It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

Why it's here:
Because we love comedy and, since this is the 60s, we were looking for anything to lighten the mood.

Specs:
Epic comedy - 3 hours long; color

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

More about the film and our reaction to it:
This is a funny, funny, funny, funny movie. Still. Yes, it's from 1963, but it is hilarious and an extremely well-made film that, though dated, holds up very well. In fact, it feels like you are actually watching the birth of modern comedy take place before you. This film is at the roots of Monty Python and Airplane! and much that came after.

If this gives you any indication of how much we liked the movie: the running time is 3 hours. We watched it twice this week.

The barrage of great icons of classic comedy in the film is nothing short of breathtaking and the humor ranges from silly, to irony, to absurd, to slapstick. But there's more -- The film also goes beyond the sidesplitting fun with a real plot and what seems like a true/honest purpose. I think this accounts for why the film still feels solid and relevant 50 years later.  It starts with a speeding car on a mountain road, and then several strangers who come upon the driver who lies dying after having crashed. The dying man discloses the location of a huge sum of money and a chase to find it is on -- complete with police secretly following. The film is simple - but simply well-made too.

So many scenes from this film have clearly inspired Hollywood movie making to this day, and I found myself constantly thinking: "I've seen that before". From the car chases, the money raining down from on high, the slow fleeing on a bicycle, the deadpan control tower guy trying to talk hapless accidental pilots down, the police operations-center scenes, the hardened cop on the line between good and bad, the guys all in traction at the end, and on and on and on this film includes many moments that have become quintessential in comedy.

All in all this has to be one of our most loved films of the festival so far and we highly recommend it for families!

Iconic Image:

National Velvet (1944)

Why it's here:
It's fun to see major film stars in roles they did as children. I never saw this movie before, and it seemed a perfect choice to introduce the kids to Liz Taylor.

Specs:
2 hours. Technicolor
Set in late 1920s England.

Our family's average rating on a scale of 1-10:
7.13

More about the film and our reaction to it:
Elizabeth Taylor is extremely appealing as Velvet. It's hard to think of a good description that doesn't involve the word "winsome". She is adorable in every way but not grating. You want her to succeed - to get the horse, to compete, to win, to be happy. She is engaging and lovely and clearly already has the makings of a major star.

The supporting cast is wonderful as well. Mickey Rooney is excellent as the young, but already jaded, former jockey. Anne Revere, who plays Velvet's mom, is incredible. I was unfamiliar with her work but was blown away by her talent. She got most of the best lines in the film - dispensing sage and often just slightly satiric advice to all who are within her reach.

Though the acting is good and the story is sound, the production itself is the weak link.  Although it is in Technicolor, the dvd we watched was not beautiful. I don't know if its a matter of time gone by and restoration needed or what. The colors were pleasant, but not as gorgeous as Technicolor usually is. Still, anytime we get a color movie the boys are always excited about it. Also, the backgrounds are clearly often supplemented by matte painting and not as seamless as you sometimes see. I was distracted by the girls' costumes which did not look authentic to the period, nor did their hairstyles. All in all, production values were not up to the standards of the bigger budget productions. This felt second-tier. Nonetheless, overall the film is very watchable and makes great and fitting family entertainment.

Iconic shot: