The Bicycle Thief

THE BICYCLE THIEF (BLACK AND WHITE, 1948)

Director: 

Vittorio De Sica

Cast: 

Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola, Lianella Carell, Gino Saltermerenda, Vittiro Antonucci and Elena Altieri

Ages: 

10 and up

Language:
Italian

Plot: 

Antonio (Maggiorani) has just been given a job as a labourer who pastes posters on the street walls, but he needs a bike, and his is spoiled. After his wife Maria (Carell) pawns the bed-sheets, he gets it repaired and is now able to work. When it is stolen, he and his son (Staiola) go searching for it high and low around post-war Rome.

Antonio (Maggiorani) and his son (Staiola) sharing a happy moment in the film.

Why it’s good: 

Really, really, sad. This crime-drama had an impact on the movies I watched at the time. These movies belonged to the class of extremely neo-realistic masterpieces of sadness.

The film starts a bit like On the Waterfront (1954), where there are the tickets for jobs and it moves to Antonio. The job-giver asks Antonio whether he has a bicycle, and he mutters the answer, yes and no, before the others say, give the job to me.

             

Does the film spark a happy ending? The answer is, in a spoiler form, no. Antonio steals another bicycle and the film ends with the father and son walking along the busy streets.

The film-making is justly excellent. There is a lot of investigation on ordinary lives in post-war Rome. There are  scenes at an ordinary church, and later at the restaurant, where there the director deeply compares between the rich and the poor.

Also a perfect film to watch for parent-and-child bonding. It explores values like whether it is correct to steal a bicycle, and the consequences.

Parent’s guide: 

Nothing at all except a tiny little fight on the street.

Trivia: 

Seirgo Leone, the future Western director, makes a cameo in this film. 

If you like this…: 

The "400 Blows" (1959) explores similar themes.     

On the Waterfront

ON THE WATERFRONT (BLACK AND WHITE, 1954)

Director:
Elia Kazan

Cast:
Marlon Brando, Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, John F. Hamilton, Leif Erikson and Eva Marie Saint

Ages:
12 and up

Plot:
On the docks of New York, the union manages the labourers badly. The person who runs the union is Johnny Friendly (Cobb), who has many goons helping him. One of them is Terry Malloy (Brando), an ex-prize-fighter and boxer. One day, Joey is killed by Johnny and indirectly by Terry, but only Terry feels guilt-stricken.  His conscience worsens when he is befriended by Edie Doyle (Saint), the daughter of ‘Pop’ (Hamilton), who are both related to Joey. Priest Barry (Malden) wants to stop the union bosses from having too much control, so he holds several hearings. Kayo Dugan (Henning) tries to tattle on Johnny, so Johnny finishes him off. Now, Barry encourages Terry to tattle on Johnny, and Terry tries to, but when Johnny learns about it, he kills Charley (Steiger), Terry’s brother, who is also a longshoreman. Now, Terry has one thing in mind - revenge!

Terry Malloy (Brando) flanked by Edie Doyle (Saint) and Priest Barry (Malden).

Why it’s good:
Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning series of newspaper articles, it is sure to be good.

And it really is good. It is morally enlightening, similar to the themes in George Orwell's book Animal Farm. This time it is no longer a farm, but the waterfront of New York.

The acting by the leads are incredibly sublime, you cannot fault Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy or Eva Marie Saint as Edie Doyle. Both of them won Oscars in their roles. 

This film will be controversial to sensitive older kids but will present a sense righteousness to the young teenagers. It is quite mature, so begin by explaining the moral values - Marlon Brando is not a bright guy, but he is one with good moral values. He sets an excellent example for the rest of the longshoremen.

He is a good role model for teenagers, too. Fight for what you believe in. Fight for freedom! Fight for a better life!

Trivia:
Marlon Brando originally refused to play Terry Malloy.

Parent’s guide:
Violence throughout. Terry’s face is seen bleeding in one scene. Lee J. Cobb’s is scarred, too. Joey falls off the roof just when Terry leaves. Terry and Edie find Charley’s body hanged on the wall.

If you like this…:
The rest of the Kazan-Brando films - "The Wild One" (1953), "Viva Zapatza" (1952) and "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951).             

Harvey

HARVEY (BLACK AND WHITE, 1950)

Director:

Henry Koster

Cast:

James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Peggy Dow, Charles Drake, Jesse White, Wallace Ford, William H. Lynn, Virginia Horne and Cecil Kellaway

Ages:

7 and up

Plot:

Elwood P. Dowd (Stewart) is a mild-mannered, polite, pleasant and kind bachelor. He has an imaginary 6’3” tall friend, Harvey, a rabbit only he can see. This imaginery rabbit irritates the lives of Dowd’s sister Simmons (Hull) and his niece Myrtle (Horne), so they send him to a sanatorium run by doctors Sanderson (Drake) and Chumley (Kellaway). Sanderson is aided by Miss Kelly (Dow) while Chumley is aided by Wilson (White). When Dowd is about to get an injection that will make Dowd's imaginery friend disappear, Simmons thinks hard on what she wants her brother to be.                  

Elwood admiring a portrait of himself and Harvey.

Why it’s good:

“When I was young, I was smart. I recommend pleasant.” It’s a really good quote from Dowd.

That is probably Stewart’s best quote. The quote is the mellowest part of the film, when Chumley and Dowd were in the room together with Harvey, talking.

Does Harvey exist? In a children’s world, it actually may. To an adult, the answer is no, not till Harvey cranks the handle and comes out of the sanatorium gates....

Harvey is a really special feel-good movie. It is creative, written by the creative Mary Chase. Stewart is right to say this is his favourite; it is my favourite comedy in this section.

So, show this to the younger ones, too. Some parts are mellow, some funny, some leaving the kids in hilarious uproar (especially the merry-go-rounds).

Parent’s guide:

Not much at all. Dowd takes a casual drink at the bar in one scene, and Dowd's drinking problem is also discussed in some parts of the film.

Trivia:

In the film, they say Dowd looks up to Harvey. It couldn’t be true, as Harvey was 6’3” and Stewart was 6’4”.                 

If you like this…:

"The Bishop’s Wife" (1947), also by director Henry Koster, is a similar comedy covering similar ground.      

Gone With the Wind

GONE WITH THE WIND (COLOUR, 1939)

Director:
Victor Fleming       

Cast:
Vivian Leigh, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard, Olivia De Havilland, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O’Neil, Butterfly McQueen, Hattie McDaniel, Oscar Polk, Rand Brooks, Howard C. Hickman, Ann Rutherford, Evelyn Keyes and Ward Bond

Ages:
7 and up

Plot:
Scarlett (Leigh) is a young spoilt girl living on the confederate side of America with her father (Mitchell), mother (O’Neil), sisters (Rutherford and Keyes), servants (McQueen, McDaniel and Polk) and cousins (Brooks and De Havilland). As the civil war starts, Rhett Butler (Gable) believes that the Confederates are sure to lose. Rhett meets Scarlett at the party of Ashley (Howard) and his father (Hickman). Soon they fall in love, but will they stay together happily ever after?  As Scarlett loses hope in the war, she pools all her resources and picks herself up.  

Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable in Gone With the Wind.

Why it’s good:
An epic women’s film and melodrama about the American civil war. They first stand, fall, then pick themselves up. Scarlett, a rare personality, is a woman of iron who gets the most out of everyone she meets.

With the American civil war as the backdrop, this movie is a great history lesson where you can share with your children what life was like during that era. The movie is quite authentic as it also shows how slaves worked in the homes of the wealthy and the cotton fields during that period.

Since females take up two-thirds of the film’s cast, the film is perfect for mother-and-daughter bonding. It is amazing to see how the film mesmerizes girls with its beautiful lead actress, stunning sets and dresses.

But if it is a woman’s film, what about the film's men - Gable’s Rhett Butler, Leslie Howard’s Ashley Wilkes and Thomas Mitchell’s Gerald O'Hara? You will need to explain the ground they cover as good actors. They’re purposeful characters - Rhett has a great personality like Scarlett. Leslie Howard can never resist Scarlett, but in my view, Mitchell is quite unnecessary.

