An Insult to American Film Classics

[VonMagnum]

I just ran into this article today while searching for something or the other and it's outrageous, insulting film classics like The Maltese Falcon. I expected the author to be some Millennial with fecis for brains, but the guy looks older than me, even.

Why we need to re-evaluate the films we once called great

Nobody wants to rock the boat when it comes to reassessing the classics, but face facts: Gregory's Girl is clunky, 2001: A Space Odyssey is never-ending, while Dirty Dancing is still brilliant, writes Joe Queenan

www.theguardian.com

I may not like every film made back then, but damn, the guy is incredibly insulting and once I read his comments on The Maltese Falcon I knew he was an F-ing blithering idiot. Dirty Dancing is great, but The Maltese Falcon sucks??? My god....

 

[ryanosaur]

Not reading the article... but just on the Dirty Dancing line in that extract... he get's my double barrel FU.

My guess is is he probably likes Gigli and Wedding Planner.

 

[shadyJ]

Maltese Falcon is hugely entertaining. This article is half trolling. I do agree that so-called classics should always be under re-evaluation. Sometimes attitudes toward films, or books for that matter, are cases of hand-me-down assessments and don't really deserve their reverence or status. I sort of agree with him about The Searchers I think the reason why that movie is so highly-regarded doesn't have to do so much with the movie itself so much as its somewhat more progressive look at the idea of 'cowboys and Indians.' But otherwise it's not that much better than oaters of its day. There are plenty better westerns than The Searchers. I think the author is one of those people who enjoy kitsch and campiness.

The idea that so-called classics should be re-evaluated is valid and deserves a better article than this vomit salad from hipster troll author.

 

[MR.MAGOO]

Dimwit critics like Queenan are probably disturbed and insulted by the classic Looney Tunes cartoons.

 

[lovinthehd]

LOL Dirty Dancing is great? I need to know no more....

 

[slipperybidness]

The thing with "re-evaluating classics" is that you must understand the social norms and the social, economic, political problems and hot button topics of that era, etc.

If you remove the film from these influences and the commentary that it is making about these influences, then you completely miss the point, and your re-evaluation is completely invalidated by that act.

 

[mtrycrafts]

... disturbed ....

Try this Disturbed

sound of silence by disturbed - Google Search

Great

 

[3db]

The thing with "re-evaluating classics" is that you must understand the social norms and the social, economic, political problems and hot button topics of that era, etc.

If you remove the film from these influences and the commentary that it is making about these influences, then you completely miss the point, and your re-evaluation is completely invalidated by that act.

I totally agree with you. You cant accurately evaluate past events with today's norms as you miss and ignore the environment that lived in the past.

What one can do is take note of the huge changes in attitude, thinking, etc, from today and back then.

However, I can understand tbe relevance of Dirty Dancing. After all Patrick Swazee (spelling ??) was a god in "Guardians".

 

[lovinthehd]

While I can understand the relevance of Dirty Dancing, it's only in relation to a very odd outlook even at that time.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I totally agree with you. You cant accurately evaluate past events with today's norms as you miss and ignore the environment that lived in the past.

What one can do is take note of the huge changes in attitude, thinking, etc, from today and back then.

However, I can understand tbe relevance of Dirty Dancing. After all Patrick Swazee (spelling ??) was a god in "Guardians".

I agree with you agreeing with slip. One more example of that could with these old Disney cartoons.
This deleted clip from 1940 Fantasia, where black centaur is a servant to a white centaur.

or even worse is Song of the South

These examples are absolutely terrifying horrid in today's view, but clearly SO acceptable in the 1930s and 40s that even very child focus Disney felt it was fine to produce these.

 

[shadyJ]

Stuff like Song of the South was knowingly offensive even back in its day. Walk Disney was supposed to meet with the NAACP before the movies release to tone it down, but that meeting never occurred. He was relatively racist by his day's standards. He threw his lot in with anti-semites as well. Go back as far as Birth of a Nation, and it was released to widespread riots in cities. Read some of the reviews of it upon its initial release. While Black Americans were largely ignored by Hollywood, they at least had the sense to not portray them in such a vulgar manner most of the time. Don't just assume that everyone was a racist in that era or that it generally approved. These people knew what they were doing with such foul depictions.

 

[VonMagnum]

I don't mind watching the old nose Jennifer Gray dancing dirty, but a classic? There are plenty of "ok" movies. I could watch Cocktail to see a young Elizabeth Shue who was quite easy on the eyes, but it's still fluff.

Personally, I think "PC" stuff is getting out of hand. Hire the best qualified engineer to work on nuclear reactors, not the least just to meet someone's idea of a diverse enough work force. You can't force people to be interested in engineering. I had one girl in electronic engineering classes with me. I wish there was more at the time, but I'm not going to hire a waitress to meet some quota. It's not safe.

 

[davidscott]

You really had to be there when the movie was released. Different times and all...

 

[ryanosaur]

You really had to be there when the movie was released. Different times and all...

Cocktail? Or Dirty Dancing?

Sadly, I look back at the history of movies as I was growing up in the 70's and 80s...

Movies like those discussed as "film" stopped existing. It happened within the Star Wars franchise, even. But you can see it happen, and it is sad.

Imagine if The Third Man were to be done today. Or Bullitt. Or your favorite Hitchcock (Vertigo, Rear Window, Marnie, Rope?). Yes, those are older. But the point remains.

If Dirty Dancing becomes the yardstick:
F
T
W
!

 

[VonMagnum]

A film maker's film in the modern era? I'm sure there's some if you look hard enough. Personally, I like The Ninth Gate with Johnny Depp (but then look at who directed it). I think that one would feel right at home with some of the old film noirs, although a bit more risqué. It's definitely my favorite Depp movie.

 

[ryanosaur]

A film maker's film in the modern era? I'm sure there's some if you look hard enough. Personally, I like The Ninth Gate with Johnny Depp (but then look at who directed it). I think that one would feel right at home with some of the old film noirs, although a bit more risqué. It's definitely my favorite Depp movie.

Oh yes, there are.
Usual Suspects and even Way Of The Gun... Some Paul Verhoeven, Luc Besson's Leon/Professional... You can absolutely throw some Tarrantino in there. I know there is more that are slipping through the cracks in my brain, too.

 

[Mr._Clark]

I was delighted to learn that my taste in movies is “infantile twaddle.”

 

[lovinthehd]

I was looking at the AFI list of top 100 and seems they do reconsider a lot of films (summary of changes below the list). I can't believe they took Fargo off and added Spartacus but that's me again

 

[ryanosaur]

Barton Fink!
I love the Coen brothers. And Barton was one I loved since the first time I saw it. Fargo was amazing. Ballad of Buster Skrugs is stunning...
Last time I saw Tom Waits in town, it was all I could do to NOT ask him to say “Mr. Pocket!”

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Barton Fink!
I love the Coen brothers. And Barton was one I loved since the first time I saw it. Fargo was amazing. Ballad of Buster Skrugs is stunning...
Last time I saw Tom Waits in town, it was all I could do to NOT ask him to say “Mr. Pocket!”

Fargo was great. Unless you live in MN!!! Most of us don’t talk like “yeah sure you betcha”. Lol
Funny, none of the film is actually filmed in Fargo and the Coens chose the name because it sounded better than “Brainerd”(where I live actually lol). I ran down to the gas station that was by my house one night and found out I couldn’t get in because they were shooting a film. Turns out it was a pretty damn good one! Wish I would have stuck around that night...