Charm of
By Victoria Wong
classic movies
lost on youngJUST follow the yellow brick road," said Glinda the Good Witch to Dorothy. " DUH!" I heard.
As I sat there in the dark theater, enthralled by the magical re-release of "Wizard of Oz," I heard the sarcastic comments of the kid behind me.
"Those flowers are plastic," he said, of the colorful flora of Munchkinland. Moments later, he suggested "Why don't they just shoot her," about the Wicked Witch of the West.
I turned around to give him my best glare. The kid wasn't there. I looked down lower. There, slouched down in the seat, was a kid who must have been 6 years old, if not younger. I turned back around, disillusioned by the disillusions of today's youngsters.
Of course I, too, am in this category commonly known as "youngsters." But when it comes to movies, old vs. new, I see both sides of the issue. As a fan of "old movies," I love the romanticism of movies from the past.
The clichés of movies cheer me up. I cheer at the ending of "It's a Wonderful Life." I get misty when I see those Paris flashback scenes from "Casablanca." Heck, I saw the re-release of "Gone With the Wind" three times!
But, I can also be a cynic; I see the way Hollywood sugarcoats everything and tacks on uplifting endings to almost everything.
One debate I've seen in this column ponders the reasons children are so cynical. Yes, it is important that they know some truth, but not all truth. Yes, the flowers in the "Wizard of Oz" are plastic. But, children shouldn't think like that when they see the movie.
Hollywood has caused them to think in such a manner. "King Kong" and "Frankenstein," two movies that shocked adults in the 1930s, are taken for comedies by today's youth.
Young children stand in line for blood and gore of movies like "Scream" and "Bride of Chucky." Of course a clay gorilla won't scare them. Children want to see all and know all of reality; through this demand, they become cynical.
ONE may argue that movie ratings exist, and parental discretion is necessary for certain movies. At one time, however, ratings weren't necessary. Hollywood established the ratings because the public's demands changed drastically. The public dictates Hollywood's output. And the demands of today's public are for sex and violence.
As Katharine Hepburn put it, "the taste of the public has been geared to a diet of such extravagance -- polite pornography is no longer interesting-no more subterfuge-the naked fact-Tell it-Do it-There it is--That is the fact--The truth-The four letter word-The naked body-Nothing withheld."
Can't Hollywood leave any mystery or romance in the movies ... or life, for that matter?
With this need for quick cuts and explosions, we are losing our culture of older and subtler movies. I know, because I belong to the generation that is losing them. I bring up the phrase "old movie," and people tell me they liked "Grease." I mention "black and white" movies, and people say "those are boring."
My friends have never heard of the Marx Brothers before. I sometimes say "I vant to be alone," in a deep Swedish accent to see if anybody will understand. But no, they just give me that same look with the quizzical eyebrow and then change the subject. I mention "Gone With the Wind" and I hear, "That's a racist movie," "It's only a trashy romance novel" or "Scarlett O'Hara is such a ..."
Well, I'll stop before I have to write words which a newspaper can't print. All this leads me to ask one question: Will those classic movies become extinct in a generation or two from now? Will the only remnant we have from the past be a single line: "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn"? My generation doesn't seem to give a damn either.
Victoria Wong is 17 and attends Punahou School. Rant & Rave is a Tuesday Star-Bulletin feature
allowing those 12 to 22 to serve up fresh perspectives.
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