Stagecoach (1939)

Why it's here:
We needed to watch John Wayne. I'd heard a lot about this one as the first pairing of John Wayne with John Ford the famous director of Westerns -- and as the movie that made John Wayne a star.

Specs:
About an hour and a half long, black and white. Available on dvd.
The film is set in 1880.

Our family's average rating on a scale of 1-10:
8.0

More about the movie and our reaction to it:
It's always a good sign when immediately after watching a movie the kids get up and start playing. Whether its grabbing bows and arrows after Robin Hood, or climbing the walls (literally) after Buster Keaton, or pulling out the Nerf guns and having a shootout after tonights entry, it makes me smile a gratified smile.

The film is a top notch quality Western. Whether you love the genre or put up with it, Hollywood Westerns are a force of nature that should be sampled and you can't go wrong with this one. The film builds tension to a slow steady burn, creating a sense of drama though almost nothing "happens" through 2/3 of the movie. The last half hour, when Apache Indians (played to Ford's credit by Native actors) start to fire upon the stage is thrilling stuff.

So, yes, the movie does have some tough violent themes. It also has talk of prison and social ostracism and reference to the leading lady's character and repute (treated with a light brush, but treated). There is a good deal of drinking hard alcohol -- humorously, and by one character in particular. All these elements are present, but the overwhelming impression is just of a good, well-told story in a beautiful Western surrounding. (It was shot on location in Monument Valley).

The film draws on the natural dramatic tension that arises when a disparate group of folks are thrown together in some situation - here, riding together on a stagecoach through dangerous territory. All the lead performances are impressive and add greatly to the production. But John Wayne's performance is simply profound. He had an extensive body of work in B movies, but was not generally known before this film. Stagecoach is said to be the movie that made him a star and you can surely see why. He comes on screen with so much presence and charisma you can't look anywhere else.

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Wizard of Oz (1939)

Why it's here:
Like most everyone, we've seen the Wizard of Oz many times. Its here in our festival, because we wanted to see it in its proper time.

Specs:
Just over an hour and a half. Color - with a black and white beginning and ending. Available on dvd with tons of special features.

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
8.5

More about the film and our reaction to it:
Seeing The Wizard of Oz "in" 1939 in our festival made it just that much better. 1939 was a profoundly good year for film. In that year alone we watched The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, Ninotchka, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Stagecoach! With so much competition from these and other great films that year, it is perhaps not surprising that the Wizard of Oz did not actually take the world by storm when it was released. It was only a modest success.

However, its popularity endured and continued to grow after it started to be aired on TV every year. It is now probably the best known and most watched of all classic film and has been enjoyed by people for generations. What makes it so good? and so enduring? A mix of excellent musical numbers, a wonderfully appealing story, a fantasy element, an element of close friendship and the important bonds of family, along with a great plot full of danger, adventure and magic. And on top of all that, there are incredibly great performances from Judy Garland as Dorothy, Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Jack Haley as the Tin Man and Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion  -- not to mention Margaret Hamilton's intensely frightening Wicked Witch of the West. These performances and characters are iconic for a reason.

At its core, the movie is great because the central idea is so compelling. The idea of a twister picking up a child and transporting her to a fantasy world is so appealing that it is bound to continue to enthrall for decades.

We enjoyed the film immensely -- especially the very clean, beautiful and painstaking restoration that has been done on it. The dvd we checked out from the library contained enough special features to keep a fan busy for many hours.

This is, obviously, the quintessential classic movie for families and not surprisingly rated as one of our very favorites in the festival. It is tailor-made for families to enjoy together.

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Gone With the Wind (1939)

Why it's here:
I went back and forth on this a long time. GWTW is one of my favorites and I knew it intimately. I wasn't sure whether it would be too tense for the boys, too racist, too long, too romantic. . . I just wasn't sure. Ultimately, I thought, why not just put it in the player and see.

