|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
4.235.207.30
you want, these blockbusters of their day were adult films.
Now, we have juvenalia like Star Wars, Harry Potter, Narnia... with the occasional smarmy Titanic, and Hong Kong remake.
At this rate, blockbusters in another decade will be Hello Kitty: the Epic, Barbie Fairytopia: the Dream Prince, and Dora the Explorer Breaks Out.
Cecil B. DeMille, somewhere, is rolling over.
Follow Ups:
They expected a story and characters, and weren't very interested in having gritty reality jammed down their throats. They wanted escapism, but not kiddie fantasy with no link to reality, and certainly not today's mandatory urinal scenes. Technical accuracy was secondary.
Ben Hur should be a classic but was done in by Heston's and Boyd's over the top emoting, so it gets no respect. It will probably be remade as a gay movie soon.I think El Cid was the all-time best medieval epic, but Heston hammed it up badly too: "People of Valencia...I bring you bread!!!!". Its visually excellent, so I'm disappointed that it hasn't been remastered to DVD. Wonderful cinematography; 70mm was made for this movie. It would be great on wide screen TV.
The Longest Day must have been cooked up over Wayne's poker table. The only cliche cameo it lacked was Sammy Davis Jr. Hard to believe it was a blockbuster, but then WWII was closer in memory than Viet Nam is now. A production like that couldn't get aired on the History Channel now.
Bounty was well scripted and produced with attention to authenticity, but I think Brando excellent acting was nuetered by his hokey British accent. (Makes me think of Kevin Kostner's "Valley" Robin Hood!)
asdf
I see a lot of 35 year-old adolescents.
then the "toy" accumulation phase goes on and on.
nt
as
I assume being a fan of Marx probably leaves one wanting in real world economics. "Kiddie" films generally do better because the are attended not only by their core audience, but also because the parents generally (note I wrote generally) attend with their children, meaning, on average, there are two additional tickets sold for one or more kiddies. Contrasted with an "adult" film, there only tickets sold are generally for the core audience.Consequently, comparing "kiddie" films with adult epic type films in terms of either content or box office receipts is failing to look at the multitude of reasons for the differences that have nothing to do with quality, for which the original post is clearly guilty.
And I doubt Karl Marx, with his permanent scowl, would have enjoyed kiddie films either.
.
as
"Now, we have juvenalia like Star Wars, Harry Potter, Narnia"Do you really believe that Ben Hur and The Longest Day was made for the same audience as Harry Potter and Narnia? Are you daft? Or were you a biological oddity having been born as adult, completely skipping childhood? I can see it now; Scene: a lazy day at the Tinear household, slight hint of wood burning (in the fireplace, not the head), a copy of The Communist Manifesto sitting on the coffee table, then, dialog:
Tinear, Jr.: "Daddy, when do we see the wizard?"
Tinear: "Right after the Germans blow out the intestines of the Americans. Now shut up and enjoy this masterpiece. Just look at the way the camera captures the death and destruction."How about comparing comparing apples with apples. Harry Potter or The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes? I know which one would you pick.
as
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: