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One month ago, I asked you, “What book made you a better person?” This question generated a lot of great memories and even some debate about whether a piece of art can have a moral impact on a person. Today, I want to have the same conversation about cinema. Specifically:
What film made you a better person (and why)?
Tell me about the film and the experience, how it laid you out, how it challenged you, how it forced you to evolve, how it inspired you to become a firefighter or volunteer or commit yourself to social change or whatever else you think qualifies as better than you were before you walked out of the theater or tapped stop at home muttering some version of, “Shitshitholyshit, what just happened to me? Nothing will ever be the same for me, will it?”
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I saw it in the theater twice at age 17. First with the art house crowd, then with the gangster's kids. They knew to laugh at the ear scene which, despite being off-camera, was envelope-pushing for its time. The movie made me a better person because it showed me I didn't have to choose. I could integrate both halves of my being and still expect to have a voice.
Since then, I've often echoed John Waters: I've been trying to sell out all my life, but nobody's buying. HMU if yer interested. I come cheap.
"In The Heat Of The Night" (Norman Jewison, 1967). A brilliant film that explores in detail the cancerous racism still at the heart of America's soul. Rod Steiger got an Oscar for playing the Southern policeman at the center of things, but at every turn he was upstaged by the astounding and perpetually unfazed Sidney Poitier (whom I became a fan of because of this).
It showed me the thin ice on which racism and racial relations are really based on IRL, and make me forever concerned with making them endangered species- or even extinct.
I have to concur and add a footnote. Historically, and I don’t know why or for how long, Harold and Maude was often shown as the second in a double feature with Phillipe de Broca’s King of Hearts, in which Alan Bates plays a World War I soldier sent into an abandoned French village to find and disarm a bomb before midnight. However, no one told the inmates of the local asylum where Bates takes refuge, posing as one of the residents to evade German capture. The inmates, eventually populate the empty village, playing at being human. Poignant, albeit dated, hilarity, ensues.
My parents took me to see this double feature on two separate occasions: the first when I was seven, the second 12. Both films touch the empathetic heart of the human condition in artful and meaningful ways, and also capture an essence of a lost era. As is, for that matter, the double feature.
thank you for sharing this. i've never seen King of Hearts. i need to find that. the double feature near me was always Harold and Maude and Pink Floyds The Wall.
Two of my friends produced this film and won Oscars for it. In fact, I had lunch with one of them here in Sydney just a few weeks ago. It's a masterpiece.
I grew up in a regressive household, and I felt it in several ways in my adult life before I could be aware. In my mid-twenties, I went to see Take Shelter, and I brought a date who wasn't necessarily into movies as much as I was. I came out compelled by the character played by Michael Shannon, his mania, his compulsion, his obsession. I was wrapped up in what it meant, and what it DIDN'T mean as well. Figured it would be the same for my date.
Instead, she spoke of how moved she was from Jessica Chastain's character. Her strength, her quiet sacrifice, never truly foregrounded in the narrative, but always present. And I was shocked -- how had I missed this? How had I missed that this film was also a testament to her power, her love, her support for family? How could I not focus on the moments she silently made a choice to be strong and support her husband through a challenging period? What sort of monster was I to not have empathy for her character?
I went home absolutely rocked. I haven't been the same since.
A strange answer came to me: JFK (1991). I was obsessed by this movie when it came out, and it sent me down many rabbit holes that helped me learn to separate truth from fiction. (The film is mostly fiction.)
Where The Heart Is (2000) Natalie Portman Ashley Judd I loved the strong women characters. Given they aren’t the best judge of men, but life is kind to them. They help each other out.
Cry Freedom and The Killing Fields - engaging movies discussing in depth complex political situations. Left me thinking deeply about justice, how people are treated and mistreated, how news and political situations are presented. Most of all these left me thinking globally. More recently, It's A Wonderful Life - I'd never seen it 'til last year, misguidedly avoided it 'cos I thought it would be a saccharine Christmas movie. Blew me away and changed me - left me thinking about sacrifice, how much we need community and the difference one person can make to those around them, ultimately how valuable life is. Also I, Daniel Blake - this painful and heart grabbing Ken Loach directed story of a man fighting against the system to be treated and seen as a human being, a name and a life, not a number and a work status. For example, the part where people who aren't IT literate are being compelled by the system to try and claim government benefits only through an IT system, and the office staff are forced not to offer help accessing it, but to act as bystanders. Had me in tears, but also got me thinking about economic deprivation, how it and the systems designed to alleviate it often dehumanise, stigmatise and shame people without jobs and means. Part too of a much longer journey about seeing people. Similarly the moment where a starving mum wolfs down cold baked beans straight from the tin because she's just so desperate to get food inside her - at a food pantry, and her painful shame at being found doing this. Rather than othering, the lens swings right back at us and says 'what if this were you? what would you do? - and what will you do having seen this?' Despite the struggle, there is hope and humanity too, celebrated through the title character's graffiti protest onto the walls of the job centre, reclaiming his personhood, his dignity.