Specs:
4 hours long. We recommend watching over two nights. There is a perfect stopping point at intermission. Glorious Technicolor

The film is set in the Civil War era.

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
8.75, making it our second favorite film in the festival.

More about the film and our reaction to it:
One of my favorite anecdotes to share with people about our film festival has to do with this film. After having watched over 30 years of film and about 40 titles, when we got to Gone With the Wind, we were all astounded by its quality. You just can't realize the full power of a film sometimes if you haven't placed it in the context of what comes before. GWTW is simply an amazing landmark film, so grand in scope and sweep, so extraordinarily beautiful to look at and with such a big story, that we could not help but be very impressed. Had I simply popped this in to the player back in May and asked my family to enjoy it "cold", I doubt whether they would have been able to.

As it is, we loved learning about the Civil War, the genteel South just before war hit, and the protracted period of Reconstruction after it. GWTW allows you to see the toll of war on people in a powerful way. Beloved characters die, people lose their land and struggle simply to eat. Characters make hard choices and undertake ruthless acts that they might not have ever done before the war. Babies are born, people struggle with love, and life goes on. We were all deeply moved by the drama. There is cruelty and kindness in relationships and some pretty tense, grown-up themes. But my kids loved the movie, because it is so brilliantly made.

The film is long, but I can't say that it is "too long", because the pacing is so good and so strong throughout that it ends up feeling just right. We couldn't wait to cue it back up the second night. The Technicolor is beyond breathtaking. This has to be one of the most beautiful films ever made. The costumes and landscapes are rich, but not too jarringly colorful. Scenes are muted, with wonderfully appropriate lighting. The film is stuffed with extras and deep acting as well as richly scored. It has massive spectacle value.

As for parent concerns: there are several scenes of violence - two of the most intense come when a soldier's leg is amputated and when Scarlett shoots a man in the face. There is a fair amount of implied sexuality - and allusions to a woman of ill-fame, though nothing overt is shown. And, there are multiple issues of racism. Obviously, the picture deals with the Civil War, there are issues of class, wealth, snobbery, and ruthlessness.  But none of these is necessarily as problematic for family viewing as the problem of unfamiliarity with slower-moving, lushly dramatic story telling. We got a lot of value out of GWTW, but another family without the backdrop of experience with classics might not.

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Ninotchka (1939)

Why it's here:
We wanted to include something by Greta Garbo, the iconic, elusive figure of the silent era who transitioned well to talkies despite her accent. We went for this one, an unusual Garbo comedy.

Specs:
Almost two hours, black and white.

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
7.0
Noteworthy that everyone in the family rated it a "7."

More about the film and our reaction to it:
This is a funny story that is well-acted and enjoyable. The word "solid" comes to mind. It wasn't our favorite; it wasn't remarkable; but it is very good and fun to watch. Garbo is funny as the wooden Russian who comes to Paris to check up on the sale of crown jewels that has been delayed. Ninotchka is a comedy/romance about the clash of cultures and ideology that ensues -- which is deepened after she falls in love.

Garbo's performance here must have been the prototype for Seven of Nine in Star Trek Voyager. They share the same clueless, deadpan, lack of emotion and humanity. It is a nice performance.

The plot is a bit hard to follow, but it doesn't matter. The charm comes down to the very nice comedic performances and to the great contrast between stark Bolshevik ideology and the lush Paris lifestyle.

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Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Why it's here:
An American government lesson wrapped inside a wonderful film.

Specs:
Just over two hours, black and white. Available on dvd.

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
7.5

More about the film and our reaction to it:
The movie starts out funny, then graduates, slowly, to a story that is tense, a bit unsettling and very powerful. We liked all the phases of the film, especially the fantastic and earnest performance of Jimmy Stewart.

