Look at these DVD covers and what do you see? Most will see
a collection of movies that they’ve never heard of. Some will recognize a few
but not most. 32 movies from different genres. Some will say hey that one’s
cool or that one scared me or even that one looks stupid. But you might be
missing the biggest thing you’re looking at here. You’re looking at a cultural
history of our country.
What, history? That’s right. These and many more movies
provide a look at the history of this country as portrayed on film. And now
more than ever every single person has the opportunity to learn a bit about our
history without even having to crack open a book.
Don’t get me wrong, if you want factual history then a book
is the right way to go. But in watching some of these movies it might lead you
towards something you never knew about that you would be interested in. Movies
have a tendency to touch on just the surface of a story or to make it
interesting change up a few details. Take BONNIE AND CLYDE. The real couple
were ruthless killers who were unattractive and didn’t lead glamorous lives.
The movie version turns them into Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. If you don’t know
who they are that’s more history you’re learning at the same time.
And movies like BLAZING SADDLES or ENTER THE DRAGON aren’t
based on history but show cultural aspects of our country as it was when they
were released. BLAZING SADDLES broke all sorts of racial barriers when it was
released. ENTER THE DRAGON fostered an interest in Chinese made martial arts
films as well as increasing people to actually look into martial arts for the
first time.
Some of these movies offered bits and pieces of history.
SERGEANT YORK tells the true story of Alvin York who was one of the most decorated United States Army
soldiers of World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack
on a German machine gun nest, taking 35 machine guns, killing at least 25 enemy
soldiers, and capturing 132. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY is the true story of George M.
Cohan who wrote some of the most recognizable tunes we still sing to this day,
especially around the 4th of July. Songs like “You’re a Grand Old
Flag” and “Yankee Doodle Boy”.
Some of these movies will
allow you to see how film transformed from the early days to where we are now.
Had those movies not done so the technical effects you see in movies like STAR
WARS would never have been achieved. KING KONG looks primitive in the effects
department when looked at through today’s eyes but when looked at through the
eyes of audiences in 1933 when it was released, it was terrifying. CITIZEN KANE
as directed by Orson Welles created the use of simple things like shooting
images upward to make a character seem more important and big. It was one of
the first films to actually shoot a ceiling in a movie so that this could be
done.
Prior to the release of SNOW
WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS in 1937 there had never been an entire animated
movie in theaters. Without that first step and many that followed from the
Disney studios there would be no TOY STORY or FINDING NEMO. And without the
amazing effects seen in 2001 much of what is taken for granted in today’s
special effects would have never come about or been refined.
Here is the thing. History
is at your fingertips with the push of a button, either streaming or available
to rent or to purchase. It’s all out there on disc and streaming services. But
there are several things you have to do to learn from it.
The first is step out of
your comfort zone. Don’t limit yourself to just the latest thing out there.
Don’t just think that movies were never around until the day you were born.
Don’t ignore a movie because it isn’t in color. Give the movies that came first
a chance to find out what they were all about.
The second is to look at
these movies through the eyes of the time period in which they were released. A
movie like DR. STRANGELOVE might be funny but consider that it came out and the
height of the Cold War. What’s the Cold War? There you go, an example of
something to look into deeper that affected the country. Watch CASABLANCA and
think about what was taking place, WWII, and how it affected people at the
time. What were they looking for when they went to the movies? Before JAWS the
summer releases were the same as the rest of the year. With its release the
search for the summer blockbuster took reign.
The fact is that history,
cultural history in particular, can be learned when watching the movies that
were made during a particular time. Things that were acceptable in one decade
might not be the next. Things that weren’t discussed among people let alone in
public were altered when movies brought those topics to the forefront.
So the next time you think
there’s nothing to watch, nothing to rent, nothing to stream, take a look at
movies made before you were born and see what they might be about. Give them a
chance. Give them a watch. And watch them considering that time period rather
than thinking about how they look through the eyes of today. Who knows, you
might find out that there are thousands of great movies out there that you’ve
ignored for far too long.
