Want to find a happy medium when deciding what movie to watch
with your family? Try these classic films
It’s Friday night and the kids want to eat popcorn and watch “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie” – for the 900th time. The adults want to watch something on movie night that won’t bore them to tears, but that’s still appropriate for young eyes. Is there such a thing as a happy movie medium?
Say hello to classic films.
The classics, a genre that typically encompasses movies made before the mid-1960s, were subject to strict censors, so the content is almost always kid-friendly.
“I think watching classic movies is a great way for a family to spend time together,” said Grant Richards, a film and English instructor at Gavilan College. “There are musical films like ‘Grease’ or ‘The Sound of Music’ that have all the songs and dance, which kids love, and stories that parents can get into. And a lot of classics, whether they’re fun or more serious, deal with social issues. They cover everything from racism and war to obeying parents and the importance of family.”
In 2003, the American Film Institute surveyed movie-watchers, asking them to rate their top 100 movie heroes of all time. Atticus Finch from 1962’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” beat James Bond and Indiana Jones for the top spot, Richards said, a clear indication that classic films are still very relevant.
“I have three sons under the age of 10, and I show them old movies all the time,” he added. “They really get into it. They don’t care if what they’re watching is in black and white – I think my college students have a much harder time with that – they just like a good story. I believe it’s really important to share these old films with younger generations.”
Movies Richards said his children particularly enjoyed were 1936’s “Modern Times” starring Charlie Chaplin and 1947’s “Miracle on 34th Street” starring Maureen O’Hara.
Some children get exposure to classic movies when book report time at school comes around, said Nancy Zarate, who works at Hollywood Video in Gilroy. Then they rent films such as “East of Eden” or “The Diary of Anne Frank.”
“Some classics do get rented out pretty regularly, like ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ ‘Gone with the Wind’ and ‘The Sound of Music,'” Zarate said. “But there are a lot of old movies that I really like that rarely go out. I love the 1954 version of ‘Romeo & Juliet.’ Also, a lot of current movies are remakes of old ones, and I think in a lot of cases the old ones are better.”
The first step in getting acquainted with classic movies is tossing out the idea that they’re only appropriate for the older generations and film students, said Keith Leopard, product director of Blockbuster video rental stores. He said movies such as “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Grapes of Wrath” have significant historical value, but films such as “Arsenic and Old Lace” or “It Happened One Night” show slapstick and screwball comedy at its finest.
“What kid hasn’t seen ‘The Wizard of Oz’? They don’t make the connection that it’s an old movie,” Leopard said.
Say hello to the classic movie section of your local movie rental store – it just may save you from another hour-and-a-half of SpongeBob and Squidward.
