So, one wonders why one should care what my favorite things are. Well,
hopefully, someday, you'll have cause to buy me a present or something.
Certainly it would be helpful to know what to get me.
| Movies |
|---|
| My taste in movies is a little odd, but that's to be expected.
One thing will become obvious when you read this list:
I'm sentimental. |
|---|
| Ben-Hur 35th Anniversary Edition(1959) |
Based on Ben Hur by General Lew Wallace, this
"A Tale of the Christ," chronicles the fictional Judah Ben-Hur,
a wealth Jerusalem merchant in the time of Christ. The film
begins with The Nativity of Christ, depicted beautifully,
complete with the holy family, the cattle in the manger,
shepherds, and the wise men. Fast forward to many years later,
we learn of the boyhood friendship of Judah Ben-Hur and Masala,
who has returned to Jerusalem as an important military
commander. Masala expects Judah to turn informant against
Jerusalem zealots and when Judah refuses, a bitter enmity
ensues. When Judah's sister, Tierzah, accidentally loosens a
tile from the roof and it accidentally strikes the new Roman
governor, Masala sentences Judah's mother and sister to the
dungeons of the fortress of Antonia and Judah to the gally
ships of the empire. Along the way to the ships, Judah
encounters Jesus, who gives Judah water in defiance of the
slavemaster's instructions. Throughout the story, Judah's life
is tied to Jesus' life, though it takes him decades to come to
know who the man was who saved him by giving him water. | .
 
|
This story of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt and
about the prophet Moses, has always been a favorite of
mine since I saw it on the big screen as a little child.
Though the scriptural aspects of the story are
impressive, it stands as a superior movie to other more
accurate tellings of the story of the story of Moses
because of the direction of Cecil B. DeMille. This
magnificent movie is a masterpiece in every frame.
Indeed, each scene was crafted as if it was a painting
by one of the great masters of art. To accomplish this,
the actors frequently needed to perform in a more
classical fashion, but they pull it off with
excellence. |
Imitation of Life(1959)
|
OK, so I'm highly sentimental. This is the story of four
women.
- Laura Meredith.
- Laura is a recently widowed actress from a
small town and small stage. She has
come to New York with her small daughter
and a small savings, determined to make
it in the wild world of Broadway as an
actress. She has as a goal to completely
conquer this often seedy world. She has
one main problem, though. She doesn't
know when to act and when to be real.
When confronted with any problem, she
turns on the drama.
- Suzie Meredith
- Suzie is Laura's little girl. The movie
begins with Laura Meredith frantically
searching the crowded beach at Coney
Island for Suzie, who has gotten herself lost. After her mother's success, Suzie
begins a refined young woman, after
attending all the best schools. Her
mother is able to give her everything
a little girl ought to have, except
her mother's personal attention.
- Annie Johnson
- Annie is a black woman making her living as
many of her peers did in those days
(1940s and 1950s), as a maid. She has
recently left a position where she and
her young daughter had some unspecified
trouble. When Suzie Meredith gets lost
on the beach, it's Annie and her
daughter who report the missing child to
the police and then keep her occupied
until Suzie's mother arrives. Out of
gratitude, Laura Meredith invites Annie
and her daughter to come share their
meager housing. Annie is the saint of
the movie, the unqualified heroin that
everyone loves dearly. She is full of
selflessness and love. Annie's main
problem is her daughter.
- Sarah Jane Johnson
- Sarah Jane's father, though a black man, was
so fair skinned that Annie refered to
him as "practically white." Sarah Jane
inherited her pigmentation from her
father, not her mother. Throughout her
life, Sarah Jane tries everything she
can to not be seen with her mother, so
she can pass herself off as being white.
Of course, it's hard to not be seen with
a mother who loves you as much as Annie
loves Sarah Jane. As Sarah Jane becomes
a young woman, her deceptions get her
deeper and deeper into trouble
This movie jerks the tears right out of your eyes. We
see about a decade of the lives of these women. Each,
in her own way, is living in a fantasy world, but none
tugs at the heart quite like Sarah Jane's self-hatred
and ill treatment of her saintly mother.
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