Parent’s guide:
Halfway through the film, Ashley and Scarlett kiss. There is also a kiss between Rhett and Scarlett.  Some dead bodies lay on the floor.  Scarlett shoots a Union soldier while the soldier is ascending a staircase.

Trivia:
The whole fire scene was done with the help of some old film sets which were burned in the studio. The fire provoked some people living near the studio to phone the firemen. The scene itself cost $25,000.

If you like this…:
Waterloo Bridge (1943) is another Vivian Leigh war-drama.

Bringing Up Baby

BRINGING UP BABY (Black and white, 1938)

Director:
Howard Hawks

Cast:
Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Charles Ruggles, Walter Catlett, Barry Fitzgerald, May Robson, Fritz Feld, George Irving and Virginia Walker

Ages:
4 and up

Plot:
David Huxley (Grant) is a zoologist who has been working on a dinosaur skeleton with his fiancée, Alice Swallow (Walker) at a museum. He needs one last bone, the intercostal clavicle to complete the skeleton.  He goes to Mr Peabody (Irving) at a golf course. Peabody is the lawyer of Mrs Charlton Elizabeth Ransom (Robson) who has a million dollars that David wants for his museum. There, he meets the reckless and dizzy Susan Vance (Hepburn), who owns a leopard called Baby. Susan falls in love with David.  

From left: David Huxley (Grant) and Susan Vance (Hepburn) in a comical moment in the movie, with Mrs Elizabeth Charlton Ransom (Robson) looking on.

Why it’s good:
Because it is the perfect screwball introduction. I screened it just last night with several scenes where you cannot stop laughing no matter how hard you try.

It is the perfect screwball comedy to those old to the genre, too, and preferably the best. Baby the leopard of the title is quite an exotic pet from Susan’s brother Mark, and quite well tamed.

There is a second reason for its friendliness to kids. It is anarchy of exotic paradise of dogs and two leopards. The romance in it is one dimensional – boy meets girl who falls for him. 

Trivia:
It was a scandalous flop during its time and Hawks was cancelled off for his next RKO production.

Parent’s guide:
Not much, really. The leopard might be a little scary.

If you like this…:
"Sylvia Scarlett" (1935), "Holiday" (1938) and "The Philadelphia Story" (1940).         

The African Queen

THE AFRICAN QUEEN (COLOUR, 1951)

Director:
John Huston

Cast:
Humphrey Bogart, Katherine Hepburn, Robert Morley, Peter Bull and Theodore Bikel

Ages:
8 and up

Plot:
Charles Allnut (Bogart) is a foul-smelling mail boat captain in WWI Africa. He soon comes to pity Rose Sayer (Hepburn), a missionary and brother of Rev. Samuel (Morley). He takes her aboard his ship and the two plots a plan to blow up German Ship Louisa. The two cross the many rivers till they reach the place they need to go.

Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart in The African Queen.

Why it’s good:
There’s nothing much to it really. The war is the backdrop. The adventure is an unquestionable highlight of the film.

The romance is quite touching in its own way – dislike, forgiveness and then the swell thing. Quite a corny romance, unfortunately, with Bogart playing his Oscar-winning role as Charles the mail boat captain.

The story is quite well plotted, and as the ship’s captain is going to execute Charles and Rose, Charles says,” May you perform a wedding? It would mean a lot to this lady.”

The wedding goes quite well, too and the ship blows up later. You have to see the film to understand the ending. As they fall into the water, they look at each other as if they were married for real. They do not regret it either.

Parent’s guide:
Charles drinks a little too much and he drinks it in single gulps. The bottles are then emptied by Rose who says it is bad for his health. The two kiss many times in the film.

Trivia:
Shot on location in Africa and Turkey.

If you like this…:
More adventures and war in the background has “The Four Feathers” (1939) and "Gunga Din" (1939).  

