What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[John in Covina]

On Cowboy movies

It's because of what they are being taught in school today.

The US govenrment and westward movements of "white" people are represented as vicious & genocidal in their actions against Native Americans.

Older generations see Cowboys as the archtypical rugged heroic individualist with good moral base but those in school today and the recent past see them as an early version of Nazi based anti enviromental psycotic violent motorcylce gang members. So how could they be seen as heroic in anything?

In the urban areas of the Northeast particularly, rugged individualism is seen as a dangerous anti-social flaw.

 

[bronzewolf]

citizen kane

 

[Doctor Strange]

But one of the things that distinguishes The Searchers is Wayne's performance as Ethan Edwards - an unabashed racist, near-psycho still enraged over the outcome of the Civil War - hardly a classic hero. And even the gentle Vera Miles character thinks Debbie would be better dead than living as an indian: there's little question that directory John Ford meant for the audience to feel surprised and conflicted about her having that POV.

Yes, the film has plenty of indians getting killed by the cavalry, but it's not the mindless good-cowboys-vs.-bad-indians of a thousand other westerns. It's very clear why those don't play well now, and I wouldn't try and show these to my kids. The great westerns are more about the evil in people - mostly in other in cowboys - and only use the indians as symbols.

It's Ethan being ruined by his rugged individualism that remains the real message of the film: in that amazing final shot, he is excluded from the family reunion as the door closes - as much a victim of his own hatred as all the film's corpses.

And hey, it WAS genocidal. But the vast majority of westerns aren't about history, they're about myth. How we choose to interpret history at a given time (e.g., in movies) can often tell us more than the history itself...

 

[AmateisGal]

Watched the delightful and heartwarming Christmas in Connecticut with Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan last night, then just finished watching the last disc in the DVD set of Ken Burns's The War tonight. I took my time going through it, wanting to really focus on each episode. Very well-done series.

 

[just_me]

The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery (made for TV a year before the series started)

 

[Miss Golightly]

It's a Wonderful Life
Sunset Boulevard

 

[BinkieBaumont]

Thoroughly Modern Millie

I found this on DVD and bought two copies one as a christmas gift, :eusa_clap and a copy for me!!! what a delight to see Carol Channing and Beatrice Lillie

"Raspberries" and "Soy Sauce" respectivley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6g929abIrs

 

[MrBern]

It's because of what they are being taught in school today.

The US govenrment and westward movements of "white" people are represented as vicious & genocidal in their actions against Native Americans.

Older generations see Cowboys as the archtypical rugged heroic individualist with good moral base but those in school today and the recent past see them as an early version of Nazi based anti enviromental psycotic violent motorcylce gang members. So how could they be seen as heroic in anything?

In the urban areas of the Northeast particularly, rugged individualism is seen as a dangerous anti-social flaw.

Wow...
three cheers for hunting the buffalo to near extinction.
Funny how kids learn things in schoolbooks to counteract the romantic hollywood fiction. Otherwise they might think General Custard knew what he was doing.
If only the northeastern urban areas had more heroes shooting moose.

 

[Indyfan]

The last movies I saw were THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (2008)
and AUSTRAILIA

 

[John in Covina]

Wow...
three cheers for hunting the buffalo to near extinction.
Funny how kids learn things in schoolbooks to counteract the romantic hollywood fiction. Otherwise they might think General Custard knew what he was doing. If only the northeastern urban areas had more heroes shooting moose.

***********
Patrice Mubumba University?

 

[Slim Portly]

This morning, 1944's "To Have and Have Not," the first pairing of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

This afternoon, 1941's "Meet John Doe," with Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck.

 

[Panache]

Iron Man

(sorry)


I just loved the line

"I'm starving, give me a scotch"

Cheers

Jamie

 

[THe Conductor]

Run Fat Boy Run

Was rather funny.

 

[MrBern]

***********
Patrice Mubumba University?

thats Lumumba.
Whats that got to do with the Northeastern USA? Or Movies?

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Fellows, please keep it on the films.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I found this on DVD and bought two copies one as a christmas gift, :eusa_clap and a copy for me!!! what a delight to see Carol Channing and Beatrice Lillie

Binkie, you didn't mention that Mary Tyler-Moore and Julie Andrews were in the film and that it was directed by George Roy Hill, who later directed the two Redford & Newman westerns, "The Sting" and "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid".

 

[John in Covina]

it was directed by George Roy Hill, who later directed the two Redford & Newman westerns, "The Sting" and "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid".

****************
WOW! I had no idea that "The Sting" was a western!

 

[carter]

lol lol lol lol

John, I nearly lost my coffee!

Stamboul Quest (1934) with Myrna Loy :whistling and George Brent. OK film. Great clothing!

 

[ortega76]

Last night, I finally got around to watching The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I liked it, in as much as I loved reading the book as a child and it was a rousing adventure story. A few of the plot details changed in the movie, but it was a good adaptation.

 

[MrBern]

But one of the things that distinguishes The Searchers is Wayne's performance as Ethan Edwards - an unabashed racist, near-psycho still enraged over the outcome of the Civil War - hardly a classic hero. And even the gentle Vera Miles character thinks Debbie would be better dead than living as an indian: there's little question that directory John Ford meant for the audience to feel surprised and conflicted about her having that POV.

Yes, the film has plenty of indians getting killed by the cavalry, but it's not the mindless good-cowboys-vs.-bad-indians of a thousand other westerns. It's very clear why those don't play well now, and I wouldn't try and show these to my kids. The great westerns are more about the evil in people - mostly in other in cowboys - and only use the indians as symbols.

It's Ethan being ruined by his rugged individualism that remains the real message of the film: in that amazing final shot, he is excluded from the family reunion as the door closes - as much a victim of his own hatred as all the film's corpses.

And hey, it WAS genocidal. But the vast majority of westerns aren't about history, they're about myth. How we choose to interpret history at a given time (e.g., in movies) can often tell us more than the history itself...

I watched the SEARCHERS just last Saturday nite on PBS. Its probably JohnWayne's darkest role. After all, we spend most of the movie waiting to see if he really will execute his kidnapped niece just for submitting to the life of a squaw. Bitter Xenophobia, but an awesome epic.

I just watched Gran Torino too.