Stewart plays Smith, an innocent and idealistic youth-leader with a strong local following who, for odd reasons, ends up being called up by the governor of his state to replace the state senator who has died unexpectedly -- at a very sensitive time. A pork barrel measure regarding a dam, is about to go to ballot and the powers that be needed the deceased senator to get the measure through. Now, they are simply hoping that Smith will act as a puppet and not cause trouble.

But they weren't banking on Smith's deep commitment to the honor of the role and the integrity of the political process. Smith wants to do something important. Unfortunately, what he wants to do conflicts directly with what the powerful forces in his state expected of him. Luckily, Smith has the help of Saunders (played by Jean Arthur) a woman who despite living in a man's world, is a real politico who knows how to work the system.

The kids were fascinated with the political theater -- and the movie, knowing that it is providing a special glimpse into our government, plays that up to the hilt. We had a lot of great conversations about power and politics and techniques like filibusters. The film is beautifully filmed with a sense of love and respect for our Capital, even though the story is rooted in the harsh realities of politics.

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Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Why it's here:
We have seen this movie many times before and we love it. Because we watched the 1922 Douglas Fairbanks version in the festival, it seemed only right to nod to Errol Flynn (again) as well.

Specs:
About an hour and a half, gorgeous Technicolor. Available on dvd.

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
8.33

More about the film and our reaction to it:
The Robin Hood story is such a compelling one and has to be one of the most frequently adapted tales ever. I haven't seen every single adaptation out there, but can still say with certainty that Errol Flynn's version is the best. :)

The level of intensity and violence is checked with a good deal of humor and joyous bounding through the forests, so that it feels good to watch. The audience is left in no doubt that times are difficult and people are facing harsh conditions (both political and financial). These themes aren't glossed over, but the overwhelming impression is that of good-hearted people doing the right thing and overcoming adversity while still retaining their good cheer. For these reasons, it makes great family viewing, especially for families who want to experience Robin Hood but aren't going to go the PG-13 (i.e. the Russel Crow, British TV series, or Kevin Costner) route to the story.

Even for those who do enjoy the more graphic modern versions of Robin Hood, there is still a great deal to love about this early one. For starters, this is one of the best early examples of a  Technicolor film. It is absolutely breathtaking to enjoy in vibrant color. Then, there is the great energy and joy with which the Robin Hood story is told. There is a deep talented cast (including Alan Hale, Claude Rains, Olivia de Havilland, and Basil Rathbone). But probably best of all, is Errol Flynn's exuberant star-turn as Robin. Flynn is a compelling presence. He makes Robin cheeky, smart, confident and exciting.

There is a reason this is a classic - it is an extremely well made film.

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Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Why it's here:
We'd seen this film before and knew it was fantastic; we included it in the festival to enjoy it again and to help spread the word.

Specs:
About an hour and a half, black and white. We found it on VHS tape from the library. Oddly there was a long waiting list for the title. So clearly others have good taste too!

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
8.5

More about the film and our reaction to it:
This is truly a great movie!  Laugh aloud funny throughout, it is fast-paced, silly and surprising. It benefits from Katherine Hepburn in a ditzy role and Cary Grant in a nerdy one. The two are always good together and this film showcases their individual and collective appeal to tremendous advantage. The whole cast is deeply talented and everyone seems to get into the absurdness of the film.

The plot turns on the paleontologist David (played by Grant), seeking a huge donation from a Mr. Peabody, and tracking him to a golf club where David instead encounters Susan (Hepburn). As she blazes into his space, playing his ball and crashing, then taking, his car, David realizes he is seriously in over his head and wants only to get away. But for her part, Susan falls in love quickly and does all in her power to keep him around. When her brother sends her a beautiful tame leopard ("Baby") they all end up at Susan's aunt's country home attempting variously to keep track of the leopard, find David's "intercostal clavicle" dinosaur bone, deny David's identity, and stay out of the crazy house, or the big house. It's good stuff.

