Of the thousands—yes, thousands—of classical movies I have seen, a few stick in the recall room in the house of the head as if they ha taken the initiative to represent all classical movies of all time. Granted, the debate continues on what is the actual definition of the term, “classical”. Such positions hold that the term refers to all that belongs to a particular period of history, the classical era.
Others believe classical is determined by quality, by degrees of excellence and definitive, authoritative license, subsequently. Still others find that classical, as in classical movie, means that which is appreciated or valued by a majority and which stands up to the test of all tests—time. If it endures beyond its own era and extends into the future eras, the continued lives, the classrooms and courtrooms and libraries, it is worthy of being deemed a classic.
So, as I hold beliefs somewhere in the middle, there, I will merely discuss, or mention, or list a few of my favorite classical movies. That is, I will pretend that I have been asked to recommend classical movies that one must see before one dies. Here we go:
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (“But you ahhhre, Blanche…ya ahhre in a wheelchair….”)
Gone with the Wind (yes, the opportunity in this postmodern age to suspend disbelief about the realistic roles of men and women and feel that nasty egocentric Rhett grab you roughly…swoon.)
Citizen Kane (when she’s doing that psychotically large puzzle in that massive, clammy space, her nasal, piercing pitch echoing in the background as he is shown, brooding and frustrated, in the foreground—the shadows as ominous as the dialogue and the story this far….cripes)
2001, Space Odyssey (because of many things, but also because you have to watch it many times to “get” it…or any part of it, besides H.A.L. and his creepy megalomaniacal ways…. “Open the pod bay doors, Hal.”)
Those of you filmic aficionados might balk that Casablanca is not on the list or has not been mentioned. This is silly, especially for one who has seen so many classical movies in particular and movies in general, but every time it came on, I would turn the channel.
Then, one day a dynamo od a learning center director told me that I must have been avoiding Casablanca for a reason: she said that whomever you watch Casablanca—the king of the classical movies—with, you will end up marrying. Hmmm. I wonder, will he have to be a classical movies fanatic, too?