Upon the appearance of my recent interview with numerous writers about what films move them and why, one of the really
true readers of the poplitiko site who sends me feedback when anything
new posts, asked me to please consider answering my own
questions. Since I am by no means saying I am more important or better
than any of the others and that my role of interviewer was neutral and
only interested in a great read, I was reluctant upon doing so.
Discussing the interview afterward with Alan Dean Foster I mentioned what the reader had
suggested and he said I should do it, in fact, he said, I insist that you do
it. So here that
is. I am going to write a follow up to the interview results, so, this
is only my own replies to the same set of questions. Thanks to reader
Sandy, and to ADF for insisting.
If you have a list of films that you’d say move you the
most, that you treasure, what would they be? If there is a trend in the list
what would that be?
I
am a person who used to have lists, as it helped me organize my mind,
and organizing things I love was a way to cultivate how much I love what
I do, and perhaps understand more of why I love what I do. Over time my list has winnowed from great and vast lists
of greatness to perhaps ten to fifteen that move me more than others. Treasuring
them does not mean I rewatch them often, as it might make them feel
common, rather than extraordinary. Those movies would be:
Seven Samurai
Gladiator
Amadeus
Excalibur
Blade Runner
Blade Runner 2049
Metropolis
Interstellar
Glory
The Black Rose
From Here to Eternity
M
The Misfits
Andromeda Strain
Alien
King Kong 1933
King Kong versus Godzilla 1963
Godzilla versus Mothra 1964
Pacific Rim
Nosferatu
Last Man Standing
The 13th Warrior
Black Hawk Down
The Mummy (Original)
Star Wars: Rogue One
Lawrence of Arabia
Adventures of Robin Hood
JFK
Dick Tracy
A Place in the Sun
Enemy at the Gates
One
aspect of most all of these is there is a wild or evil danger and
someone is forced by destiny to act or die. Sometimes the movies I like
feature a rebel being the actual hero, but, not every rebel is against
the authority, sometimes a person rebels against conformity and against
convention. In the case of Godzilla it is not the desire to see him
win or lose, or even that he destroys, but, to see this walking threat
deal with the conflicts he encounters, and either prevail or go away, or
die. His greatest moments happen when he is about to lose, and you
just know, that is far too early to believe that he might die. M and
Nosferatu are far harder for me to watch, as they involve malice, and a
bit of madness, presented in the most effective use of black and white,
and shadows. I watch Alien in color, and it still evokes some unsettled
fear in me. Metropolis told the story of the heights of culture and
the lows of degradation, and how humanity had to rise above by
destroying the mechanisms meant to limit our ascent. Guys that have
dark looks, Montgomery Clift, Tyrone Power, Toshiro Mifune. Stories
about how the world expects conformity but conformity is neither moral,
necessarily, nor is it necessarily good for you to do it. The Crying
Game might give pause to some to think I am gay or bi, but to me it was
how love, no matter how it was begun or pursued, develops, and love has
no master. It confounds preconceived ideas, and follows a path of
fate. You can stop loving someone, but it offers us no comfort to do
so. I am by no means gay or bi. I don't have a problem with that
concept, I am able to see the story for what it is, and it is
beautiful. Heroism is not dying, it is not living, it is facing what
you cannot face if you think of it, by way of action. War films like
Glory show me how deeply true it is that there is no greater love than
to lay down your life for a friend. Some human issues had to be
resolved by war, and war is transcendent, it changes us, it changes the
world around us, and rarely, but sometimes, the sacrifice of others
brings freedom and hope for those considered to be survivors. As a historian I know very well
that the United States had to fight that Civil War, or the subject human
slavery would never have been challenged. In many ways it was only by
the blood shed and actions taken by the black former slaves that gained
the rest of black American's freedom thereafter. And frankly, even
then, it was only grudgingly granted.
Everyone has movies they do not enjoy, but that isn’t my
inquiry here. What movies did you think
you’d love but thought were so unsatisfying that you really dislike them? What about them caused you to think that?
When I asked this question I had a
specific movie in mind, but the story I knew about wasn't from my own
experience. While it was a hilarious story, the writer didn't have time
to join the interview, and regretted it, so, in a future work I'll try
to include that secret origin story for the question. I rarely
attend movies now, really really rarely do. My only experience is not to
say it was a bad film, as drama goes, it was great. For who I am, and
the problems I had, I have to choose BRAVEHEART. It was a film I
was told that I couldn't hep but think it was great.