One of the more amazing things about the movie is the beautiful leopard "Baby," played by Nissa who seems really quite gentle and reportedly got on splendidly with Hepburn - who clearly was not afraid of the cat. The movie made use of optical effects (split screen and rear screen projection) and puppets in order to portray the cast interacting with Baby. These effects are really well done and never distracting.

It is extremely family friendly a picture -- kids (and grown ups) are bound to enjoy it. My kids were laughing fit to burst and we can't wait to watch it again. We recommend it highly.

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Heidi (1937)

Why it's here:
Shirley Temple was one of the biggest movie stars ever. And Heidi is a classic and well-loved children's story. It seemed like a winning combination.

Specs:
An hour and a half, black and white. (Also available in "colorized" on the dvd we watched.)

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
7.38

More about the film and our reaction to it:
I was pleasantly surprised by the film. Shirley Temple (here at about age 9) is a consummate performer and, though precocious, is not irritating at all. She is actually cute as can be, and her relationship with her grandfather is quite moving.

The story, which starts out as a very affirming tale of warm family bonds, as Heidi overcomes gruff grandpa's barriers, becomes surprisingly tense part way through when Heidi's aunt kidnaps her and Heidi is forced to live with a rich family and kept from her grandfather. I'm sorry to say that we were not familiar with the plot of the story, so I can't speak to how closely this follows the book, but the movie is dramatic, nerve-wracking and at times a bit frightening. I was certainly surprised by its intensity, having expected something much more juvenile.

And I might be mistaken, but I think there is only one musical number in the whole movie. It doesn't view at all like a musical - and is almost more like an adventure story. And therein probably lies its continuing appeal. The scenery is beautiful -- even in black and white. (In fact, we actually started viewing the colorized version first and hated the artificial look it gave to the scenery. It really was better in its original form).

This is a good story that all but the youngest and most sensitive in your family are likely to enjoy if they keep an open mind.

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My Man Godfrey (1936)

Why it's here:
We added My Man Godfrey after watching The Thin Man. We wanted to see more William Powell. And I remembered how much I'd loved this film years ago, especially the charming performance of Carole Lombard.

Specs:
An hour and a half, black and white. Available on dvd. I got it from my local library.

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
8.25

More about the film and our reaction to it:
This is a really funny movie. Actually, just reading the premise on IMDB makes me chuckle: "a scatterbrained socialite hires a vagrant as the family butler." I mean, seriously. That's some good stuff. This is a "screwball" comedy, probably a better example of the style than It Happened One Night - the action is fast-paced, the dialog witty, the characters do silly, absurd (screwbally) things and you sit back and watch in a bit of a daze.

Carole Lombard was such an enormous talent. Here she is ditzy and very sweet and also reeks of "substance", even though she plays and airhead. She is an interesting mix of qualities and I found myself really mourning that she had died young and deprived us of her incredible comedic talents. There is an interesting backstory here between Lombard and William Powell (who plays the butler with whom she falls immediately in love - as does pretty much every other woman in the household). Although they were divorced in real life, Powell actually recommended Lombard as the perfect woman for the lead in the film! Talk about amicable. And they have a great chemistry. Incidentally, Lombard was then married to Clark Gable and I told the boys the story of how after Lombard died in a plane crash, Gable was distraught and joined the air force himself.

But, back to the movie...This was my husband's clear favorite in the festival. The acting is just astonishingly excellent throughout all the main and supporting roles. (We especially loved Lombard's parents. The mom, played by Alice Brady, is the funniest character in the whole movie and Eugene Pallette as the dad is sweet and sympathetic.) The dialog is hilarious and though it contains serious messages about the depression and snobbery and class divisions, it doesn't hit you on the head with them.

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San Francisco (1936)

Why it's here:
I had seen this movie years ago and found it exciting and powerful. The depictions of the San Francisco earthquake are so realistic you have to remind yourself that they aren't actual footage of the event. Very evocative.