The Adventures of Robin Hood

THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (Colour, 1938)

Director:
Michael Curitz

Cast:
Errol Flynn, Olivia De Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains, Patric Knowles, Eugene Pallete, Alan Hale and Ian Hunter

Ages:
7 and up

Plot:
King Richard (Hunter) has been captured by the crusades in a war. In Britain, his sneering brother John (Rains) becomes prince and Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Rathbone) follows John and has a maid named Marian (De Havilland). Sir Robin of Locksley (Flynn) hates John’s ideas and rebels against him together with Will Scarlett (Knowles), Frair Tuck (Pallette) and Little John (Hale). Soon, Robin falls in love with Marian as she and Sir Guy pass through with some gold money the rebels want to use to free King Richard.

Why it’s good:
Because every cartoon about the great Robin Hood owes thanks to this film. Filmed in brilliant Technicolor is another reason this film is pleasurable.

The action sequences in this movie would interest the young ones who are into backyard swordplay with sticks and stones. Errol Flynn is at his most athletic youth when he does pleasurable stunts from arching to horse riding to stealing missions.

Basil Rathbone’s Sir Guy of Gisbourne is quite a good/bad Norman who follows John like how a dog follows its master. De Havilland’s character is a loyal outlaw who sides with Robin Hood two-thirds of the film. 

Parent’s guide:
Action-violence is shown throughout the film. Rathbone is killed in the end of the film by Flynn. The outlaws assault the tax collectors’ coach with Marian in it. The outlaws feast on wine of which Marian calls revolting.

Trivia:
Maid Marian’s horse was actually Roy Rogers’ horse named Trigger.

If you like this…:
If you think your young backyard sword players are up for more, try 1922’s "Robin Hood", directed and starring Douglas Fairbanks and shot in two-component Technicolor. If you want other Flynn swashbucklers, find "Captain Blood" (1935) and "The Sea Hawk" (1940).         

A Brief History of the Cinema

THE CINEMA

The cinema has been one of the most explicit ways of expressing feelings, emotions and stories to the audience. Through acting, dialogue and soundtrack, the cinema creates the atmosphere for the audience to feel.

When the camera and photography was invented, people tried thinking of new ways to make the pictures appear to move. In 1889, George Eastman invented a soft camera film roll. In 1890, they shot a short video of Trafalgar Square in London. The first movie ever made came about in 1895, in France.

The first silent films became popular only when the live action film "The Great Train Robbery" was made in 1903, which was shot in the old west. The film was shot at the length of only thirteen minutes and ended with a gunshot where the film camera captured it in the colour red.

The films performed well in the next few decades. This era produced great directors such as D.W. Griffth, who directed, among others: "Intolerance" (1915), "The Birth of a Nation" (1916), "Broken Blossoms" (1919), "Way Out East" (1920) and "Orphans of the Storm" (1921).

The influence of American films influenced those of other cultures. In Germany, the Germans created a film style known as German Expressionism. Those films were usually horror films such as "The Cabinet of Dr Caligari" (1920), "Nosferatu" (1922), "Faust" (1926) and "Waxworks" (1924).



Above: Nosferatu film print

As it went through the early 20s of the Jazz Age, there came several comedians who showed their early independence. Charles Spencer Chaplin, rather renowned and born in the year 1889, created as classic films as "The Kid" (1921), "Modern Times" (1936) and "The Great Dictator" (1940). Now greatly known for his excellent comic talent, his influence still remains.

It was during this era that some use colour films emerged. Douglas Fairbanks, in 1922, starred and directed the classic "Robin Hood" co-starring Alan Hale as Little John. Also, in 1923, "The Toll of the Sea" appeared, co-starring Anna may Wong.

In 1927, the film "The Jazz Singer" startled the audiences with its spoken words, soundtrack and plot, and revolutionalized the movie industry. Although it was excellent, it was not allowed to the first Oscars awards in 1929 as the movie was seen as unfair competition to the silent films. That year, the film which won was "Wings", a World War II movie.

From that time onwards, the films produced were mainly "talkies". Then came other musicals, and in the year after, the Oscars for Best Picture went to "The Broadway Melody", a musical.

When the great depression came, colour was abandoned for two or three years. The audiences left the big screen as they hadn’t the money. To encourage them back, the directors tried experimenting different styles.

The pre-code films made from 1930 to 1934 were violent and sexual. "Taxi!" (1932) and "Two Seconds" (1932) were the films which were successful during the era.

Around this time, the Hollywood studios were formed. Columbia Pictures became successful after "It Happened One Night" (1934), RKO Radio Pictures after "King Kong" (1933) and "Top Hat" (1935), MGM, Warner Bros., Universal and Paramount.

Universal Pictures soon became the source for horror films, such as "Frankenstein" (1931), "The Mummy" (1932), "Dracula" (1931), "The Wolf Man" (1941), "The Old Dark House" (1932) and "The Invisible Man" (1933). Each film soon had sequels, like "House of Dracula", "Ghost of Frankenstein", "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" and "Dracula’s Daughter".

The industry developed genres over the next ten years of cinema. There were musicals like "Top Hat" and "Singin' in the Rain", comedies like "The Philadelphia Story" and "Woman of the Year", melodramas like "Mildred Pierce" and "Now, Voyager", as well as horrors, sci-fi films, fantasy, mysteries, action-adventure, westerns and film-noirs.

In the 50s, more American households installed television sets. It was now hard to bring cinema-goers back. The studios tried using cinemascope cameras and Vista-vision. These brought some back, not all, but they still tried using even brighter colours and bigger-budget sets.

By the 1960s, going to the cinema was no longer a daily affair for many people.  And now, in the 21st century, the influence of the cinema has become weaker due to the popularity of computers and video websites such as YouTube. 

Mildred Pierce

MILDRED PIERCE (BLACK AND WHITE, 1945)

Director:
Michael Curitz

Cast:
Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, Ann Blyth and Bruce Bennet

Ages:
10 and up

Plot:
Mildred Pierce (Crawford) does anything her daughter Veda (Blyth) asks for. One day, she kicks her husband Bert (Bennet) out after he got kicked out of his partnership with Wally Fay (Carson) who continues the job solo. She needs the money and waits tables with Ida (Arden) whom Mildred likes. She goes into restaurant entrepreneurship with Ida to earn more money for Veda. Veda takes a lot and a lot, so Mildred kicks her out and marries Monte (Scott), an Italian-Spanish playboy. Monte soon ends up dead, but who did it?

From left: Joan Crawford as Mildred Pierce and Ann Blyth as her daughter Veda.

Why it’s good:
Not in particular. It is a half show-splitting melodrama of where Veda just goes spoilt. The other half is a dazzling mystery from the start, where Crawford almost attempts suicide. Then the cops interview Mildred who tells the story of Wally, Monte, Bert, the daughter and Ida.

I can tell you the acting is really excellent. No one could fault the thirty-nine year old Joan Crawford as the title character. She ended a career slump with such a mystifying film with a really unattached Mildred who suffers from Veda almost all the time....“So you think just because you got some money so you can get some new clothes, but you can’t, because you are nothing but a common frump whose father worked at a grocery store and whose mother took in washing!” Veda would tell her mother. Eve Arden with her somewhat bizarre comic talent takes on Ida the fellow waitress. She was original, fresh and clean.

The score sends tiny terror down the spine through the brains. If Crawford were the spine, Veda was the spoilt rich girl. Lusting after Mom’s boyfriend was such an experience for her. The film is more of a melodrama than thriller and film noir.

Parent’s guide:
Monte is shot twice onscreen, once in flashback, one in real time. Six shots were used and four hit Monte while the other two bounce off the mirror. Also, there is always a fair bit of drinking and smoking in every character. Ida and Mildred share one in Mildred’s restaurant. Monte and Mildred kiss each other next to the fireplace on accident.

Trivia:
There was a hard time finding an actress to play Veda. So who did they turn to? The children star Shirley Temple, but she declined.

If you like this…:
Crawford’s films are all dramas, even those which aren’t. “Whatever happened to Baby Jane” (1962) is scary and a straight horror-thriller. “Queen Bee” (1955) causes destruction to her surroundings. “Dancing Lady” (1933) is an extremely kid-friendly musical. See the chapter of stars.

