A Perfect Little Movie: “That’ll Do, Pig.” And Its Wallace Statue Counterpart in Stirling Scotland.
The year was 1995, and the late Mr. She and I had just been to see one of the very few movies I’ve ever designated as “perfect.” By that time, we’d been living on our small farm in the country for nine years, and the movie was Babe. (Not the 1992 movie about the baseball player starring the late John Goodman; rather, the one with the pig.)
Thistle Mean Something
From time to time, I’ll check out some YouTube videos of Gen Zers and Millennials who react to movies for the first time. Generally, they react to jump scares, sad moments, or plot twists from films like Jaws, Alien, Vertigo, Schindler’s List—what have you—like any other human being would. Sometimes they seem to be confounded by revelations or plots that are more complex…as we all sometimes are. And sometimes they simply don’t catch obvious symbolism when it’s presented because many of the reviewers may not have been very good students of history, may not have a good deal of life experience, haven’t traveled, or feel it’s more important to display action figures and plush toys on their bookshelves rather than say… books.
One seemingly universal response from the movie reactors is the moment in Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” when young William Wallace loses his father and brother who have been killed by the English. At the funeral, a young girl, later in the film to be Wallace’s wife, presents young William with a thistle. In just about every instance, the movie reactors on YouTube respond with an “Ah…isn’t that sweet?” or “She’s giving him a flower.”
Cinerama: Winning the West
How The West Was Won couldn’t be made today in its original form, either technically or creatively. That’s a shame. It’s not like America was in a state of perfect harmony in 1962, but we were a proud, confident nation back then. With breathtaking Cinerama photography, audiences saw primordial America as a natural paradise. Small bands of native tribesmen and white traders were a modest burden on that land. As the timeline progresses (roughly 1835-’85) there’s awe for the thrilling struggles and physical achievements of the settlers and our young nation. Yet there’s also a sad nobility about the defeat of the native American that’s not sugary, not faked; it came from the heart of a nation that was mature enough to understand both sides of history’s truth.
That both-sides attitude would be almost inconceivable in today’s culture. This was 1962, so to be sure, it was slightly liberal for its day. Hollywood was going through one of its periodic (justified) fits of conscience about being “fair to the Indians”. By today’s standards, this epic falls far, far short of that standard. But by the standards of its time, it depicts the inevitable, tragic parts of the conquest of the American west in terms that seemed fair for ‘62, a step forward for Hollywood’s standards of historical honesty.
Sharpe’s Eagle–The Battle of Talavera
It was the first of Bernard Cornwell’s “Richard Sharpe” novels to be published, although it ended up, over the decades, being eighth in the chronological order of our hero’s history.
It was set in July of 1809, amidst the Battle of Talavera, an iconic bookmark during the Peninsular War between the Napoleonic armies and those of Britain, Spain, and Portugal.
I cannot recommend the ITV “Sharpe” series highly enough. (You can begin your adventure on Amazon, here.) Yes, the production values are dated, and sometimes pretty crummy. But the episodes have so much “heart” that such quibbles seem petty, if not downright irrelevant.
Emily Litella America
The incomparable Gilda Radner played a character, Emily Litella (1975-1979), on Saturday Night Live back in the day when it was funny. The character would provide commentary on the news of the day as she heard it. The problem was that she was hard of hearing. Thus she would rant on and on about something for awhile until the news anchor corrected her over what the story was actually about. Having been corrected, Emily would invariably say, “Oh…that’s different. Never mind.”
Here is a sample of the various topics she misheard:
Prayer – Coming to a Theater Near You
In our increasingly Biblically illiterate society, it is interesting to see which passages of Scripture maintain a high pop culture profile, particularly in movies.
Psalm 23 (The Shepherd’s Psalm) gets a fair share of shout-outs (The Elephant Man, Pale Rider, and, not surprisingly, in Jim Carrey’s The Number 23. I Corinthians 13 also is used frequently, almost always in wedding ceremonies. In Wedding Crashers a wager is made about whether I Corinthians 13 or Colossians 3:12 will be used in the ceremony. (Betting against I Cor. 13 is a sucker’s bet.)
But filmmakers’ go-to Scripture, the champion for quotation, seems to be the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6: 9 – 13: “Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’” (ESV translation)
Masters of the Air
I have been watching the newest Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks World War II based production, Masters of the Air. It’s on Apple Plus. It’s considered a sequel to the mostly infantry based Band of Brothers and The Pacific.
It portrays the only time the U.S. military service that became the U.S Air Force engaged in operations that resulted in high casualties. Even World War I didn’t match what the bomber groups endured over Europe.
Movie Recommendation–The Boys In The Boat
Probably the last one I’ll see this year. We’ve just returned from a viewing down the road, and very lovely it was. Currently enjoying what may be my new favorite cocktail, The Bee’s Knees, in an attempt to warm up from the foul weather outside. For best results, try it with Barr Hill Gin, one which is made with honey in the processing (delightfully smooth), and of which I received a lovely bottle as a Christmas present.
But, the movie.
It’s the story of the 1936 University of Washington (State not DC) rowing team and their journey to forge a path to represent their country at the 1936 Berlin Olympics (Hitler, Jesse Owens, before WWII, etc.).
