Classic Movies

They don't make them like they used to. I mean movies. This lens is about classic films. There will be links to essays as well as thoughts right here about the films and stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

I love The Great Escape. To me, it's the best prison break movie. An all star cast, including Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen, Donald Pleasance and (my favorite) James Garner, play a group of British, American, Polish prisoners in a German POW camp during World War II. The camp gathers all the greatest escape artists into one place, a place where they can't escape. So, of course, they come up with a plan to escape. A beautiful plan. This whole movie is about the planning and the work that goes into getting the escape set. Watching the characters work together is like watching a dance. Complete coordination.

This movie is based on a true story. Of course, some artistic license was taken, but in my opinion, it doesn't take away from the quality of the film. It's a movie I never get tired of.

At Sword's Point is a technicolor film set in 17th century France. The adult children of the 4 Musketeers (don't forget D'Artagnan) pick up their swords to help aging Queen Anne and the future king of France. One of the new Musketeers is Claire, the daughter of Athos. Claire was played by Maureen O'Hara, who could fence for real. The great thing about this movie is, it didn't cheat men or women. Claire was just as accomplished a swordsperson as her male companions, but she was also feminine. There was a romance between her and D'Artagnan, but he respected her as a fellow teammate as well as a sweetheart. When the Queen said that Claire would have to go home, he spoke up, saying her sword was equal to theirs. When they get captured, they try to get Claire to confess their plans by torturing D'Artagnan, but she doesn't fold up like a stereotypical woman. Although it's painful for her to watch, she keeps her mouth shut. Sometimes they have her use her feminine wiles to help out (or, she uses them on her own) but she also uses the sword just as much as the others.

And, it's not just Claire who is a strong woman. She's the only fencer, but Queen Anne has an inner strength that is shared by her daughter. At a time when it would be understandable for her daughter to fall apart, she gathered up her strength until a more appropriate time.

The men are neither bores or emasculated by the presence of strong women. Plus, there are evil men as well as women. No sex is too good or too evil.

This isn't a message movie. It's really a fun, action/adventure, romance (but it doesn't overpower the excitement) movie. But, without trying too hard, they manage to make it a good one for any gender.