Hi Loomis,
It's nice to know that at your tender age you are aware of Val Lewton. Most people think he had a hit with 'Danke Schoen'! I don't usually write to the forums, because I assume most people are writing about current films and I am not interested in modern 'cinema' (which is an anagram for 'anemic').
I'm really excited about the upcoming Oscars. Not. I think it's hilarious in 21st century Hollywood that they now nominate nine movies for 'Best Picture' and no one even saw them. And most of them will show up in a bargain bin two weeks later at Walmart. I make the joke that I will wait for the movie on cable and make a point of not watching it then either!
The culture has been in the garbage can for decades. I just turned sixty, and I am painfully aware that the 'Golden Age of Hollywood' is over. George Clooney is not Cary Grant. In fact, why would I even bother to watch a George Clooney movie when I can watch 'Notorious'? Then again, when I became mature enough to appreciate Frankie Baby Sinatra, I found it superfluous to listen to, say, Tony Bennett or Dean Martin. But then again, I'm a purist. It has something to do with me being a snob.
I feel sorry for the younger generations, as they can't possibly remember a time when rock and roll was even slightly 'dangerous'. Now that I am officially in an advanced state of rot, I realize that the last 'rock and roll' groups that I found interesting were Alice Cooper and Led Zeppelin! I understand why kids listen to the garbage that they do. They are fighting generations of parents who tried to force the Beatles down their kids' throats!
The 'Golden Age of Pop Music' ended with the breakup of the Beatles. I have studied the top hit songs over the decades, and pop music became contrived and dull once the Beatles broke up. I'm not saying that there has been nothing good since 1970, but too often I am struck that so much of the music of the sixties was 'art', and it appears today we only have 'self expression'. 'Self expression' is not art.
But then again, as you suggested at the start of our correspondence, art is subjective. And unfortunately, even 'truth' is...although ultimately, it is not! My brother pointed out that there were great films in the seventies, and there were. Roman Polanski's 'Chinatown' came out in 1975, and it's a masterpiece, much like John Ford's 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' was a masterpiece, and if you see these movies in the context of their time, you realize that they were 'throwbacks' from another era. 'Chinatown' successfully recreates a film noir 'thriller' and it's in color!
But somewhere, the quality of the material, for the most part, is gone. I have no doubt somebody is playing some new music that I would find interesting, but you have to wade through so much 'self-expression', and I'm looking for 'art'. 'You Tube' is a great resource for finding old songs, films, etc. I pay for cable, but I find myself simply flipping on You Tube because with 600 channels, my cable service has nothing on.
I've even considered that many years in the future, the whatever crop of 'young' people will finally decide enough of Hollywood history. You already have generations of kids that refuse to watch anything unless it is in color. I don't know how they go about ignoring old Hollywood classic films, but they will find a way. And at that point, God knows what will be considered 'classic', 'iconic'. Thankfully, I'll be dead!
On that cheery note, take care...nice to meet someone who shares some of my thoughts. Now, I'm off to You Tube!
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