The Desperate Hours

THE DESPERATE HOURS (Black and white, 1955)

Director:

William Wyler

Cast:
Humphrey Bogart, Fredric March, Arthur Kennedy, Martha Scott, Dewey Martin, Gig Young, Robert Middleton, Mary Murphy and Richard Eyer  

Ages:
10 and up

Plot:
Dan (March) lives in a suburban household with his son, Ralphie (Eyer), wife (Scott) and daughter, Cindy (Murphy). Their house is soon terrorised by escaped convicts Sam Kobish (Middleton), Glenn Griffin (Bogart) and Glenn’s young brother Hal (Martin). Hal dies when knocked over by a car and it soon turns out that the three wanted Dan’s money. Dan and family turn to Jesse Bard (Kennedy), who help them outwit the convicts with his force.

From left: Frederic March as Dan Hillard and Humphrey Bogart as Glenn Griffin.

Why it’s good:
It is a cross between the dramas and the film noirs.

The drama is more present, since it told the audiences then to keep their houses safe from intruders. It still delivers that message today.

It is now an underrated classic in the way that this kind of stuff still happens now. The kidnaps now are violent and bloody, but still it is a kidnap.

Another reason is Bogart’s new wave acting where he is simply immersed in his roles as a convict and an intruder. He acts in a way he would if he were there.

The supporting cast dominate the film too. Dewey Martin is in love with the person he terrorizes while Eyer’s Ralph is forced to drink milk fast.

Parent’s guide:
There is a scene where one person gets shot in the front yard of Dan’s house. Sam carjacks a garbage collector’s truck and kills him. Also, one character gets knocked down by a truck on the road.

Trivia:
Bogart and March’s only film pairing.


If you like this…:
More gangland dramas would include "Scarface: The Shame of a Nation" (1932); see Gangster action), "Little Caesar" (1931) and "White Heat" (1949).   

    

All About Eve

ALL ABOUT EVE (BLACK AND WHITE, 1950)

Director:
Joseph L. Mackenwicz

Cast:
Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Hugh Marlowe, Gary Merril, Marilyn Monroe, George Ratoff and Thelma Ritter

Ages:  
10 and up

Plot:
Broadway star Margo Channing (Davis) has been a star since her debut when she was four. One day, Karen (Holm) and her husband (Marlowe) introduce sweet and helpful Eve Harrington (Baxter) to Margo. Addison DeWitt (Sanders) and his blonde companion Claudia (Monroe) meet Eve at a party and trust her, but Birdie (Ritter), Margo's dresser, does not. Margo herself thinks the way Birdie does, but your paranoia does not mean you can predict the truth. 

From left: Ann Baxter as Eve Harrington, Bette Davis as Margo Channing, Marilyn Monroe as Claudia Caswell and George Sanders as Addison DeWitt.

Why it’s good:
Because it explores the intrigue of backstage Broadway while the cast talks the way we talk about lying.  The cast is superb with Bette Davis her best role as Margo Channing.

Bette Davis delivers it in a way which speaks behind other’s backs, particularly behind the one of Eve Harrington. The ground-breaking intrigue of backstage life has the dreams you want for a good characterisation. Gary Merril is the director, Birdie is the dresser, Addison DeWitt is a critic and Karen is simply made for the role so she can betray Margo, for Eve is a much younger and better actress.

What kind of a friend is that? This movies does not answer this question, and to be honest, Eve is such a good actress that she doesn't seem to be acting even when she is supposed to.

Monroe is not really important for  most viewers unless you are her fan. She is the companion at the party and George Ratoff's new actress. The main attraction is Eve and Margo, suffering over a great new award. 

Parent’s guide:
Margo, Karen and their husbands share a drink of champagne in a restaurant. The drinking also happened in the first scenes and the last scenes.

Trivia:
It is the film which got nominated for the most number of Oscars, sharing the achievement with 1997’s Titanic.

If you like this…:
Take on Davis’ other films. "Jezebel" (1938) has her trying to win Henry Fonda; "The Letter" (1940) has her as a wife who shoots a lover; "Dark Victory" (1939) has her living her last days with dignity and "Now, Voyager" (1942) has her as a low self-esteemed woman helped by a doctor and a married man.