Specs:
2 hours, Black and white. I couldn't find the dvd anywhere so we had to rent it on Amazon.
The film is set in 1906.

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
7.25

More about the film and our reaction to it:
Unfortunately, the film wasn't quite as good as I'd remembered. But it's still well worth watching. The problem is that it can't quite decide what it wants to be: a rough and tumble Gable male-bonding film, a romance, a musical, or a disaster film. It does all four very well, but your family isn't likely to respond to all the parts equally. In our family, for instance, the music numbers were too many and too long, the dramatic romance also was a bit much. But, once the earthquake happened, well then we were riveted. Families should know that the story is very sad. This is a disaster film and people are shown screaming for lost family members and mourning their dead. Although it has a religious-themed uplifting ending, it will likely inspire some tears.

San Francisco is a lush epic of grand scale and as such provides large scale entertainment value! The scenes of the earthquake are simply incredible. It had to have been a very expensive picture to make judging alone from the number of buildings brought to rubble.

One of the best parts of the movie is its talented cast. MacDonald (as Mary Blake) and Gable (as Blackie Norton) reportedly had trouble getting along off camera, but you would never know it from their chemistry in the film. They have to overcome their class divisions and a variety of misunderstandings in order to find each other, but they are appealing and sympathetic and you want it to work out for them. MacDonald had an incredible voice and belts out the tune San Francisco so many times that we have that permanently scored in our memories now. The film also benefits from Spencer Tracy's touching performance as the priest who is both Blackie's childhood friend and a pillar of support to Mary.

Though the film is long and gets bogged down a bit at times, it is excellent viewing.

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Modern Times (1936)

Why it's here:
Hailed as the last great silent film, this is an interesting piece. It is not exactly silent. There are sound effects and some minimal dialog. The film utilized "sound" but it did not showcase it. It is made like a silent film -- with a silent ethos and a visual comedic style. And it is a masterpiece.

Specs:
Hour and a half, black and white, silent (sort of)

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
8.0

More about the film and our reaction to it:
First of all and most unexpected was the amazing Paulette Goddard - who is impossibly beautiful. I'd heard of her before but never seen her in anything. She has a modern look, expressions and movements, and reminded me palpably of Courtney Cox, only more beautiful. She is an extremely appealing co-star, but ultimately, the film is Chaplin's.

He is simply remarkable in this wonderful story of the down and out Tramp -- his last screen appearance as such. Chaplin was loathe to enter the sound era and did so only grudgingly. He made this film years after everyone else had given up the ghost of silents. But in holding on and in releasing this, he made me realize why everyone should have been loathe to give up the silent era. This type of comedy may not ever be seen on a large scale again, but it is superb and is still extremely watchable.

Chaplin's Tramp starts out the film as a worker in a factory assembly line on funny machinery doing funny maneuvers to the machine parts. Through various mishaps he is in and out of jail and various other jobs for the rest of the movie, linking up part way through with a spunky poverty stricken girl trying to make the best of life for herself and her little sister. Chaplin and Goddard do manage to achieve a great measure of success and togetherness, and slink off into the sunset together, but not before Chaplin performs the funniest song ever.

Interestingly, though this is a "silent" with little dialog and though Chaplin does not speak in the movie, he does sing. His song is the first time his voice had ever been heard on camera! The routine is a nonsense song accompanied by pantomime and it's hard to describe why, but is very very funny. We watched and re-watched the scene on Youtube more times then I'd care to know.

Iconic shot:
The banner image gracing the top of this website is the most iconic shot from the movie. So, for this post, I'll share one of Goddard.

Top Hat (1935)

Why it's here:
We needed more musicals! We needed to see the iconic dance team of Astair and Rogers. There is nothing better than Top Hat for that.

