It happens every year at about this time: after the release of a multitude of “must-see” movies in preparation for the awards season, there comes a period when the studios dump on the theatre screens an even greater number of films that are met with both critical and audience disapproval.
At the moment, with very few exceptions, there is little enticing cinematic fare to draw film fans from the comfort of the couch where they can explore through the convenience of television, unless they are still trying to catch up with the Oscar nominations.
How should the cinema enthusiast deal with this? Well, for me, the answer is simple. I watch films I have already seen through the agency of DVDs.
Many people do not realize that their local public library offers a wide range of films on DVD – films that can be borrowed for a week. I am familiar with this service in a number of municipalities and am impressed with the film riches to be found on library shelves.
Of course, many will say that they have already seen a film, so they may wonder why they should bother to see it again. This is an odd response. After all, we all have taken delight in looking at a favourite picture or listening to a piece of music several times. And certainly a good film, an example of a complex art form, amply repays a multitude of viewings.
I am therefore taking this opportunity of a lull in attractive films in new release to recommend some films I have returned to again and again with ever increasing enjoyment. There is not one film on the list that I have not seen at least 20 times.
I am often asked which films is my favourite of all time. The answer is absolutely Citizen Kane.
This is a film which is rich in all aspects of cinema: direction, cinematography, editing, music, and acting. After at least 100 viewings, I still am enthralled by the skill that Orson Welles and his crew lavished on it.
Many people have surprised me by saying that they have found it to be boring. I don’t think they have given it a chance. However, if they are looking for something more accessible, the cheerful delights of Singing in the Rain never fail in their appeal. Simultaneously a musical with catchy songs, an amusing look at the transfer from silent to sound films, and a truly comical story line, it can cheer up the most dismal of days.
Equally entertaining is the British film, Tom Jones. A ravishingly beautiful portrait of 18th-century Britain, with everyone included from the poor to the rich, from the city to the country, from the virtuous to the sinful, it’s a rollicking entertainment – and a superb example of cinematic art. It’s worth seeing for the fox-hunting scene alone.
If anyone is looking for something more serious, they might turn to The Third Man, a compelling portrait of post-war Vienna, wrapped up in a mystery and a crime story. Most famous for its atmospheric zither music score, the chase through sewers, and its superb black-and-white photography, it is a film which grippingly plunges one into a world of intrigue and conflicting values.
And while we are in the world of black and white cinema, why not visit Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Yes, it has sexual and linguistic concerns, but its ultimate message of the necessity of facing and accepting reality, rather than resorting to a world of illusion and escapism, is always relevant. The acting of the four stars is truly memorable.
Equally relevant in an entirely different way are The Bridge on the River Kwai and All the President’s Men. The former is at once a gripping story of men conflicted by their ideals and an impressive condemnation of the folly of war, while the latter is also not only superbly made but, in light of recent political developments, an account of another significant chapter in American politics.
Finally, in what necessarily must be a short list, nothing could be more universally entertaining than The Shawshank Redemption. Intricately plotted, brilliantly filmed, and engagingly acted, this is indeed a film of which one can never tire.
Of course, there are a multitude of other titles for which space does not permit further comment, but of which perhaps a mention is all that is necessary. High among my film favourites in the realm of comedy are Blazing Saddles, A Thousand Clowns, and Murder by Death; in dramas, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Player, and The Pawnbroker; and in the foreign film category, Wild Strawberries and Amarcord.
Each filmgoer will come up with his or her own list, and some may question why I have not included thrillers such as Hitchcock’s Vertigo, or Kubrick’s The Shining – rated by many as among the greatest horror films ever made, but which, despite repeated viewings, I have found boring.
Others may suggest the comedy Some Like It Hot – for me a one-joke movie that merits only one viewing.
In the end, it all comes down to one’s personal taste. The fact remains that a multitude of old films amply repay revisiting. It one can do it at Christmas with It’s a Wonderful Life, then one can do it in the dreary winter months with films which one enjoyed in the past or which one simply failed to see when they were released.
So take a visit to your local library and browse the shelves to find for yourself enjoyment of the riches they contain.
The West Coast Symphony Orchestra is presenting Rhapsody in Blue and Carmina Burana on Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. at the Orpheum theatre. Entry by donation. This promises to be a truly exciting concert that will be enjoyed by people of all ages and tastes.