The Grapes of Wrath

THE GRAPES OF WRATH (BLACK AND WHITE, 1940)

Director:
John Ford

Cast:
Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carrandine, Charles Grapewin, O.Z. Whitehead and Ward Bond

Ages:
10 and up

Plot:
Depression America, 1930s. Tom (Fonda) has just been paroled from jail after serving time for killing a man on a dance floor. He goes back to the farm and realises it has turned into an uninhabited dust bowl, that is except for Casy (Carrandine), an ex-priest. The two go to the rest of Tom’s family, who all dream of being employed, being poor as nomads who have lost their land. Of course, their dream is impossible from the start as tragedies hit them one by one.

Still of actor Henry Fonda looking at a job vacancy sign.

Why it’s good:
This movie is a masterpiece of grief and sadness. It is a sad lacework as sad as the depression really was. 800 jobs in California are available. Thousands see them. That’s the truth. Not only for a fellow nomad, but for everyone. That era was like that.

It is quite scary watching it with the young ones. Dad walked off the film halfway about the time they said that they ate with tin cans. It was sadder than it was scary. I wished I had not watched it. It was just too unforgiving and I hid out myself after finishing the film.

Brilliantly adapted from John Steinbeck's novel, the film captures deep emotions and feelings that would leave you harbouring those feelings even if you put in the effort to forget. They were poor and their tragedies were too hard to take for the family of Joads. Employment was then a miracle, so was having a roof over their heads. “I aren’t goin’ to California!” screams Tom’s father at one time in the film.

Sadly, the film ends sad. Casy dies sudden under the control of the cops while there are protests at almost every scene. Be it the best scenes, too. The people at the dance floor of the new place lead a protest. The kids go in to the toilets and say,”Remember we saw this in the catalogues?!” That was quite a moment for me to see that those kids don't even have something as basic as a toilet.

Parent’s guide:
Casy is killed by policemen in the raid while Tom witnesses it in disgust. A man gets punched in the face at one of the many protests.

Trivia:
It was considered the world’s best American film till Citizen Kane stole the show in its 1958 re-release.

If you like this…:
The other movies about the Great Depression are as excellent as this. As a Chaplin film, "Modern Times" (1936) lacks seriousness. "My Man Godfrey" (1936) does too, using the Depression as a backdrop for story flow. Both are in the Comedy chapter.

Why Watch Old Movies with Children?

There are always people who bring up the question why this and why that. Fortunately, the reasons to watch old movies with children are quite simple.

The first reason is that it is worth an effort to show them. If you do not, they may think that all movies are with sound, all movies are in colour, or worse, that all movies are animated. That blows a disservice and dishonour to the first twenty-five years of cinema and movies.

The second reason is that there is less need for parents' guidance in old movies. Just peek at the parent’s guide section for each title and you will know what I mean. There would be usually less than three instances of kissing, drinking, adultery or violence. In comparison, today's movies contain more foul language. And if you look at today’s offerings at the cinema, many movies have ratings like NC16 or M18 or R21 or at least PG-13 or PG. Let me give you an example. There is a known difference between the 2005 King Kong and the 1933 version. The 2005 version is rated PG-13. it is super-gory and a straight horror film without being an adventure flick. The 1933 version is rated PG, and with its rather unbelievable special effects, this version might actually be a better movie to watch for today’s generation. In addition, if the 1933 version did not exist, the 2005 or the Mia Farrow versions would not have existed too, nor would 1949’s Mighty Joe Young.

The third reason is that it is worth an effort to show classic treasures of cinema. Many of them are works of art that inspired other film makers and story tellers. If it is "The Sweet Smell of Success" (1957), you could say that the Singapore TV series Zero Hero swiped its title and parodied it as the "stinky smell of success". Or if it is W.C. Fields’ classic last film "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break" (1941), you could say Mel Brooks swiped the title as his tagline when he made the movie "Blazing Saddles".

Lastly, and equally importantly, we can learn so much about history from watching old movies.  Not just about historical events like World War I, World War II and the Great Depression, but also about how people think, speak and dress during those eras.

If you would like to know more about the history of the cinema, do check out my post here.

I hope I can inspire you to watch one of the old movies on my blog!