Sons and Lovers (1960). I was a preteen when I stumbled into an afternoon show with a gaggle of girlfriends and when I walked out, blinking, into the sunshine, I was stunned, a different person. It’s not that it’s such great shakes as a movie. I watched it again recently and saw all the flaws. But Dean Stockwell was excellent as a young man who wants to be an artist, and when the movie was over I wanted to be one too.
Terrance Malick's "A Hidden Life." Before that movie, I was profoundly unsure about whether I could handle the things that life might throw at me. After that movie, I made myself certain that I could handle what life might throw at me. If I ever met Terrance Malick, I would thank him.
I haven't seen A HIDDEN LIFE yet. A part of me was furious I missed it on the big screen, which is where Malick films really belong. But I think I need to get over this and just watch it on my TV at home. Thanks for the reminder!
It's trash. Came out in 2007. Bought it day one because I was excited to finally own the film and to my horror It's nothing like the original. Dumbed down. Extra voice overs. Characters survive that didn't in the original. An abomination.
American Beauty and Tree of Life. Both, to me, are about how easily the arrogant, prideful and fearful versions of ourselves keep us from noticing opportunity, beauty, and tenderness right in front of our noses. I think they planted seeds that took a while to take root. I've since thrown my hat in the ring as a screenwriter and I volunteer as a firefighter.
TREE OF LIFE is one of my favorite films of all time. It's one of the most spiritual experiences I've ever had at the cinema. Great pick. I'm glad it made such an impact on you!
"Reservoir Dogs"
I saw it in the theater twice at age 17. First with the art house crowd, then with the gangster's kids. They knew to laugh at the ear scene which, despite being off-camera, was envelope-pushing for its time. The movie made me a better person because it showed me I didn't have to choose. I could integrate both halves of my being and still expect to have a voice.
Since then, I've often echoed John Waters: I've been trying to sell out all my life, but nobody's buying. HMU if yer interested. I come cheap.
Ha! Thank you for sharing your memories here.
"In The Heat Of The Night" (Norman Jewison, 1967). A brilliant film that explores in detail the cancerous racism still at the heart of America's soul. Rod Steiger got an Oscar for playing the Southern policeman at the center of things, but at every turn he was upstaged by the astounding and perpetually unfazed Sidney Poitier (whom I became a fan of because of this).
It showed me the thin ice on which racism and racial relations are really based on IRL, and make me forever concerned with making them endangered species- or even extinct.
I love this film very much. Thanks for sharing, David.
ah! i just sent my latest post yesterday about this very thing! Harold and Maude. because... Maude. https://open.substack.com/pub/anniewood/p/maude-is-my-guru?r=cuxg6&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Just read this. Loved it. Thanks for sharing, Annie!
I have to concur and add a footnote. Historically, and I don’t know why or for how long, Harold and Maude was often shown as the second in a double feature with Phillipe de Broca’s King of Hearts, in which Alan Bates plays a World War I soldier sent into an abandoned French village to find and disarm a bomb before midnight. However, no one told the inmates of the local asylum where Bates takes refuge, posing as one of the residents to evade German capture. The inmates, eventually populate the empty village, playing at being human. Poignant, albeit dated, hilarity, ensues.
My parents took me to see this double feature on two separate occasions: the first when I was seven, the second 12. Both films touch the empathetic heart of the human condition in artful and meaningful ways, and also capture an essence of a lost era. As is, for that matter, the double feature.
I've never seen KING OF HEARTS, but this description makes me want to - thanks for sharing!
thank you for sharing this. i've never seen King of Hearts. i need to find that. the double feature near me was always Harold and Maude and Pink Floyds The Wall.
“Spotlight”
Made me want to spend my life doing something worthwhile. Anything that makes me feel “this matters” even after I clock out for the day.
Two of my friends produced this film and won Oscars for it. In fact, I had lunch with one of them here in Sydney just a few weeks ago. It's a masterpiece.
Amelie.
I grew up in a regressive household, and I felt it in several ways in my adult life before I could be aware. In my mid-twenties, I went to see Take Shelter, and I brought a date who wasn't necessarily into movies as much as I was. I came out compelled by the character played by Michael Shannon, his mania, his compulsion, his obsession. I was wrapped up in what it meant, and what it DIDN'T mean as well. Figured it would be the same for my date.
Instead, she spoke of how moved she was from Jessica Chastain's character. Her strength, her quiet sacrifice, never truly foregrounded in the narrative, but always present. And I was shocked -- how had I missed this? How had I missed that this film was also a testament to her power, her love, her support for family? How could I not focus on the moments she silently made a choice to be strong and support her husband through a challenging period? What sort of monster was I to not have empathy for her character?
I went home absolutely rocked. I haven't been the same since.
Fromtheyardtothearthouse.substack.com
I love this anecdote so much. Thank you for sharing.
A strange answer came to me: JFK (1991). I was obsessed by this movie when it came out, and it sent me down many rabbit holes that helped me learn to separate truth from fiction. (The film is mostly fiction.)
Fascinating pick, Tom. Thanks for sahring!
Where The Heart Is (2000) Natalie Portman Ashley Judd I loved the strong women characters. Given they aren’t the best judge of men, but life is kind to them. They help each other out.
I'd thought people had forgotten all about this film. I'm glad they haven't.
Cry Freedom and The Killing Fields - engaging movies discussing in depth complex political situations. Left me thinking deeply about justice, how people are treated and mistreated, how news and political situations are presented. Most of all these left me thinking globally. More recently, It's A Wonderful Life - I'd never seen it 'til last year, misguidedly avoided it 'cos I thought it would be a saccharine Christmas movie. Blew me away and changed me - left me thinking about sacrifice, how much we need community and the difference one person can make to those around them, ultimately how valuable life is. Also I, Daniel Blake - this painful and heart grabbing Ken Loach directed story of a man fighting against the system to be treated and seen as a human being, a name and a life, not a number and a work status. For example, the part where people who aren't IT literate are being compelled by the system to try and claim government benefits only through an IT system, and the office staff are forced not to offer help accessing it, but to act as bystanders. Had me in tears, but also got me thinking about economic deprivation, how it and the systems designed to alleviate it often dehumanise, stigmatise and shame people without jobs and means. Part too of a much longer journey about seeing people. Similarly the moment where a starving mum wolfs down cold baked beans straight from the tin because she's just so desperate to get food inside her - at a food pantry, and her painful shame at being found doing this. Rather than othering, the lens swings right back at us and says 'what if this were you? what would you do? - and what will you do having seen this?' Despite the struggle, there is hope and humanity too, celebrated through the title character's graffiti protest onto the walls of the job centre, reclaiming his personhood, his dignity.
I, DANIEL BLAKE shattered me, too. What a vital film. I've actually written about IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, which I think is often (wrongly) overlooked for the reasons you've cited (see below). Thanks for sharing your memories here, Susan! https://colehaddon.substack.com/p/why-you-never-get-tired-of-its-a?utm_source=publication-search
Sons and Lovers (1960). I was a preteen when I stumbled into an afternoon show with a gaggle of girlfriends and when I walked out, blinking, into the sunshine, I was stunned, a different person. It’s not that it’s such great shakes as a movie. I watched it again recently and saw all the flaws. But Dean Stockwell was excellent as a young man who wants to be an artist, and when the movie was over I wanted to be one too.
HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS FILM EXISTS? I just read about it and I've added it to my to-watch list. Thanks, Rachel!
Terrance Malick's "A Hidden Life." Before that movie, I was profoundly unsure about whether I could handle the things that life might throw at me. After that movie, I made myself certain that I could handle what life might throw at me. If I ever met Terrance Malick, I would thank him.
I haven't seen A HIDDEN LIFE yet. A part of me was furious I missed it on the big screen, which is where Malick films really belong. But I think I need to get over this and just watch it on my TV at home. Thanks for the reminder!
Cinema paradiso - I love that film.
It's so good. Frustratingly, the edited down version is the only one available in Australia at the moment.
Gandhi
Revolver (2005) please please DO NOT watch the dumbed down 2007 version that released in America. Guy Ritchie destroyed his masterpiece with that cut.
I didn't even know there was an American version distinct from the UK cut - thanks for the info!
It's trash. Came out in 2007. Bought it day one because I was excited to finally own the film and to my horror It's nothing like the original. Dumbed down. Extra voice overs. Characters survive that didn't in the original. An abomination.
American Beauty and Tree of Life. Both, to me, are about how easily the arrogant, prideful and fearful versions of ourselves keep us from noticing opportunity, beauty, and tenderness right in front of our noses. I think they planted seeds that took a while to take root. I've since thrown my hat in the ring as a screenwriter and I volunteer as a firefighter.
TREE OF LIFE is one of my favorite films of all time. It's one of the most spiritual experiences I've ever had at the cinema. Great pick. I'm glad it made such an impact on you!