Hi Everyone,
I’ve been enjoying the recent re-playing of some of Jane’s movies. Jane says she doesn’t watch old movies much but after watching these last couple of months of reruns , I thought of all the new young fans who are getting the chance to discover her in this time. And watching these movies, I think these are as relevant today as they were when they were made. First came the one that grabbed my attention, “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They.” I know she got the Oscar for Klute and many have said that that is they film that did it for them, but Shoot Horses was the one that shook me. Who in this new generation knows that during that desperate depression there were such things as marathon dances for money? This film shows the desperation and how far that desperation will take a person.
The next film to show was also one of my favorites since I’ve had a taste of the cowboy thing with horses, “Comes A Horseman.” The characters are well-written and acted by all. Jane’s character shows the range of strength to vulnerability to determination. Some beautiful revealing moments can be in a scene as simple as two people eating a meal together. Or two men taking the measure of each other over a chew of tobacco. This is a treasure of a film.
The latest shown is “The China Syndrome.” I think EVERYONE should see this film. I think this one should be shown every time we discuss the possibility of using nuclear energy. It has a wonderful performance by Jack Lemmon, besides Jane’s performance. I must admit to a bias toward a movie who also portrays the struggle of good relevant journalism over pandering to small entertainment.
Okay, I also watched, “Barbarella” for the first time. It was typical for a beginning film, yet it also took many risks and you can see Jane getting her first chance to show her courage at taking risks. In my humble opinion, you have to be a hardcore Jane fan to see it more than once. But it is worth seeing the one time. I own just a small selection of Jane’s films because I came late to collecting her DVDs. But I admit it is easier to watch a TCM rerun or AMC or whatever station, than to miss the ones I don’t have. I am happy to watch old movies, one because I’m not the same person who saw them the first time I saw them. Two, because many of them are simply great entertainment jewels that not only should not be forgotten, but are relevant to our lives today.
Yes, today at 75, I can watch “Gone With The Wind” and cringe at the racism, the sexism, the bill of goods of the myth of the old south and still appreciate the story-telling and characters with a clear eye. It may have taken many of my years to come to that but I did and others can too. If we only have “right thinking filtered for acceptance” film how do we learn, or grow? And whose “right” is it? If we aim for no dissention we have China, not America. Enough, for now. Just a fan. Dona