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Are Very Old Movies Best?

I read To Kill a Mockingbird recently. I'd love to see the movie.
I have seen Ben Hur. Read the book, too.
 
Lassie, Old Yeller, I Remember Mama (Irene Dunne), they all made me cry.
I can't think of a modern movie that made me cry.

But movies in the early days were classics, and the actors and actresses were classics.
It keeps them in a class by themselves.

For me, there's nothing like a Humphrey Bogart movie, or W.C. Fields.
 
craigdressler said:
Because so much of the current movie scene is full of ungodly language, morals, etc., aren't very old movies usually the best to watch? I don't include recent Christian movies in that first sentence but still hold to that Hollywood generalization about unrighteousness. My favorite all-time very old movies include the following:
1) The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
2) The African Queen
3) The Angel and the Bad Man(The one with John Wayne not the other one.)
Click to expand...

Good evening! Me and my wife and daughters just watched the Inn of the Sixth Happiness the other day! Great movie! I liked African Queen too. I haven't seen the angel and the bad man. I will add that to my watch list. Another good John Wayne movie was The Three Godfathers. The Best Years of Our Lives with Myrna Loy and Fred March is an all time favorite. We love any comedy with Cary Grant, any drama with Bogart, all the thin man and charlie chan movies (although some of the chan movies I don't watch/my wife fast forwards through parts)
I am always amazed at how long the scenes are in the old movies. They must have memorized pages of dialog or had many takes.
 
Some of my favorite "oldies" in random order:

Bringing Up Baby with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant

Just about anything that had Ray Harryhausen special effects, Jason and the Argonauts being one of the best.

Casablanca

Singing in the Rain

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the Johnny Depp one was pretty cool, but the Gene Wilder version is a true classic.)

To Kill a Mockingbird

The Birds and Psycho.... most of Alfred Hitchcock's thrillers.

Wizard of Oz

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Paint Your Wagon

Just about any movie that Hammar Productions paired Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in.

The Maltese Falcon

Key Largo

Ten Little Indians... I also like And Then There Were None, but prefer the one with Hugh O'Brian

Meet Me in St. Louis

Death on the Nile

Cat Ballou

Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
 
So, are very old movies best?

There are certainly some great old movies, like the one's we've talked about...

...but there are also movies that I think are great that are new... LOTR being right up there.

I also love the Godfather movies... not exactly "new" and now considered classic, but given the OP, it definitely has ungodly morals. However, those ungodly morals are presented in such a way as to show how evil evil is.
 
I should have included Sergeant York in my original list. The beginning is little worldly, but it quickly changes and is a true biography of an American hero.
 
Well, in 1989, President Reagan memorably quoted from his old film to Candidate Bush: 'George...go win one for the Gipper'! :)
 
Is classic better than modern movies? While there may be some good more modern current movies well enough to see by a majority factor classic movies would be more presentable to Christians to watch or those who want more genuine moral movie presentations. Some things to know is Christianity and Catholics had influence in the first half of the twentieth century. By the late sixties that Church influence was told to step aside or they themselves felt they could not compromise within new films using God in the wrong way. So you can find it more common in classic movies where Church is a part of life. Church influence today in movies is far and wide. That as matter of fact Jesus is more of a controversy to fit in with today’s American’s beliefs and standards.

So when you look at Classic moves and modern movies this also shows the great changes made in this country. But in a Christian Biblical aspect today kind of TV and movies is what we would expect. Actors and actresses often were chosen for great abilities. Many of them came right off Broadway musicals. Because it was important to have such acting plus dancing and singing abilities classic movies were only for those in that industry alone.

But modern movies and TV finds people in various fields like WWE wrestlers to make movies. Those who never made it big still can be in some of the most popular movies making lots of money at the box office. But again we are talking about today’s America and what they would expect and want to see. We recognize much great talent has been lost.

Speaking of money they will combine high money makers to more average money making actors and actresses. Classic movies rounded up stars side by side scene by scene. You could actually recognize many of these people. But in the modern it is like who is that guy? Who is that woman? Modern Hollywood is more disposable get rid of and find more replaceable is why today we see such a faster change over. Modern is doing a lot of discrimination not on acting but appearance. When someone gets past a certain age it now becomes so difficult to find parts even if they are among the most skilled talented actors and actress. But classic movies more often tried to use this talent from young age to when they become older in life. In fact lots of children stars also became grown up actors. Today it is more likely you are used as a child but then later rejected as an adult star.

Remember that kid from Home Alone, Macaulay Culkin? Or do you remember Brian Bonsall of Family Ties, Andrew his character name? It’s much like music. You can make a few good hit songs. But record companies won’t be running after you if they believe you don’t have anymore good ideas. Paul Reuben Pee wee Herman comedy over night they don’t want anything to do with his scandals. Or he can’t do anything outside of being a funny clown.

Shirley Temple however I think was being used for her age and such abilities. It was so amazing this young girl knew so much and could act with the best people. This is why they did several movies in one or 2 years of time. After a certain age I think they lost interest because she was not so amazing anymore. Who is impressed now she is an adult with acting abilities? And she can’t do that little girl tap dancing songs anymore.

