…is currently running in the IFI in Dublin. It’s a wonderful thing to see such a beautiful and powerful film on the big screen. A really enjoyable narration on the insanity of war.
Treat yourself and go see it, if you can.
Until this evening I’d never seen the film. I was always waiting to see it properly, like this. In fact there are a few classics that I’ve held off seeing, for want of watching them on the big screen; many of my friends know about my urge to get a Godfather trilogy day/night off the ground, not just in my front room, but on a big screen, with impressive sound and a crowd of people to enjoy it with.
In fact (tangent in three… two… one… ), I’ve been watching a lot of old films lately: The Graduate, Bonnie and Clyde, Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia, All About Eve and a chink of the works of Hitchcock to name but a few. There is a real difference in storytelling evident between now and then. Everything is so rushed these day.
As my friend commented as we left Apocalypse Now, if they remade that film nowadays, the scenes would all be so much shorter and to the point. The scene where he is briefed on his mission would have lost the regret the general obviously feels for ordering the mission, the mystery of the suited man and the awkwardness of the captain who watches on. It would have been “Hello. take this document and go kill this boyo”. Yes. Boyo. That is how it would have been worded. And I would know. I make the movies.
The same with the character building scenes in so many of the films I named above. So much more relaxed and thus realistic than you get these days.
As another (some would say bonus) side point, there is something great about seeing a fleet of helicopters, a burning forest and lots of people flipping in explosions in films of this era. Because you know it all happened. It subconsciously feels more real because it sort of is more real. At least more real than CGI.
This was sort of a stream of consciousness. I think I can sum it up with “old films are good, give them a try”.
Anyway, ranting aside, I just found a copy of The Fantastic Mr Fox which I missed in the cinema and will now watch, thus ignoring my previous statements on old films and seeing things on the big screen. Oh well. Life is a fickle bitch like that.
