SEVENTY YEARS YOUNG by Larry Stout
SEVENTY YEARS YOUNG by Larry Stout, 4/19/09
President Obama gave a collection of twenty-five American film classics on DVD as a present to visiting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in March of this year. He would have been much wiser to simply give him a collection of the films from 1939. Listen to these titles from that incredible year; Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Wuthering Heights, Stagecoach and Young Mr. Lincoln. Anyone of those in another year could have won the Academy Award for Best Picture. (Gone with the Wind did win it that year) Other great films from that year are not far behind: Dark Victory, Drums Along the Mohawk, Gunga Din, Ninotchka, Of Mice and Men, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. (Netflix’s Alert: if you have not seen any of these films, you have no idea what you are missing!)
There has never been a year in film like 1939. Film historians postulate various reasons for this prolific output, but that is not the purpose of this essay. I marvel that over a dozen films from seventy years past stand the test of time so well. Those films speak of virtue, honor, and dignity. My eleven-year-old granddaughter, Hope, has watched many of these films with her grandparents and enjoys them as much as we do.
Try this experiment: try to pick a dozen movies from the past ten years that will still be enjoyed seventy years from today. Personally, I have trouble coming up with any beyond possibly the Lord of the Rings and Narnia films, and that is mostly because of the quality of the content they are based on.
We are living in the Dark Ages, whether we realize it or not. There is virtually nothing on the literary, artistic, or cultural scene that has any enduring quality. Though it might seem liberating to destroy conventions and disparage virtue, in the end, it has a short shelf-life.
Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” It even applies to popular culture.
President Obama gave a collection of twenty-five American film classics on DVD as a present to visiting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in March of this year. He would have been much wiser to simply give him a collection of the films from 1939. Listen to these titles from that incredible year; Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Wuthering Heights, Stagecoach and Young Mr. Lincoln. Anyone of those in another year could have won the Academy Award for Best Picture. (Gone with the Wind did win it that year) Other great films from that year are not far behind: Dark Victory, Drums Along the Mohawk, Gunga Din, Ninotchka, Of Mice and Men, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. (Netflix’s Alert: if you have not seen any of these films, you have no idea what you are missing!)
There has never been a year in film like 1939. Film historians postulate various reasons for this prolific output, but that is not the purpose of this essay. I marvel that over a dozen films from seventy years past stand the test of time so well. Those films speak of virtue, honor, and dignity. My eleven-year-old granddaughter, Hope, has watched many of these films with her grandparents and enjoys them as much as we do.
Try this experiment: try to pick a dozen movies from the past ten years that will still be enjoyed seventy years from today. Personally, I have trouble coming up with any beyond possibly the Lord of the Rings and Narnia films, and that is mostly because of the quality of the content they are based on.
We are living in the Dark Ages, whether we realize it or not. There is virtually nothing on the literary, artistic, or cultural scene that has any enduring quality. Though it might seem liberating to destroy conventions and disparage virtue, in the end, it has a short shelf-life.
Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” It even applies to popular culture.
login to post comments
Except where otherwise noted, this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License