I really like this blog idea.
Growing up, my family did not have a TV. I remember Mother trying to get "Roots" to come on the television so we could watch this new fangled thing called a "miniseries." The antenna of the old TV connected to aluminum foil and only if somebody held it. It was really kinda funny. Funny thing now, it just makes for a good story. What character building we had!
As the years passed, we eventually got up to speed. It was probably mid 80's before we had a regular TV and cable. Mother was pursuing her B.A. in Liberal Arts and her B.F.A. in Fine Arts (theatre, music, dance). We went to theater events all the time: there were some pretty wacky and some really wonderful shows we got to see.
But we really loved the TV. Really don't remember having time to watch weekly shows, but we loved the fact that old movies were accessible. Million Dollar Movie on channel 9 or an early Saturday Western. Miniseries were big: Mother loved "North and South."
As cable grew, so did Mother's time in bed, being ill. She became addicted to this new cable phenomenon AMC. American Movie Classics. Such a huge name for this 24 hour, all movies, all the time channel. Pre 2000, AMC could air just about anything from all the Marx Bros. to the 70's. They showed the film noirs, the forbidden. I remember watching "Catherine the Great" with Marlene Dietrich. I felt so grown up: watching, understanding, noting symbolism, being scared by the horrific scenery. I was so sophisticated, I had found this treasure in the dark of a sleepless night.
We bought Mother encyclopedias of movies. What to watch, notes, stars lives.. she became obsessed with movies on TV. Sometimes it was her only friend. I don't know how it made her feel to watch those movies, but I know she was lonely without them. Mother didn't want to have a huge library of those movies she saw, she ingested the diet they fed her. Mother knew the hosts, when the next Spaghetti Western was scheduled, what day Lauren Bacalls birthday was. One very amazing habit she had; she could name character actors and all the littlest roles they had ever played. You know when you read the player list in the beginning of an old movie, sometimes you only recognize the first three? Not Mother, she usually recognized the list until the end.
Anyway, this blog will be an attempt at the Happy Medium of Film Watching. I am pretty knowledgeable in film, as are my siblings. In the deep recesses of our hearts, we admire that gift that Mother had. I don't want to take it to extremes, as Mother did, but I do want to preserve the memory of Mama and her film watching fancy.
I ask that my two daughters watch movies with me. My husband really is an avid film connoisseur himself and has really introduced me to some great films too. (Granted alot of them are grainy 70's films, but hey...)
I'd like to compile a list and then watch them. The realities of being a working mother probably only will allow me 1 or 2 a week. AND I DON'T WATCH MOVIES WITH COMMERCIALS OR IF I HAVE MISSED ANYTHING FROM THE BEGINNING. Wow. That's like 50 years.... I am at the mercy of OnDemand and Netflix. I too, don't feel the need for a large movie library. (1: formats change so often and 2: how many times can you watch your favorite movie, really?) My list would include the basics like AFI's top movies, but should also include people I love and admire's favorites. Or should I go strictly genre recommended? My sister has a broader range of movies she likes, to include war and biographical movies, I'd rather watch movies that Edith Head costumed.... Include guilty pleasures? "Legally Blonde" is hardly classic, but such a cute premise... For sure, I'd like my sibling's input... Ni? Seth? Matty?
Well I started it... I'll think on it.