Charade

CHARADE (Colour, 1963)

Director:
Stanley Donen

Cast:
Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthua, George Kennedy, Ned Glass and James Coburn

Ages:
12 and up

Plot:
Peter Joshua (Grant), aka Alexander Dyle, aka Adam Canfield, aka Brian Cruikshank is on holiday in a ski resort where he meets Regina Lampert (Hepburn). He soon learns her husband was murdered on a train and that he had a fortune. Regina goes home to Paris and finds the place ransacked, and with the aid of Peter aka (etc.), she catches the murderer. In the process, they fall in love.

The aging Grant and the young Audrey Hepburn in Charade.

Why it’s good:
This is a cross between screwball comedy, whodunit, romance and thriller. The first ever movie to do so. Silly, eh? A crowning achievement, actually, a sub-screwball spy hoax.

Based on the novel with the same name, Charade is actually the best Hitchcock film Hitchcock never made. The fun is equal to the sleuthing around the three likely suspects (Coburn, Glass and Kennedy). The romance is too. Yes, women are the best spies.

There is a slight WWII backdrop, so you will have to pause to explain OSS missions and the five men who stole the money they were supposed to deliver. Double crossing, too, as the murderers walk in to the husband’s funeral and put a mirror at the nose. They murdered him as he double-crossed them (at least that was what I thought). Soon the mystic Hamilton Barthomelow appears which increases the suspense.

Another reason to watch this is the excellent location shots in Paris.

The most screwball part, though, is the "pass the orange without your hands" joke. Both Hepburn and Grant play the game badly, and it ends split-screened with the five identities (!) of Grant.

Parent’s guide:
The scene where the characters pass an orange without using hands is kind of sexual. Some violent scenes to note. The first scene has a strangled man laid down on the side of a railway track. There is a scene where one of the men assaults Hepburn in a telephone booth before Grant saves her.

Trivia:
Grant celebrated his birthday during filming. His wish was to make another comedy with Hepburn.

If you like this…:
More murder-comedy films would include 1934’s "The Thin Man" (see Mystery chapter) which span six sequels. It stars William Powell and Myrna Loy drinking almost too much alcohol with Caeser Romero and Maureen O’Hara roaming in the background.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S (Colour, 1961)

Director:
Blake Edwards

Cast:
Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam, Jose Luis de Vilallonga, John McGiver and Mickey Rooney

Ages:
12 and up

Plot:
Holly (Hepburn) is a socialite living in an apartment in Manhattan, New York City. She is always annoying the Japanese neighbour (Rooney) upstairs, who complains the key is always misplaced by her. One day, she meets Paul Varjack (Peppard) in her apartment. Paul is being supported by 2-E (Neal). Paul proposes to Holly, but she refuses as she is determined to marry Portuguese-speaking South American millionaire Jose (Vilallonga). Paul soon learns a new thing about Holly - she has been married to Doc (Ebsen) since she was fifteen.

From left: George Peppard, Audrey Hepburn and Patricia Neal.

Why it’s good:
It is essential viewing and tale about modern loving and the pursuit of material wealth. Teenagers and adults should like it, but the younger ones may not.

Why? It is too adult. Explaining is not good enough; I did not understand the comedy-drama the first time at nine. There was too much of the Sing Sing Prison subplot with Sally Tomato. Also there was Martin Balsam as O.J. Berman, a Hollywood (?) agent. The only good fun for laughs at that time was the Japanese man's endless shouts and Holly trying to impress Paul in any way she can think of. There is a library visit, in the least.
It is also a piece of art, engravings on rings and the endless parties. The next thing is the "Moon River" song which was kind of weepy. Weepy. What a thing. Teenagers would not cry, they would laugh.

Parent’s guide:
Quite a violent breakdown in Holly’s room one day. Holly’s cat gets knocked on the wall. Holly and Paul kiss in the rain. The relationship between Paul and 2-E is quite unconventional.

Trivia:
Based on a Truman Capote novel.  Marilyn Monroe was the preferred lead for Holly, but her agent declined this role fearing it may spoil Marilyn Monroe's image.

If you like this…:
"Charade" (1963) is a screwball comedy in this chapter co-starring Hepburn. More Hepburn: "Funny Face" (1957; see Musical chapter), "My Fair Lady" (1964; see Musical chapter).