Laura” and “White Heat”.
Some titles to consider: “Adam’s Rib”, “The Big Heat”, “The Manchurian Candidate”, “The Best Man”, “The Set-Up” and maybe something from Preston Sturges.
I’m awfully glad you ran into “Ball of Fire” that day!
Thanks, Patricia! These are great suggestions. Two of my aunts were very into movies, and they did succeed with the movie buff conversion as far as newer flicks went–it’s the oldies they never really won much ground with. But it truly is wonderful for me to have found in friends and now fellow bloggers the same love for classic films I have. Thank you. I’m glad too:)
I would try 1 Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, like you said about politics.
2 I would then sweep her into the magic of Cagney with Angels With Dirty Faces and let her see the good and bad we all have within us.
3 I would then try try Gentlemen Jim to appeal to her sports film enthusiasm.
4 I would then try the classic Inherit The Wind that includes a combination of politics and courtroom drama.
5 I would then try a comedy It’s Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, if you don’t like this and laugh, you just aren’t human 🙂
6 I would then show her Notorious, classic Hitchcock.
7 Then try West Side Story a musical it’s great and it’s in color, why that matters I just don’t know 🙂 .
8 The Music Box, Laurel and Hardy, it’s funny and only 30 minutes.
9 Try Edison The Man with Tracy, although it fudges a bit, why not learn some history and be inspired as well.
10 Pride Of The Marines, it has heart felt dialogue.
11 Try Stalag 17, to appeal to her Shawshank a little.
12 Finish it up with Harvey and Stewart, a comedy that touches the human heart and also makes us reexamine ourselves as human beings. We all need to do that once in awhile.
If all this fails. steer her to this Honeymooners episode, I love the way Ralph says Rachel here lol … 🙂
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rbJNyGbFNRo
I think I want to follow this list to the letter myself.:) I’ve never seen Stalag 17; it sounds excellent from the description I’m seeing. Thank you, John! Excellent, thoughtful list. Leah
Think you’ve got your work cut out for you! I’ve given up persuading my boyf to watch classic films with me but I did entice him into The Philadelphia Story, which shares a lot of His Girl Friday’s merits but I think is a bit more accessible.
I think a Brando could also be a good option – I second Emily’s idea of Waterfront, although if it’s all getting a bit b+w biased, maybe Rebel Without A Cause? Surely she can’t fail but be enticed by (the tragic!) James Dean?!
For the films you suggest in no. 7, for me it would be either It Happened One Night or The Lady Eve. Just warn her about ‘Lady Eve’s’ dodgy accent 😉
Last suggestion, and perhaps a wild card: Some Like It Hot
Thank you! I think you’re right that I should introduce more color, and about Brando’s broad-based appeal. She did see Streetcar with him in it and liked him if not it, so there’s potential there:) Interesting that Philadelphia Story worked. I hadn’t thought of that, but you may be right that it’s more accessible. My husband was hesitant about classic comedies, so we started with gangster films and westerns. He surprised me by wanting to try silents and likes The General best of everything he’s seen. I’m only now thinking I can try some comedies with him–funny that silents would come first, but then, any action fan has to admire Keaton.:) If I win over someone as stubborn as my sister, maybe you have hope with your boyfriend?:) Leah
First, I think your Mom and I would get along, as I’m a big fan of POLLYANNA and THE PARENT TRAP. As for a classic movie for a non-fan, I have always had great luck with THE COURT JESTER.
I’ll let her know others share her Mills affection:) I’ve never seen that one! I’ll have to check it out. Thanks! Leah