Going in I
knew rather quickly
I'd be not moved by the factuality it. As a historian, and a sort of
military historian by interest, and
mostly, as someone who never sees a film about a supposed historic
subject without
doing research, this was a case of lies being wrapped in shiny pretty
paper and being called truth. It was a fine movie, if fiction, but as
person aware of the enormous factual bullshit used, and
how the best things about the known history of William Wallace were
ignored or changed to make it more lurid, more dramatic, more romantic,
it was pure fuckery. Every time thereafter that a person of Scottish
descent tried forcing me to say but the movie itself was good, I just
shook my head, and said, if no one had pretended it was true, it would
be fine. This movie wasn't about truth, its about making a big
dramatic movie. It should instead have been about telling the real
story, which, with effort, might be a
moving, intelligent work, and not have to lie to arrive there.
The
movie Gladiator which I am aware is fiction never said that the
alternative event was factual.
It said, in the concept, what if this happened... and thereby poof,
there you have a different end result than the one we experienced. As a
person who has read hundreds, yes, actually, hundreds, of books about
Ancient Rome what made this true, outside of "facts" was the use of
known facts of Rome, depicting true aspects of it, visually, so that the
fiction of the story would thrive. To me, it violated not a speck of
history.
When I had lost someone in my life, twice, I’d gone into
a deep depression. In those dark times
it was a movie that was the first thing that made me laugh, escape or the
sort. (For those curious, a Lil Rascals
comedy, and a Three Stooges short)… Do you have films you go to for comfort in
down times? If so, what are they, and why do you think they provide such
comfort for you?
I have comfort films,
but the reason they give me comfort is not their themes, and I don't
watch them to inspire me, to pick me up, or to make me smile. The Lil
Rascals absolutely saved me twice, as did a Three Stooges film. I watch
them often, but not repeatedly. And A Christmas Story, which, though I love it would not
place it in my highest echelon of great or beloved. It reminds me of how
my dad, who had issues with the world, was made a kid in how he loved
Christmas. And Christmas in the Christmas Story was when that grumpy
dad made certain his little boy had that special gift... the Red Ryder
bb gun. I know it will make some mock me, but I actually just fought
back a tear saying that.
Director Tim Burton called War of the Gargantuas and King
Kong versus Godzilla cathartic films that allowed him as a child to experience
joy. Since the films for him allowed to
see destruction without actual violence, he suggested that film allowed him to
fantasize without the real world’s consequences. Are there films similar to these for
you? How do they cause you similar
experiences of joy or catharsis?
Obviously
I love KK vs G, I've mentioned it twice. And while I get what he
said, I think for me various war films that tell the story without
getting gory allowed me to feel the cause without the horrors. As an
adult, I do not watch those sort of war movies. I allow myself as a
child to have not needed to know the exacts, yet. There is time enough
for that. But, I do love the Star Wars movies, and to some lesser
extent the Star Trek movies, and I love Aliens, Predator, and
Terminator. Yes they are violent, and thank God I don't live in their
worlds. And for me, at least, there was a greater feeling of release in
Crying Game than through any of the violent movies. That would go for
The Black Rose when the ending gives you your most cherished thing...
If someone wants to get to know you, what one or two
films would reflect your outlook or your life experiences enough to say you’d
chose them?
I've a friend who
would tell you I am in real life Monty Clift's character in From Here to Eternity. I
do not altogether disagree, that character's Don Quixotic life and choices, do in
fact resemble certain choices and decisions I've made, and stuck to long
after they were wise to keep. Excalibur perhaps, and despite never
committing adultery, and never wanting to bang my best friend's wife, I
think Lancelot is my template, tragic choices, a life attempted to be
lived with honor, and always, no matter how perfectly believed, how
deeply felt, or beautifully tragically fallen, I see my faith as being
like with his ultimate redemption. Whatever I've done, whoever I am,
the depth of me wants to be forgiven, and found to be true.
I mentioned dark times, and catharsis, do you watch any
film over and over as a sort of comfort food?
How does it work for you? I used
to grade papers as a grad student and would put a Godzilla vhs on, from the
first era (Showa). I’d not have to
follow the action, but it would keep me company while reading and grading
papers.
King Kong
Versus Godzilla,is a comfort food because it reminded me of some moments that were the
best in my life, and they comfort me in the present by reminding me of
the past. All of my other sorts of comfort food movies are all from the Showa Godzilla era. I still put them on when I
have a long project, need company, and don't want to be distracted with
any thoughts outside of the subject I am working upon, or Big G.
Lastly, as a
writer, while watching film, do you mentally disagree or agree with the film,
making edits and corrections in your mind?
Do you have any particular examples of such?
I
asked this question because I have writer friends who tell me they do
this all the time to the distraction and some time annoyance of family.
I rarely do this with any sort of movie outside of history based ones.
If I know the little edit that people do of known demonstrable history,
I tend to thereafter distrust any further movement. That is, unless
they say, what if this happened instead of that, well then, that's a
knowable change, and I am ok with that.
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