Then and Now: Film Retrospective

Then and Now: 

Movie Blogfest

The greatest films stand the test of time, speaking to us in different ways at various life stages.  Is there a movie that was a part of your life when you were younger that you see differently now?  Like fine wine, has it improved with age or did it die in the bottle?  Has maturity brought you new insights you missed in your youth?  We want to know all about it!

Join us for "Then and Now," a bloghop hosted by The Armchair Squid, Suze, Nicki Elson and Nancy Mock.  Tell us about a movie you loved when you were younger but have come to see differently over time - for better or for worse.    Please visit the Squid's blog for the participant list.

Worse Than I Thought

 Film poster Plan 9 from Outer Space (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

        My favorite film genre in my earliest years was science fiction.  I especially loved the creatures mutated by atomic energy and other toxins.  When I first saw Plan 9 From Outer Space I was blown away.   This was such a cool story with great characters.  In my memory this became a sci-fi gold standard for me.  After seeing this film in about 1960 it was decades before I was able to find it on video and relive the cinematic experience of this memorable film.

         By this time I had read many accounts of how this film was "the worst film ever made".   How could this film that had impacted me so greatly be held in such contempt?   I had to find out for myself.  I rented the video and made the sad discovery.  The film was really really bad.

         Fortunately some good came of this low point in film history.  It inspired the great Tim Burton film Ed Wood.  If you have not seen this film yet by all means you should--it is excellent.   I don't advise Plan 9 From Outer Space unless you are really out for some punishment.

A Film That Has Held Up Well

         
           When I was growing up in the 1950's and early 60's, the threat of nuclear annihilation continually hung over us.   I had a perverse fascination with this concept so I naturally enjoyed seeing the films that came out about this subject.  There were quite a few of them.   My favorite and the one that stuck with me the most was Stanley Kramer's 1959 film On the Beach.

          I first saw this film at the drive-in theater with my parents when I was about nine years old.  It was scary in a really-could-happen sort of way that monster movies never delivered.  When it eventually was available on video I was able to see this film again and it didn't disappoint.  I've now seen it a few times since and have the DVD in my collection.  The other night I carefully watched the film again.  To me this is such a great film.  

           On the Beach is a post-apocalyptic film which depicts the last survivors of a global nuclear conflagration hanging on in Australia.  Everyone knows the end will soon reach them in the form of the creeping radiation in the atmosphere.  The remaining population hangs on as they endure shortages of gasoline and food.   After an American nuclear submarine arrives on the scene, a decision is made to send the crew to search for other areas that are theorized to be still habitable and to investigate mysterious signals that are being broadcast from somewhere on the Southern California coast.

          These days I'm not sure this film would hold the interest of many kids like it did me so many years ago.  For that matter I don't think a lot of adults would tolerate it.  For one thing the film is in appropriately somber black and white.  The pacing is slow with a lot of dialog.  There are minimal special effects.  No gore even though we know there must be plenty of bodies somewhere in the California cities the sub crew checks out.  There's no bad language--nothing lost by that.   And no sex even though the intimations are made that sex is on some of their minds.   It's a film that would probably get a PG rating due to the mature theme.

         It's too bad that more films of this quality aren't still made.  The message of the film impacted me as a kid and the film held my interest.   Now when I see it, I'm still impacted and enthralled by this film.  On the Beach is in my estimation a truly great film.

          Have you seen the original 1959 version of On the Beach?   What do you think of the slow paced black and white films of the 1940's and 50's?    What films can you think of that are worse than Plan 9 from Outer Space?

 

     

        Join me this coming Sunday June 15 for another Battle of the Bands.  No classical music this week.  Just two good versions of one great song.   

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Nuclear Apocalypse Films (#atozchallenge)

Cover of The Day After

The films that I'll be listing in my April postings will not necessarily be films that I'd call my favorite films, but they will be favorites in the genres I'll be naming.   The A to Z genres are very specific micro genres as opposed to the broader genres like action, romance, or comedy.

      One thing that World War Two brought us was the nuclear apocalypse/radioactive mutant genre of films.  These were some of the films that played a big influence on me as a film viewer during my childhood and continue to fascinate me to this day.   Giant insects, revived prehistoric creatures, and zombies have all been part of this genre.

       My focus will be the attack and aftermath as depicted in movies.  Here are some of the films in this genre that I have particularly enjoyed:

On The Beach (1959)-- I first saw this at the drive-in theater with my parents when I was a kid.  I didn't totally understand it all, but I knew enough to have this film etch itself into my memory.  The last people on Earth after a nuclear war are in Australia.  A U.S. submarine crew checks out the California coast but there is no one to be found.  They return to Australia where the remaining humans prepare for the end.  It's still a powerful movie.

Panic in the Year Zero (1962)-- Another film I saw at the drive-in with my parents.   In this movie, a typical American family from Los Angeles heads out for a fun camping trip and ends up fighting for survival in the aftermath of a nuclear attack.  This film freaked me out when I was young and I loved it.  It's still a pretty good film to watch.

This Is Not a Test (1962)-- In this curious relic of its time, a group of travelers on a desolate stretch of highway learn of a nuclear attack that is underway.  This is a low-budget psychological drama with no effects, but it's an interesting study of how people respond in time of disaster when there is little information available to them.  I had never seen or heard of this film until fairly recently.

