by Mercedes Osuna Vergara, illustration by Xi Chen
Whenever the subject of cinema comes up in a conversation, I get invariably excited. I think: “here comes my chance to share my love for classic films with others”. Unfortunately, I end up invariably disappointed, as most people’s idea of an old movie doesn’t go past Pulp Fiction.
Few things make me happier than putting on an old movie after a long day at the library, or coming across news that a silent film long thought to be lost has finally been restored. My passion for classic film, by which I refer roughly to the period from the silent days of the 1920s to the early 1960s, dates back years now.
I owe it to my parents. They grew up in an authoritarian regime that relied heavily on media censorship. Often, they would turn on the TV and find that a 1930s Hollywood musical or an Akira Kurosawa samurai drama were the only thing they could watch – there were only two channels back then.
Oddly enough, these restrictions constituted quite a crash course on film studies. My parents have shared this love for cinema with me. The discovery of cinema beyond the highly sanitised and technologically edited products we encounter today was a huge revelation to me as a preteen. Even today, I’m still in awe of their quality and sensitivity. Sadly, I’ve found this passion very difficult to share with others. As it is, I often wind up having people question my cinephile credentials when I tell them I don’t keep up with Oscars season.
It may not be an easy transition, but I think giving older films an opportunity is worth it. If you’ve ever watched a pre-1970s film and thought it was boring or predictable, think of it this way: this is the material that set the blueprint for all the tropes and genres we now take for granted. There is immeasurable value in that. Classic films are full of beauty, whether it’s Audrey Hepburn’s classy outfits that get you or a well-composed shot of busy city life such as in Satyajit Ray’s Kolkata trilogy. They are full of humour, melancholia and vitality.
I suggest you pick an old film depending on your mood, and sit through it. Here are a few suggestions:
- If you want to laugh, try Some like it hot (1959).
- If you want to feel a sense of dread, try a psychological drama like Sunset Boulevard (1950), or go for some tense sci-fi action in Invasion of the body snatchers (1956).
- If you want to believe in love, try the tear-jerkers The cranes are flying (1957), and the obvious Casablanca (1942).
- If you want to cry, try White nights (1957).
- If you want to keep your mind active, try keeping up with all the plot twists in a detective story, such as Laura (1944) or Out of the past (1947).
- If you want strong female characters, try the melodramas Mildred Pierce (1945) and All about Eve (1950).
- If you want an anti-fascist comedy made by European Jewish refugees in Hollywood during World War II, try To be or not to be (1942).
Due to their age and obvious copyright policies, classic cinema tends to be infinitely easier to access online.
Once a person (director, actor, screenwriter…) or theme catches your attention, do yourself a favour and don’t let it stop at that: browse through Internet lists, read Wikipedia articles, and watch more films. You won’t regret it.
