I just watched one great movie, My Man Godfrey, and I saw then end of another one - Blade Runner. My Man Godfrey has all of the traditional attributes of a great film: excellent acting (especially by William Powell), decent directing and cinematography, clever dialogue, humor. But it is not just another good comedy. It is one of only a handful of great films I have ever seen that really had something to say. It attempts to critiques the frivolity of wealthy society (by which I think we could take to be the average person today - remember this is a film made in the middle of the depression), and for the most part hits it. There are no new insights here, but the traditional criticisms are particularly well portrayed, and this was one of the few films that could both make the statements and yet still go on to be successful - a product of its times I suppose. It is only in the last few years I think we have really started to see mainstream films attempting to cover the territory of My Man Godfrey. And especially few have done it with the humanity of this film. The suggestion made here is that no one is beyond redemption; the frivolities of a borgeouis "youth" (in a broad sense) may transition into something more useful.
Blade Runner, while a good film, is probably not of the same status as My Man Godfrey. It is a little uneven, a little uncertain, and at times too clever for its own good. But the ending is wonderful. The transition that takes place in the two main characters (and antagonists), Deckard and Batty, from calloused enemies to fellow "men," is well portrayed and moving. And, of course, the rest of the movie is good too.
What I found especially interesting though, was how similar these films are in their essential points: everyone deserves a chance, and no one should be forgotten. Oh, of course, there is much more to each (especially Blade Runner), but in this, at least, they are very similar. These are both very humanistic films, and they are both worth seeing.
(I especially recommend My Man Godfrey both because of its quality and its relative obscurity to modern audiences; it does deserve to be seen. And, with respect to Blade Runner, I reccomend the director's cut; the original theatrical release is not nearly as good, and actually ruins most of the good parts.)
As I am sitting here doing some work, I threw Star Wars on in the background. Wow, what an incredible movie. Lucas' more recent exploits have made some, me included, wonder about the quality behind his older work. Well, just sit down and watch the movie and those doubts may disappear. Sure, the ideas are ripped off from every sci-fi/fantasy/mythological work ever created, and, yes, the dialogue is uneven, and, yes, some of the actors have, um, moments, and, yes, the science is absolutely ridiculous (calling Star Wars "science fiction" is really not a good idea - Star Trek it ain't). But, in some ways it is spectacular: the design for this movie is excellent, the special effects are on the whole believeable (even compared to many of today's movies - Lucas' included), and, of course, the score and musical direction is superb (and ground-breaking). And in most ways this movie is at least pretty good: the directing is actually pretty good, especially visually, it's funny, it has interesting characters, it's a real epic (not a wannabe). And the whole package is pretty much unbeatable. It is a beautiful movie to experience, even today (let alone ignoring its historical significance). If only Lucas had made more movies like this.... If only the industry had made more movies like this....