Specs:
Just over an hour and a half, black and white; available on dvd

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
8.13

More about the film and our reaction to it:
You just never know how your kids are going to respond to a movie. I was sure they'd both be into it. They both really respond to Cary Grant, and Fred Astair always seemed to me like Cary Grant on wheels, just light airy flirty and cool. They liked Astair well enough, but weren't blown away enough by his dancing the way I wanted them to be! Astair dances in my favorite style - so light and graceful, so easy on the eyes. My younger child was far more interested in this film than the older, but he tends to have more patience for things like singing and dancing.

In any case, this is a wonderful film. I can almost picture it being in color (though it was black and white), the costumes and sets are vibrant and classy and really have a sparkly feel about them. The plot relies upon a fair amount of innuendo and involves misunderstandings about cheating husbands. Its good to know that going in... There's also a fair amount of threatened violence too ("for the man, the sword! for the woman, the kiss" is a line we still repeat).

I love the film and would recommend it generally. If it happens to strike a chord with those at your house it might be a big hit. If not, oh well, its still great to see Astair and Rogers. Everyone should.

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Becky Sharp (1935)

Why it's here:
There's only one reason for Becky Sharp to be on our list: it is the first major film release done in full Technicolor.

Specs:
Hour and a half, COLOR. Available on youtube.
The film is set in Victorian England.

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
4.75

More about the film and our reaction to it:
Becky Sharp is the main character in William Thackery's "Vanity Fair." I've seen a more modern adaptation of the story and wouldn't have necessarily thought this was a great option for family viewing, but we chose it on the sole criterion of it's being the "first" color film (see note on "B&W to Color" for qualifiers). It is interesting to note that the transition in Hollywood from black and white to color was a much much slower one than the transition from silent to sound. Although Becky Sharp marks the first technicolor entry in our festival, the great bulk of films being made for the next 20 years will still be in black and white.

The color in Becky Sharp was not as vibrant or beautiful as in The Adventures of Robin Hood or Gone With the Wind, but it is still impressive as an achievement and fun to see after so many years of black and white. Unfortunately, we had to watch this on Youtube, as we couldn't find it elsewhere, and that presented a hurdle to our enjoyment -- the resolution was not great and did not showcase the Technicolor to its best advantage.  And since the Technicolor was the major selling point for us, it ended up being a bit of a flop. Although this is a landmark film, technically speaking, it has not become an enduring classic.

Becky Sharp is a pretty run of the mill period drama. The underlying story is a good one and tells the tale of a very scheming and ruthless woman who uses people (especially men) to get ahead in the world. She makes Scarlett O'Hara look kind and sympathetic by comparison. We didn't actually watch the whole film but maybe the first half, and then skimmed to the end. If you are a fan of period drama you might enjoy this, otherwise we would suggest you pass on it -- or just watch a bit to experience the technological wonder of three-strip Technicolor!

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A Night at the Opera (1935)

Why it's here:
Truth be told, I am not a huge Marx Brothers fan, but felt they needed to be in the festival. This was supposed to be one of their best.

Specs:
About an hour and a half, black and white. Available on dvd

Our family's average rating (on a scale from 1-10):
7.0

More about the movie and our reaction to it:
Its been a while now since we watched this and I'm finding I'm fuzzy on the plot details. Hmmm... lets see... there is a basic backdrop of opera singers travelling on a boat and the brothers somehow or other being mixed up in matchmaking while trying to make some money...  The point is, I'm not sure the plot matters all that much to enjoying a Marx brothers' movie. The are simply funny - individually and collectively - regardless of what they're doing and why. Groucho with his one-liners may be the most famous, but we responded more to Harpo who is silent and a more physical comedian -- the one who uses his little horn to communicate. There's a brother for everyone's taste. Chico has a very funny bit playing piano that had us mesmerized too. One of the best parts of the movie was Groucho's banter with Chico about signing a contract.

The whole thing is light, fluffy, meaningless and pretty enjoyable. It did get off to a slow start and bog down a bit (for us) during the longer opera performances (we're pretty low-brow I guess), but overall well recommended.

