[Re: TCM’s Presentation of the Greatest Motion Picture Ever Made: The Best Years of Our Lives.]
By Grand Rapids Anonymous
Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 1:26:00 A.M. EST
I decided to let FOX News and the horse races have the night off, and give The Best Years of Our Lives a chance for almost three hours of commercial-free viewing.
I don’t know how to gauge a movie early, or get a feel for it, in most cases. With that in mind, a few quick notes.
The first half-hour was gripping. The vulnerability of each soldier returning home was felt.
The next thing I wrote down was how impressed I was with the women's characters. They seemed to be sharper, more interesting people than the men. Myrna Loy was humorous and smart.
As the movie progressed, I found myself rooting for the guys to find some happiness, but the actresses' roles were the more memorable.
Later, the staring scene between Fred and Al at the bar was unique in movie history. The camera didn't move and neither did the two characters, as Fred was told, by Al, to stay away from Al's daughter.
I thought several times, throughout the film, about how much respect the white male characters were treated with by the film makers: hard-working, perseverant, and good people. Fast forward 72 years, are there ANY whites in TV and movies given similar respect? Most of the traits I see whites being allowed to have in 2018, are as incompetent fools and buffoons to be the dupes of “in-control” black characters.
As I mentioned previously, these movies show a different country than we have now, in so many ways. We were an America then—that was white—and a country at its peak.
Look what's happened to us now... I wistfully remember when we WERE great, not so long ago—and it WAS because we were 90-95% white.
(Thanks for the reminder that this film was on Monday night, by the way).
[N.S.: I thank David in TN, for the heads-up.]
I watch a lot of old movies, and enjoy most of them. Best Years of Our Lives is one that is wonderful, but it also breaks my heart. It shows what America was when it was "America, yes!" and not "America, we apologize".
ReplyDeleteWe DID things back then. Built things like the Empire State Building in less time than it takes to get a building permit today. We've gone from can-do to don't-you-dare.
Some of our wars and alliances were, and are, open to question, certainly, but when called upon, we fought and fought hard. Almost all of our streets were safe. Our kids could compose declarative sentences and add a column of figures. They had a good grounding in civics, not "social studies". They could play in the city park and not get shot in some gang war crossfire. A now-old man like me could sit in the park and watch the kids at play without being reported by some helicopter parent and then rousted by some overzealous cop. Music was both decent in lyrics and had melody and progression.
I grew up in the 1950s and 1960s. From my view (yours may vary) we lost the country when Lyndon Johnson took over the presidency. He signed the civil rights and voting rights acts that became the monstrosities they are today. Hart-Cellar rang the death knell of a nation with the best parts of Western European values combined with a can-do spirit.
As an aside: I am often amused to hear the Boomers blamed for what the Senators, Congressmen, and Presidents did, and it was our parents and grandparents who voted them in in the first place.
I'm glad I'm old.
- The Gentle Grizzly -
Agree GG.Whites have let their country be taken from them without a fight.World War 2 was fought by 99% white America,North Korea we waged against as well.Vietnam was still a massively white fought war--and for what?To hand the USA over to the blacks,Mex and Muslims without ANY challenge,in the least.
ReplyDeleteI've written the same opinion about LBJ.Worst white president in our history.
The most disgusting thing about all this is,it appears that we can't do anything about it.Courts are against whites trying to enforce the law (or change it),the media sympathizes with minorities.
Even Trump is shot down with any of his MAGA ideas-like Muslim bans.At least we were around when it WAS great.
--GR Anonymous