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Movies and Cultural Literacy
Young people don’t need another excuse to watch movies, but I do think we need to acknowledge the role of films in a well-rounded education. What movies do kids have to see in order to fully participate in the national discourse, without which they would misinterpret phrases that are meaningful shorthand for those of us who have not been deprived of classic flicks? Here are a few of my ideas:
1.) Wizard of Oz: This movie has been mined for colorful analogies maybe more than any other. Recently I was nonplussed to find out from my daughters that many, perhaps most, earphones come with a microphone. For weeks I’d been wanting to alleviate the crick in my neck from doing hands-free the old way. My girls knew what I meant when I said, “You mean I had the ruby slippers all along??” And just last week a counselor I’ve been seeing brought up ruby slippers, yellow brick road, and strange characters on a journey. Opinion pieces bring us We’re not in Kansas anymore, The witch is dead, Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, and so on. Wizard of Oz the movie should be required watching as soon as children outgrow the tendency to have nightmares over bizarre winged monkeys, malevolent forests, cackling witches, and a tornado carrying one far away from home and family.
2.) The Matrix: At least for the valuable red pill/blue pill scene.
3.) The Princess Bride: Valued as a source of funny quotes for years– “Inconceivable!” “Mostly dead”– lines from this movie more recently entered political discourse with Inigo Montoya in a meme saying, “You keep using that word. I don’t think it means what you think it means.”
Surprise your child next week by announcing “educational movie night,” popping some corn, and streaming Raiders of the Lost Ark. What would you add to the list of these cheap and entertaining learning experiences?
Published in Entertainment
“Who are you who are so wise in the ways of science?”
“Now we see the violence inherent in the system!”
“Help! Help! I’m being repressed!”
Down right prophetic:
Double-plus like.
“Hello, Cleveland!”
“I’ll have a steak sandwich… and another steak sandwich. Put it on the Underhills’ bill.”
“Pardon me, but my car just hit a water buffalo. Can I borrow a towel?”
“Doctor” “Doctor” “Doctor” “Doctor”
“He’s six five. Six Nine with the Afro.”
The line we used most from The Princess Bride was “It’s possible…pig.”
“PUT. THE. CANDLE. BACK.”
I can’t remember if this was from the book or the movie or both “A glass of ice water. With ice.”
I will never forget the first time my two older sons watched that movie; they came running upstairs afterwards and exclaimed, “Dad, now we know where all those stupid things you always say come from!”
I have quit liking or disliking these quotes from movies, as frankly, I have never seen 90% of them. In an earlier era there was no CC, and I’m not interested enough in movies to rent or buy them now. But this has been a good post and given me a bit of laughter over what you all think is important.
I think this may be a guy thing – my son and husband, and many, many of their male friends to a man can quote whole scenes from these movies. And guffaw – there’s no other word – in remembered shared enjoyment. Completely passes me by.
I was studying for PhD comps the summer that came out – I went with friends despite severe misgivings. I had nightmares for a week. I hate suspense. But it was Real storytelling and real suspense.
At the risk of stepping over CoC profanity rules, here’s another entry for the “Very Important For Guys” movie realm. I spent a couple of years living in a fraternity while in college. As a matter of fact, that college was the University of Oregon and this movie was filmed on that campus during my freshman year.
“Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?! NO!”
There are these movies with treasure troves of quotes, particularly the non-sensical comedies, that our children might not find as hilarious as we did when they’re put back into context. Their grandparents did the same thing in the 1940s, confusing their children with lines from Hope & Crosby Road pictures.
”I’ll have a lemonade please… (snarling) In a dirty glass!”
Full Metal Jacket.
The words “Frau Blucher” must be followed by a horse neighing.
“Sweet mystery of life, at last I found you!”
Thanks to Jeremiah Johnson, “hey there, Pilgrim!” has worked it’s way into my greetings.
There are several movies that my son, friends and I can speak the dialog along with the movie or quote the dialog in unison without the movie and giggle ridiculously at key scenes. It very much seems to be a guy thing…
Our movies include Rocky Horror Picture Show, Godfather and Godfather II, Airplane, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Animal House, Caddyshack. Many others we quote, like you mentioned, individual scenes. This is done in business meetings, social gatherings, anywhere appropriate or better yet, totally inappropriate. Except for Princess Bride, it seems to drive our lady friends nuts….
The worst, according to our ladies, is when someone inadvertently repeats a bit of dialog and we laugh or smile sheepishly. When they look and quizzically say, “What?” We are then free to quote the whole scene, accompanied by the eye roll and a disgusted, “I should have known.”
Wasn’t this from Spies Like Us? another great classic :-)
You left out “I got better.”
Could be. Definitely Chevy Chase, though.
Maybe “Dr. Rosenrosen” is from Fletch?
My friends and I resemble this remark.
I worked with a young man who recently immigrated from Russia ( and proud to be an American, something he and his mother had worked very hard for for over a decade).
He spoke nearly perfect English, but I kept making comments he didn’t understand, either slang or movie quotes. So finally he asked me for a list of must see movies to help him get a grip on the culture.
I don’t remember now the complete list I gave him, but the one he most enjoyed, and to this day loves to quote, was Tombstone, with Kurt Russell.
“I’m your huckleberry”. He asked me to explain what it meant, and I told him it isn’t really in use today, (if it ever was), but I took it to mean something like ‘try me, tough guy’.
We have Clearance, Clarence. What’s our Vector, Victor? Roger Roger.
The Lives of Others. Buckley said that this was the best movie he had ever seen.
Okay. Here is my list of my top movies in order.
You may need to update this?
I liked the movie version of Atlas, but it pales in comparison to the book. I guess movies usually do.
I saw that in the student center when I was at Davidson. It’s about a coup in Greece, isn’t it?
I can’t believe it! Randy, you just made my day. I thought I was the only one.
“They’re trying to kill me,” Yossarian told him calmly.
“No one’s trying to kill you,” Clevinger cried.
“Then why are they shooting at me?” Yossarian asked.
“They’re shooting at everyone,” Clevinger answered. “They’re trying to kill everyone.”
“And what difference does that make?”
Catch-22