filmic overview

Lawrence of Arabia is brilliant. So long as you don't want any resolution, can sit through twelve hours of film, and think the desert is beautiful. Otherwise, the stunning cinematography that has shaped the industry will mean nothing to you. Stunning symbols expressed through visual symbols and the subtlest dialogue loose their savor without a keen interest in the impact of this film. All of this wonder was nearly lost for me in an ending leaving me searching for symbolism and resolution to a character worthy of such an epic.

Margaret O'Brien's The Secret Garden left much to be desired. In fact, I gave up on it halfway through, not something I customarily do with films. It failed to capture the wonder and fantasy associate with this beloved children's tale. Furthermore, I found the use of technicolor when the garden had reached its full-grown glory to be a cheap parlor trick which failed to compensate for the lack of interest through the remaining fifty-fives minutes.

Perhaps the highlight of my film encounters of the past week or so is being able to see Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest on the big screen. The skill of a Hitchcock film never ceases to leave me mystified. Just like Lawrence of Arabia, it is the subtlety of the oral text and the depth of the shots that draws me into this film time and time again. To see this on the big screen was nothing short of a dream for me. One, Cary Grant looks even better when blown up via the in-house projector. Secondly, this film was not meant for the home theater. While the story carries an intimate cast, the panoramas demand grandeur in the size of projection. A plane nearly buzz-cutting Mr. Grant just does not have the same impact otherwise.

After reading a couple of books in the past few days, I am also needing to rewatch Little Women, Meet Me in St. Louis, Kiss Me, Kate, and locate a copy of the Bette Davis All About Eve.