Movies! When did it all begin? Thomas Edison invented the first motion
picture camera in the 1800’s. Out of his
invention was born a multi-billion dollar movie industry.
Do you realize that the motion picture is the only new visual art form that has
been created in the last 300 years? This is a
very complex and elusive art, but the enjoyment of the movies is instantaneous and
universal. First, there were silent movies
where the characters moved around almost in a pantomime doing silly things to music. Then came talking pictures and of course these
were in black and white. Next came
Technicolor and today our technological advancements make movies spectacularly phenomenal. There are all kinds of movies: love stories,
westerns, cops and robbers, autobiographies, mysteries, action pact thrillers, murder and
maham, scary and yes, very gory ones too. There
is something out there for everyone. What
movie or movies are your all time favorites? What
makes us go to the movies over and over again?
We watch movies so that we can lose
ourselves in the illusion of life on the screen. We want to be entertained. We want to escape the realities of life just for a
little while. Whether we go to a movie
theater to sit in a darkened room with the sound all around and a screen that is larger
than life or, sit at home in front of the television, the result is the same. We have succeeded in being transported into
another realm, another time or place. We
imagine what our life might be like if we were actually there. .
I
enjoy a good movie. I must also say, they
don’t make’ em like they use to. Of
course, my favorite actors are either, old and retired, or they have passed on to that
movie theater in the sky. Clarke Gable,
Barbara Stanywick, Gregory Peck, Debbie Renyolds, Cary Grant, Kathryn Hepburn, Maureen
O’Hara, Brian Keith, and John Wayne to name a few.
Today, there are a different breed of actors and actresses. Perhaps they don’t seem as appealing because
they are all younger than I am, instead of older like the ones I mentioned.
The quality of the movies is much
better than it was many years ago. Now,
they’re all in color even the ones on television.
When I was a kid, no one had colored television, today everyone has one. Today’s stunts make movies awesome. The advancements in technology have contributed
greatly to improving motion pictures.
The writers that come up with the
stories and scripts are to be commended. It
amazes me how so many can come up with such amazing ideas and then write scripts that make
the characters come alive. Of course, if the
just the right actor isn’t cast for the part, then, the movie wouldn’t be as
affective. However, not all movies are good.
I like to watch movies that are set
back in time, movies about kings and queens, cowboys and Indians, gangsters and cops. I especially love westerns or movies about the
pioneers and how they lived. I think perhaps
I like these because they transport me back to a time when life seemed much simpler. Although, I think the movies romanticize this time
era because I think life was much harder than the movies portray it.
One of my recent favorites is the
Titanic. I remember the first
version—black and white—that starred Barbara Stanywick. Back then it was a good movie. But, the new version is much better. I sat there in the movie theater with my daughter,
granddaughter and daughter-in-law watching it on the big screen. It was so dynamic.
When it was over, we were all amazed that we had sat there for three hours not
moving—not wanting to move either. It
seemed so real, like it was just happening, right there and then. I think we all shed a
tear at the end.
Another movie that I especially liked,
was the Godfather. I had read the book and
when the movie came out, I made my husband take me to see it. We didn’t go to the movies at all, but I made
him go to this one. Marlon Brando made
the Mafia character he portrayed come to life, right off the pages of the book. I can’t imagine any other actor making that
character seem so real like he really existed. You
didn’t want the movie to end. You left
the theater with thoughts about what these characters (not the actors) are going to do
tomorrow.
I am not one for animated or cartoon movies, however, when Disney started turning his fairytales into movies I, like everyone else, helped to make him richer by buying many of his classics. I especially like The Little Mermaid. I didn’t go to the theater to see it but as soon as it came out on video, I bought it. I am amazed how much talent had to go into making this movie. The songs, the way the characters come to life, the script and how everything fits together. It is just so amazing to me. Then came the Lion King. I have watched this movie with my grandchildren over and over. It is truly a fantastic piece of art. Each and every time that I watch these movies, I marvel at the creative genius behind the scene that fits the music together with the movements of the characters just perfectly. I can’t imagine how they can come up with so many ideas.
My most favorite movie of all time is
Gone with the Wind. I read the book many
years ago, long before I had a chance to see the movie.
Back then, there weren’t VCR’s or videos to rent. I have a true fascination with life in the south
before the Civil War. I think the book comes to life more for me because Clark Gable
played the infamous Rhett Buttler, he makes that character real, like he actually existed
during the Civil War. Vivien Leigh was
perfect as Scarlett. No other actress could
have brought this character to life like she did. This
movie is a love story. It really
doesn’t have any historical significance, but it does give the viewer some insight
into life in the “Old South,” a way of life that was much different than those
living in the north and for them when the war was over so was their way of life. It portrays how their daily life was affected by
the war and after the war. I am one of those
people who like a happy ending. Those famous
last word’s of Rhett’s, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn!”
ring in my ears still today. I would have
liked it if Margret Meade had written a sequel to this book, so that Scarlett and Rhett
would have found their way back to each other.
Movies have made many changes over
because of the advances in technology. It
will be interesting to see how they will change in the future. As long as there are people out there looking for
some kind of escape from the realities of our ever-changing world, there will be the need
for moviemakers.