I judged a movie by how many scenes could be cut and the movie could still play. Some movies are so awful, the entire film could be cut and the world would still spin, maybe better. But there is only one movie where I would not cut a single scene: Casablanca. In my mind, it’s the best movie ever made…
Love the research! A lot of these films are touted as classics but as you suggest, don't mean much to younger audiences. I spent the last few decades teaching film and have seen young people's interest in older films diminish considerably over time. Many view anything before 2020 as "old." They've just grown up with a different sense of what a "good" movie is.
I don't think it's odd that 'A Trip to the Moon' is over-rated compared to its peers. It's kinda the 'Mona Lisa' of the silent era - one of a few surviving masterpieces from an outstanding visionary. Both are works re-appropriated from their home countries and became key pieces within a significant cultural institution (this time, MoMA in New York).
'Moon' gained further allure when they discovered a new print at the turn of the millennium and its subsequent journey to being restored (similar to 'Metropolis' btw). It received enduring pop-cultural reverence with the Smashing Pumpkins 'Tonight, Tonight' music video. A few years later, Scorcese turned his camera to Méliès in 'Hugo, ' which garnered him even more notoriety.
Practically (cynically), it's much easier to sit through and tick off a 14-minute video on YouTube than most others on a best-of-list.
Being a film layman, I did not realize that New Hollywood was dated to 1967, the year I was born. I'd thought it was earlier... since the Wild One came out in 53 (yes?) and Brando the biggest influence (actor wise) on New Hollywood.
All that said, it was a bit of an epiphany for me to consider that my entire life, and therefore my formative first decades, were solidly within this new pop-culture milieu. It wasn't just movies... but music, science fiction (you know, books), comics... all of which I consumed voraciously (and still do if not quite so heartily)... all of this was shaped by this shifting of pop-culture from something very produced and commodified, into something that embraced counter-culture, being topical... having a message.
Comic books started addressing social issues, drug use, etc. Punk, post-punk, new wave and alternative rock... it was fucking important, thank you very much. Science fiction embraced a wave of writers moving away from typical white-male military industrial complex IN SPACEEEEEE.
Being someone who basically absorbed a couple of formative decades of "pop culture is serious stuff" really shaped me. While I may have struggled in the '90s and early 2000s to adjust my tastes, there was still a lot of strong, "serious" pop-culture output. 1999 is arguably the greatest year for cinema ever.
But I think post-internet/social media (late 2000's?) pop-culture seemed to take on of post-post-modern, post-irony, meme mentality that I struggle with, becuase it lacks... sincerity. It lacks... art. Disney slop is certainly part of it... (back to that pre New Hollywood studio formulaic mode?) But it is also the conditioning of the audience via social media. Anything reaching public consciousness is either shaped for a particular fan bubble, or it is done with a wink and nod "I know this is silly but let's all just have some fun" kind of attitude. An "I need to acknowledge the social media thrashing I'm going to take from the keyboard warriors" mentality baked into the creation.
Is "timeless" even possible in this fractured, deconstructed environment?
Creators are caught not just by studio gate keepers, but entitled internet audiences who demand "a certain thing." Movies... as cinema has taken such a beating in the last decade... are rarely if ever the zeitgeist any longer. They are either straight to Netflix pablum, or they are narrow pieces of art like "The Brutalist" that are amazing in isolation but will have zero social impact. I don't think either "The Brutalist" or "The Gorge" will be watched and reviewed a decade from now... both entertaining examples of theses extremes.
It seems like TV sereis are where "serious pop culture" happens most, these days. A ton of crap, for sure, but shows like Severence feel like the real moments are... sincere, subversive, serious. A rarity that I don't think we see on the big screen any longer.
Casablanca gets a small boost from being featured in the movie, "When Harry Met Sally". It also has memorable quotes:
“I'm shocked, shocked, to find that gambling is going on in here."
"Your winnings, sir"
“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
I judged a movie by how many scenes could be cut and the movie could still play. Some movies are so awful, the entire film could be cut and the world would still spin, maybe better. But there is only one movie where I would not cut a single scene: Casablanca. In my mind, it’s the best movie ever made…
This is Fairuza Balk erasure.
Love the research! A lot of these films are touted as classics but as you suggest, don't mean much to younger audiences. I spent the last few decades teaching film and have seen young people's interest in older films diminish considerably over time. Many view anything before 2020 as "old." They've just grown up with a different sense of what a "good" movie is.
I don't think it's odd that 'A Trip to the Moon' is over-rated compared to its peers. It's kinda the 'Mona Lisa' of the silent era - one of a few surviving masterpieces from an outstanding visionary. Both are works re-appropriated from their home countries and became key pieces within a significant cultural institution (this time, MoMA in New York).
'Moon' gained further allure when they discovered a new print at the turn of the millennium and its subsequent journey to being restored (similar to 'Metropolis' btw). It received enduring pop-cultural reverence with the Smashing Pumpkins 'Tonight, Tonight' music video. A few years later, Scorcese turned his camera to Méliès in 'Hugo, ' which garnered him even more notoriety.
Practically (cynically), it's much easier to sit through and tick off a 14-minute video on YouTube than most others on a best-of-list.
Being a film layman, I did not realize that New Hollywood was dated to 1967, the year I was born. I'd thought it was earlier... since the Wild One came out in 53 (yes?) and Brando the biggest influence (actor wise) on New Hollywood.
All that said, it was a bit of an epiphany for me to consider that my entire life, and therefore my formative first decades, were solidly within this new pop-culture milieu. It wasn't just movies... but music, science fiction (you know, books), comics... all of which I consumed voraciously (and still do if not quite so heartily)... all of this was shaped by this shifting of pop-culture from something very produced and commodified, into something that embraced counter-culture, being topical... having a message.
Comic books started addressing social issues, drug use, etc. Punk, post-punk, new wave and alternative rock... it was fucking important, thank you very much. Science fiction embraced a wave of writers moving away from typical white-male military industrial complex IN SPACEEEEEE.
Being someone who basically absorbed a couple of formative decades of "pop culture is serious stuff" really shaped me. While I may have struggled in the '90s and early 2000s to adjust my tastes, there was still a lot of strong, "serious" pop-culture output. 1999 is arguably the greatest year for cinema ever.
But I think post-internet/social media (late 2000's?) pop-culture seemed to take on of post-post-modern, post-irony, meme mentality that I struggle with, becuase it lacks... sincerity. It lacks... art. Disney slop is certainly part of it... (back to that pre New Hollywood studio formulaic mode?) But it is also the conditioning of the audience via social media. Anything reaching public consciousness is either shaped for a particular fan bubble, or it is done with a wink and nod "I know this is silly but let's all just have some fun" kind of attitude. An "I need to acknowledge the social media thrashing I'm going to take from the keyboard warriors" mentality baked into the creation.
Is "timeless" even possible in this fractured, deconstructed environment?
Creators are caught not just by studio gate keepers, but entitled internet audiences who demand "a certain thing." Movies... as cinema has taken such a beating in the last decade... are rarely if ever the zeitgeist any longer. They are either straight to Netflix pablum, or they are narrow pieces of art like "The Brutalist" that are amazing in isolation but will have zero social impact. I don't think either "The Brutalist" or "The Gorge" will be watched and reviewed a decade from now... both entertaining examples of theses extremes.
It seems like TV sereis are where "serious pop culture" happens most, these days. A ton of crap, for sure, but shows like Severence feel like the real moments are... sincere, subversive, serious. A rarity that I don't think we see on the big screen any longer.