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The Thin Man (1934)

Why it's here:
Although I'd never watched a Thin Man, I'd always wanted to. It seemed enough of a cultural icon to include in the festival.

Specs:
An hour and a half, black and white. After this first Thin Man was so successful, another 5 movies were released in series over the next 13 years.

Our family's average rating on a scale of 1-10:
7.75

More about the film and our reaction to it:
I've heard it said about The Thin Man that it makes marriage look fun. This is absolutely true. Myrna Loy and William Powell have the most charming chemistry as the detective husband and rich dilettante wife who, unlike modern funny screen couples, actually seem to like each other, which is palpably refreshing. They are both sympathetic characters and equally matched so that their witty banter is a total joy. Another great reason to watch The Thin Man is to get acquainted with Asta, the dog, who is a sweetheart and, according to my husband, comes up constantly in crossword puzzles. So keep that in mind as you go through life.

We found William Powell to be a very charismatic star. He looks a bit like Clark Gable but is more dignified and smooth. We liked him enough to add a couple more of his movies to our list.

The underlying detective story is a good one. Never having been a huge fan of the genre I can't speak for how it compares to others, but it had us all highly engaged and surprised with the plot twists.

I don't think I could call this a family movie guide if I didn't at least mention the fact that the characters in this movie drink massive amounts of alcohol constantly. While old movies in general do tend to contain quite a bit of imbibing (even/especially the prohibition era ones), the consumption portrayed in this one was positively remarkable.

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It Happened One Night (1934)

Why it's here:
Directed by Frank Capra, starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, this has to be one of the best and funniest movies of all time.

Specs:
1 hr and 45 minutes long. Black and white. A talkie that finally makes you glad that sound has arrived!

Family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
A whopping 9.0, which is our highest collective rating for any film in the festival (through 1941 anyway).

More about the film and our reaction to it:
I always knew it was a good idea to work forward in time through classic movies, but now, excuse my vanity, I really see the genius behind the plan. Watching It Happened One Night after several weeks of experience with silents and transition era films just blew us away . . . the way it should have. I can fully appreciate why this movie swept the Academy Awards and has gone down in history as the classic romantic comedy of all time, the first screwball comedy, a Frank Capra masterpiece and yet -- simultaneously had been the film no one expected to succeed.

Most involved in the project seemed to think it was a crummy waste of time (Claudette Colbert, at the end of filming, famously told a friend: "I just finished the worst picture of my life;" Clark Gable was given the assignment as punishment). To explain the paradox, you have to set yourself in 1934 when movies just weren't like this. People couldn't easily see the value of doing something like watching two people travel along the countryside taking little quips at each other and falling in love. It must have been hard to picture, until it all came together.

This film feels like a major leap forward in cinematic style, just swooping cleanly in with total understanding of the beauties of dialog. It is extremely effective at telling a smart, well-acted, and seamlessly audible story.

Gable, in an atypical role, and Colbert have wonderful chemistry. Although the film is regarded as the genesis of the "screwball" style of comedy, this might be better heralded as the birth of romantic comedy -- back before that meant "chick flick". The talents of Gable -- unquestionably a guy's guy -- keeps the film just a tiny bit rougher and gritty, very appealing to men. I can attest that all of the men at my house loved this film.

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The Music Box (1932)

Why it's here:
Famous Laurel and Hardy movie where they attempt to move a piano up a huge flight of steps.

Specs:
Just a half hour long. Black and white, sound film.

Our family's average rating (on a scale from 1-10):
7.25

More about the movie and our reaction to it:
This was a very funny and enjoyable movie. It was our introduction to Laurel and Hardy and a good one for that purpose.  The plot is quite simple, they've gone into business as a moving team and are hired to deliver a piano. The fun begins when we see where the house they're delivering to is located -- an endless flight of stairs going up a hill.

We laughed out loud throughout this memorable short film.

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