The Three Stooges also got ripped off. They were not paid much as one thinks. As a matter of fact I read how they got kicked from one of the main movie productions company. Moe Howard drove in and they asked. Who are you? Who am I? Why do you ask? He was not welcome escorted off the property. Yet this was not their end. They were brought back into making more movies from another Movie productions company. Curly almost never made it until he shaved his head to appeal to producers.

TV classics are fun to remember. Abbott and Costello, The 3 Stooges, The Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, Ma and Pa Kettle, and The Bowery Boys, Laurel and Hardy, Honeymooners, George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Little Rascals, The Untouchables classic, Twilight Zone Rod Sterling, Buster Keaton and classic movies like Jimmy Stewart It’s A Wonderful Life, Burt Lancaster From Here to Eternity, Marlon Brando A Streetcar Named Desire, Yul Brenner The King and I. Henry Fonda The Grapes of Wrath, Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Loretta Young The Truth about Youth is classic TV with more morals than modern TV I believe by a landslide. To say other wise we would just be kidding to ourselves.
 
WordsintoHarmony said:
Is classic better than modern movies? While there may be some good more modern current movies well enough to see by a majority factor classic movies would be more presentable to Christians to watch or those who want more genuine moral movie presentations. Some things to know is Christianity and Catholics had influence in the first half of the twentieth century. By the late sixties that Church influence was told to step aside or they themselves felt they could not compromise within new films using God in the wrong way. So you can find it more common in classic movies where Church is a part of life. Church influence today in movies is far and wide. That as matter of fact Jesus is more of a controversy to fit in with today’s American’s beliefs and standards.

So when you look at Classic moves and modern movies this also shows the great changes made in this country. But in a Christian Biblical aspect today kind of TV and movies is what we would expect. Actors and actresses often were chosen for great abilities. Many of them came right off Broadway musicals. Because it was important to have such acting plus dancing and singing abilities classic movies were only for those in that industry alone.

But modern movies and TV finds people in various fields like WWE wrestlers to make movies. Those who never made it big still can be in some of the most popular movies making lots of money at the box office. But again we are talking about today’s America and what they would expect and want to see. We recognize much great talent has been lost.

Speaking of money they will combine high money makers to more average money making actors and actresses. Classic movies rounded up stars side by side scene by scene. You could actually recognize many of these people. But in the modern it is like who is that guy? Who is that woman? Modern Hollywood is more disposable get rid of and find more replaceable is why today we see such a faster change over. Modern is doing a lot of discrimination not on acting but appearance. When someone gets past a certain age it now becomes so difficult to find parts even if they are among the most skilled talented actors and actress. But classic movies more often tried to use this talent from young age to when they become older in life. In fact lots of children stars also became grown up actors. Today it is more likely you are used as a child but then later rejected as an adult star.

Remember that kid from Home Alone, Macaulay Culkin? Or do you remember Brian Bonsall of Family Ties, Andrew his character name? It’s much like music. You can make a few good hit songs. But record companies won’t be running after you if they believe you don’t have anymore good ideas. Paul Reuben Pee wee Herman comedy over night they don’t want anything to do with his scandals. Or he can’t do anything outside of being a funny clown.

Shirley Temple however I think was being used for her age and such abilities. It was so amazing this young girl knew so much and could act with the best people. This is why they did several movies in one or 2 years of time. After a certain age I think they lost interest because she was not so amazing anymore. Who is impressed now she is an adult with acting abilities? And she can’t do that little girl tap dancing songs anymore.

The Three Stooges also got ripped off. They were not paid much as one thinks. As a matter of fact I read how they got kicked from one of the main movie productions company. Moe Howard drove in and they asked. Who are you? Who am I? Why do you ask? He was not welcome escorted off the property. Yet this was not their end. They were brought back into making more movies from another Movie productions company. Curly almost never made it until he shaved his head to appeal to producers.

TV classics are fun to remember. Abbott and Costello, The 3 Stooges, The Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, Ma and Pa Kettle, and The Bowery Boys, Laurel and Hardy, Honeymooners, George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Little Rascals, The Untouchables classic, Twilight Zone Rod Sterling, Buster Keaton and classic movies like Jimmy Stewart It’s A Wonderful Life, Burt Lancaster From Here to Eternity, Marlon Brando A Streetcar Named Desire, Yul Brenner The King and I. Henry Fonda The Grapes of Wrath, Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Loretta Young The Truth about Youth is classic TV with more morals than modern TV I believe by a landslide. To say other wise we would just be kidding to ourselves.
Click to expand...

Shirley Temple: she was a good actress.

She became an ambassador.

Maybe the career didn't really change all that much...
 
Hi farouk
Thanks for telling me about Shirley Temple. I was not aware that she was an ambassador. I read this online and proved it she is successful all her life.
 
AirDancer said:
One of the funniest 'older' movies ever: "Support Your Local Sheriff" with James Garner, Walter Brennan, Joan Hackett, Jack Elam, Henry Morgan et al. It was a light-hearted spoof of Bonanza (the Cartwright family equivalent being the 'bad' guys) and a variety of other westerns -spaghetti or otherwise.
Click to expand...
I love that movie!!:hysterical It was extremely funny. I had forgotten about it.
 
I love old G-rated movies. Alfred Hitchcock is a great example of G-rated Shock Value. I want to bring that back again.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 in particularly had some great old stuff. Man, that show was hilarious.
 
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