Learning To Emote
May 28 '00
Dramas. There are, seemingly, more dramas made than almost any other kind of film. It's easier to be dramatic than it is to be funny generally, which makes it easy to make dramas, and hard to choose your favorites among them. I'm going to attempt it, but undoubtedly there are multitudes of films I forgot or for some reason didn't include here.
Breakfast Club-I am a child of the 80's, and Breakfast Club was one of the stand-out films made during that time for teenagers. To be fair, there are almost as many funny moments, but I feel it's more dramatic than anything. The story of 5 very different kids serving out Saturday detention in the school library. But, how different are they...really? They make some surprising discoveries about each other and themselves, and John Hughes scores again with a surprisingly realistic look at the pressures of high school.
Dead Poet's Society-Who could forget the first time Robin Williams made them cry? He gets to do some of his impressions and things, but mostly he plays it straight as an unorthodox english teacher, inspiring free thinking and a love of poetry in his young students. Robert Sean Leonard is terrific as a young man who can't stand the strain of living up to his father's expectations. A thought-provoking film and a devastating look at the lengths to which some parents will go to ensure that their kids do better than them.
To Kill A Mockingbird-Based upon Harper Lee's book, this film tells the story of Atticus Finch, played to perfection by Gregory Peck. He's a small-town lawyer with two small children when he takes on the case of a black man accused of raping a white woman. To Kill A Mockingbird features one of the most touching relationships between a single father and his children I've ever seen. The children, Jem and Scout, learn a lot about their father, about life and about their neighbor during that long, hot summer. Look for a very young Robert Duvall as Boo Radley.
Immortal Beloved-A fictionalized account taken from a mystery that has long eluded scholars for many years, Immortal Beloved is the story of Ludwig Van Beethoven's life. In a letter found after his death, he left everything to his "immortal beloved", however, nobody seemed to know exactly who that was. This film offers up three possibilities, all very different from each other. Immortal Beloved features a stunning performance from Gary Oldman as Beethoven as well as great supporting turns from Jeroen Krabbe as his assistant and confidant and Isabella Rosellini as one of the women who might be Beethoven's immortal beloved. This film is a feast for the eyes and for the ears, filled to the brim with Beethoven's amazing music.
Schindler's List-Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning account of Oskar Schindler, a man who risked his life to save Jews from the Holocaust. Shot in black and white, this film defies anyone not to shed tears. The scenes of the concentration camps are some of the most difficult to look at, because it all seems so real. Spielberg painstakingly recreates the camps, and the horror of the Holocaust in the hopes that this page in history is never forgotten, and never repeated. Liam Neeson is great as Schindler. I will never forget the scene at the end, with Schindler looking at his car, his Nazi party pin made of gold and berating himself for not using them to save more Jews. It was heartbreaking. Ralph Fiennes also turns in an unforgettable performance as a sadistic Nazi camp officer. Once you see this film, you will never forget it. And that's just as it should be.
Amadeus-The life story of my other favorite composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, played by Tom Hulce. The court composer, Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), offers himself to God, if He will just let him make beautiful music. He hears of Mozart and can't wait to see him perform. He spies a crude, giggling young man chasing a woman and is aghast that *this* is the composer of such beautiful music. He vows to ruin Mozart, and becomes consumed with hatred for Mozart and for God, for giving such a creature the ability to speak for Him through music. Full of Mozart's amazing music and featuring great performances from Hulce and Abraham, Amadeus is a joy to view.
My Left Foot-The true story of Irish novelist Christy Brown, played by Daniel Day-Lewis in an Oscar-winning performance, is an amazing story of human triumph. Born with cerebral palsy, Brown was unable to walk and everyone thought he'd never amount to much. He learned to write and paint...with his left foot. This is an up-lifting tale of the human spirit, with Daniel Day-Lewis turning in one of the best performances of his career. He earned that Oscar, and he deserved it. Brenda Fricker won an Oscar as well for her role as Christy's mother.
Streetcar Named Desire- This film, starring Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski and Vivien Leigh as his slightly off-kilter sister-in-law, Blanche Dubois, won many Oscars. Brando sets the screen on fire as the animalistic Stanley, who just keeps pushing Blanche until she just can't take anymore. Vivien Leigh is a wonder here as well, all southern femininity and batting eyelashes. She comes to stay with her sister and her new husband, and finds a love interest in Karl Malden. For the time period when this was released, the amount of sexual tension is unbelievable. So much so that 4 minutes of footage was cut from the final film. Those additional 4 minutes have been restored, thankfully, to the video. As if this film needed anymore pent-up frustration and sexuality, and who can forget that ending? "Stelllllllllllaaaaaaaaaa!"
Shine-The true story of pianist David Helfgott, a young virtuoso from Australia. He is pushed and pushed by his father to become the best pianist, but when he is offered a scholarship to a prestigious music academy in London, his father threatens to disown him if he goes. He goes anyway and pushes himself beyond his limits to tackle Rachmaninoff's most difficult piano piece. After his collapse and release from a mental institution, Helfgott finds love and happiness, even playing the piano again at the Oscar ceremony. Geoffrey Rush gives an astonishing performance as the adult Helfgott, and Armin Mueller-Stahl is equally good as his smothering father.
Terms of Endearment-James L. Brooks directed from Larry McMurty's novel a story about a mother (Shirley MacLaine) and her daughter (Debra Winger). Full of rich characters and realistic dialogue, you will need a box of Kleenex for viewing this. As the mother and daughter bicker over almost everything, bad news descends over them. The daughter's husband (Jeff Daniels) is caught having an affair and the daughter finds out she has cancer. Not surprisingly, this was the man her mother warned about, going so far as to boycott her daughter's wedding in protest. Terms of Endearment plays out almost like a soap opera, but the acting transcends it far above the normal chick-flick. MacLaine is marvelous, as is Winger. Jack Nicholson is on hand to provide a few laughs, and he is wonderful as well. Far superior film that stands on its own, meaning you don't need to see the sequel which wasn't very good anyway.
Other films I wish I could've included and deserve to be there as well:
A Room With a View
I, Claudius
Elephant Man
Citizen Kane
Color Purple
Steel Magnolias
American History X
Restoration
Sid & Nancy
Gone With The Wind
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Member: Kimberly McDaniel
Location: Tulsa, OK USA
Reviews written: 188
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