Planet of the Apes (1968) -- Most of you probably know about this film, but I won't say anything about it for those who don't.  If you have not seen this original version, check it out and you'll understand why I've included it in my list.

The Day After (1983)-- Originally released as a TV movie, but it's available on DVD.  This film is an excellent depiction of a nuclear attack on the United States and what happens afterwards.  The film created quite a sensation when it debuted.  It's still worth a watch for those who are interested in this genre.

Testament (1983)-- A film originally intended for PBS, but first received a theatrical release in theaters before being shown on television.  No big effects here, but a good story.  A small California community is isolated after a devastating world nuclear war.  The citizens try to make sense of what's going on elsewhere as the effects of radiation begin taking its tragic toll.  The story focuses on a mother trying to help her family survive in the bleak aftermath.  Mothers especially will find this a heartbreaking film to watch.   Look for a small role by a young Kevin Costner.

       Which of these have you seen?    What other films about nuclear apocalypse can you recommend?  How has the threat of nuclear war affected you in your life?

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2012: The End of the World and Other Fun Things

            Is there anything more fun than the end of the world?  Mass destruction, cataclysm, apocalypse --all favorite entertainment devices that lend themselves well to high drama, tension, action, terror, and, of course, amazing special effects.  What draws us to fantasies about the destruction of our world? 

          Recently I watched Roland Emmerich's 2012  starring John Cusack. The film is based on the ancient prophecies taken from the Mayan calendar that suggest the world will end on December 21, 2012.  Starting in real time of when the movie was released (2009) and moving through 2010, the story culminates with the disaster as predicted--and that's all in the first half of the film.  The balance of the film slows to a little more dramatic action, which is continually interspersed with additional scenes of visual effects. What you end up with is two and a half hours of mind-numbing, edge of your seat thrills.

          Don't get me wrong, it's all a lot of fun.  It reminds me of a thrill ride at Universal Studios except it lasts a whole lot longer.  The special effects are pretty incredible while the action is wonderfully absurd.  We witness the longest earthquake in human history with all destruction conveniently choreographed to allow our heroes to barely escape certain death from cracking highways, crashing overpasses, and collapsing buildings.  There are fires and explosions.  It's all flashy and noisy and great fun as we watch millions die and our largest cities turned to rubble.  And that's not all!   There are tsunamis, volcanoes, fire from the skies, windstorms of deadly ash.  Oh, and did I mention great fun?

         I'll have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and apparently I'm not the only one.  It's all about the action and effects.  The acting is fine and the story is somewhat absurd.  You can pretty well guess what's going to happen; who will live and who will die.   There are lots of cliches, but that's the way the world ends, right?   If you enjoy special effects extravaganzas and exciting on the move action, I highly recommend 2012.

        What is it about the end of world that fascinates us so much?  I've been a big fan of these types of movies since I was a child and it is still probably my favorite genre.  I think World War 2 and the emergence of the atomic age had a lot to do with it.  I can't really think of any end of the world movies prior to that big war.  Then after Hiroshima we became curious--what if?   What if the war to end all wars happened?  How will radiation effect us?   We saw giant mutants and cities destroyed by radioactive monsters in the films of the 50s.  We witnessed worlds where very few people survived.

         One of the best atomic apocalypse films ever is  Stanley Kramer's ON THE BEACH with Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner.  A film with little action or special effects, the post apocalyptic world and how it affects those who remain is eerie and memorable.  Another favorite is THE ROAD WARRIOR with Mel Gibson.  Once again we see survivors of the "big one" struggling against the forces of evil who want to take control.  With action to the extreme and a hugely imaginative vision, this film is perhaps the 80s counterpart to the more recent release of THE ROAD, based on the book by Cormac McCarthy. 

        Another recent favorite of mine is KNOWING with Nicholas Cage.  I found the special effects in this film to be outstanding and the spiritual story was unique. You can go to Amazon to see my review of Knowing and the many interesting comments that follow it. 

         The trend in zombie films is probably related to the apocalypse mentality as well.  The George Romero DEAD trilogy and its spinoffs and remakes and the infatuation with zombies seems to have a lot to do with end times.  The recent zombies are not the voodoo zombies of old.  These new zombies are brain eating terrors that seemed to have been activated from death sleep by some fluke of the modern age.  Who doesn't at least secretly like zombies?

        Might it be that we humans have this hidden desire to rid the world of us?   And while we're at it maybe take everything else with it?  There seems to be a curiosity to see the world knocked off its axis and split apart, or maybe better blown apart.  There are some Biblical implications here as well.  Christians, as well as other religions, look to the destruction of this world so it can be replaced by God's new better world.  For some of us we may be looking forward to this renewal of earth into heaven.  Maybe it would be a good thing to see God trash this world and start anew.

        Until the ultimate day of doom arrives I'm sure we'll see more books about the topic and more films with better special effects.  Let's hope they come up with better stories as well.  But, hey, if it's a good noisy thrill ride then that's okay too.

           Are you a fan of apocalyptic films?  What are your favorites?   What do you think is the reason for the popularity of these types of films?