Be My Guest: Tracy Part 4

And here is the final part to my series with guest blogger Tracy. She gave some wonderful answers wouldn't everyone agree.

I would say the perfect way to view a classic would be on the big screen. I'm hoping to go to see some Chaplin movies at the Film Forum in NYC later this summer. Otherwise, I'm corny. I like the lights off and I have popcorn and coke as snacks. It's also cool to watch with another classic film fan because each tends to notice something interesting and it's fun to share the insights with another lover of the classics.

 

I would have to say I love the films of the 1930's best. The way the art form developed in that decade was amazing to me. For instance, sound was a new feature at the start of the1930's, yet we have a stunning technicolor epic like The Adventures of Robin Hood by 1938. The following year 1939, Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz would be made and forever guarantee that beautiful epics were a reality. But to me the 1930's Hollywood showed a wonderful ability to make short, well paced movies. I adore One Way Passage starring William Powell & Kay Francis. It's about 1 hour and 10 minutes in length but it tells the story of two star crossed lovers beautifully. The Thin Man is another great example of a quick paced movie. In 90 minutes, William Powell & Myrna Loy created the perfect on screen couple of all time (in my opinion) and the movie never dragged at all. If you consider the achievements made in the 1930's, it does show Hollywood ingenuity at its best. King Kong still impresses me today -- I'll take it over computer generated images anyday. Not to mention, 1939 was the greatest year in American film. Dark Victory, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Love Affair, The Women, Goodbye Mr. Chips, The Private Lives of Elizabeth & Essex, Ninotchka, Stagecoach, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Wuthering Heights, Gunga Din, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Of Mice and Men, just to name a few!

I love your answers Tracy. That is an awesome way to watch movies...I'm with you on that.