Quick takes on 5 CLASSIC films

The Steel Helmet is a classic war film, taking place during the Korean War. Released in 1951, it has a lot of dialogue that would be considered highly controversial today, with many racial epithets that were commonly used back then. The film follows Sergeant Zack, the sole survivor of his platoon after they are all massacred, who teams up with another group to try to make it out alive. Zack is cold to everyone, having long since buried his emotions to cope with the realities of the conflict around him. Ultimately though the film becomes about acceptance of all races and peoples, as Zack is forced to accept the various backgrounds of people in his new troop, and also realize that the enemy army is full of human beings too. Really great battle scenes for a low budget war film of this era, and a deep plot that is unexpected from the film’s inauspicious beginning.

In addition to movies and books, I’m a musical junkie. I’ve seen Singin’ in the Rain on stage a few times, but never sat and watched the original movie adaptation, featuring the incomparable Debbie Reynolds and Gene Kelly. Following the careers of stars Don Lockwood (Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) as they traverse from the silent era to “talkies,” the duo is faced with the task of hiding Lamont’s terrible voice from the public. In steps Kathy Seldon (Reynolds) to serve as a substitute voice. This classical musical has several tunes you’ll recognize, including the eponymous title. There are funny moments, but the movie is definitely dated. Not sure I can recommend it, except for die-hards like myself.

The Burmese Harp is a wonderful Japanese film from 1956. Taking place at the tail end of World War II, it shows a side of the war that we in the west might not see very often, that is, the losing side of Japan and how it affects the soldiers in the immediate aftermath. A soldier who has taught himself how to play the Burma harp plays to sooth his fellow soldiers, but his music reaches out to the British soldiers as well. Their Buddhist religion is also a key point to the film, and in general, the movie has a very anti-war, peace-reaching feel to it. This is a very different movie that I expected going in, and presents a very real, endearing sense of longing for something that always seems just out of reach.

Another great classic film is The Naked City, a 1948 movie about a murder in New York City. The movie follows a couple police detectives (Barry Fitzgerald and Don Taylor) as they dig for clues and suspects. The movie unfolds in an almost modern-day CSI style, obviously at a time before all of our modern technology was available to help the police, and when most leads had to be followed up on foot instead of a simple phone call. Shot entirely on location in various spots around the city (which doesn’t always help the sound, but definitely adds to the realism), this is a fantastic film, with an engaging plot and developed, 3-dimensional characters. Even if you aren’t a fan of classic cinema, if you like the modern cop tv shows, you’ll enjoy this old film.

Jules and Jim is a 1962 French film, and one that you have to ploy through the first 20 minutes if you are going to enjoy it. The opening of this film is fast and frenetic, with voice-over that doesn’t quit, meaning, if you don’t speak French, you’ll spend 20 minutes reading dialogue and hardly being able to move your eyes to the actors on screen. Once you get past that though, the film settles down a bit, and you can sit back and enjoy it. The eponymous title characters are best friends, an Austrian and a Frenchman, who fall in love with the same girl, Catherine. Catherine is an emotional rollercoaster, and would probably be diagnosed as bipolar today. She falls madly in love in a day, and just as quickly falls back out, and reacts to even falsely perceived sleights with extreme abandon, such as sleeping with other men if her boyfriend doesn’t greet her warmly. The movie feels like the wild ride that is Catherine’s life, and is edited as such too, so even the viewer feels the chaos that is Catherine. As such, the movie is sometimes a bit too choppy for my tastes, but still, is a fun flick.