In any particular order, what are some films that you have seen yourself reflected, or projected in?
In truth I find this an open ended question as there are many films I've seen that although I can't say I have shared the same experience, I always go back to them because of they reflect or project a certain feeling I share, or if I can indulge, a certain philosophy. Here are some as followed.
City Lights: How often have I found myself in the Tramp's shoes, but perhaps no more than in this film. Charlie Chaplin has created in my mind the most sensitive and moving romance in film history. All the more poignant because Chaplin used the power of image and acting rather than words. Being a romantic at heart, I am almost touched by this, and it strikes a chord in me all the time.
Jules and Jim: Speaking of romantic, what could be more ideal than having a life long friendship, sharing the same woman, and living in the French country in a cabin doing nothing all day but make love, talk about art, and books, only to have your lover commit suicide taking your life long friend with her? Perhaps not the happiest of endings, but "Jules and Jim" is so carefree in its storytelling, and so pleasant, you forget you are watching a tragedy unfold because these are people who feel so real.
The Three Colors Trilogy/The Dekalogue: Maybe I should just say the complete work of Krystof Keislowski who along with Yasujiro Ozu is the one director who's entire body reflects a certain reality or a certain philosophy I have found to fit with my own ideas. "The Three Colors" and "The Dekalogue" is all about love, life, death, the universe, the unanswered questions, but it comes down to feeling a connection which I think we all yearn for. These films cheer me up immeasurably when I am feeling the most bleak.
The Films of The Marx Brothers:: They reflect my inner smart ass, my inner anarchist, my inner jokester. Comedy is such a cure for the blues and more than anyone, The Marx Brother fill me with laughter.
It's a Wonderful Life: A film so close to my heart, the one that made me love movies, love Frank Capra, love Jimmy Stewart. It encapsulates my hopeful youth, and my disillusionment of the world over time. However it teaches what it means to have hope, and to choose it over despair. It carries a profoundly powerful message underneath it's holiday cheer facade, and that's why I keep returning to it.
Tokyo Story: If I were to name a film that I think was the epitome of what life was all about, I would look no further than "Tokyo Story". It's the story about family, about life, about death, about the tiny little moments that mean the world to the people who live them. "Tokyo Story" helped me look at my own life more closely and also at the other people around me. It's the film with the most humanity and wisdom I've ever seen. I will continue to praise it and its maker for as long as movies live on.
My Dinner With Andre: Speaking of those little moments in life, "My Dinner With Andre" is about one such moment, a chance dinner with an old friend, an exchange of ideas, it's about listening, communication, chit chat, weird looking waiters, and how precious it is to talk about life, and art, in a world that gives you little time to do so. When I watch it, I just want to join in the conversation everytime.
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