Absolute Classics part 1
What do you think the term classic means? Is it something that stand the test of time? Award-winning? Hailed by critics? Something nostalgic? Or is it something that is simply beautiful and you wouldn’t imagine it any other way? No matter your definition, there are all kinds of movies that are considered classics. Some of the most widely accepted classics today, however, were not an “instant classic” when they were released. In this blog, I’d like to tell you about some of them, continuing with more next week.
When The Wizard of Oz was released in 1939, the film didn’t exactly take everyone who saw it “Over the Rainbow.” Some moviegoers thought that Judy Garland was just a little too old to play L. Frank Baum’s 12-year-old Dorothy Gale. A reviewer of The New Yorker named Russell Maloney wrote that the film displayed “no trace of imagination, good taste, or ingenuity,” and was a “stinkeroo.” Although the film grossed a total of $3,017,000 (that’s both the US and worldwide—a lot of money in 1939), because of its high production costs and various distribution and other costs, it put Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) $1,145,000 in debt. In 1956, however, CBS purchased the rights to air the film on television, and it was on television that the film began to gain iconic status. Many adults young and old were “raised” on the annual network television event that it became-and its popularity only continued to grow when it was released on VHS in 1980, DVD in 1997, and Blu Ray in 2009.
In December of 1946, the term “Christmas holiday tradition” was given an entirely new meaning with Frank Capra’s sentimental classic It’s a Wonderful Life. Sadly, not everyone at that time saw the “wonderful” value of the film, and it lost $525,000 for its distribution company RKO. A critic named Bosley Crowther, wrote in for the New York Times, “The weakness of this picture from the reviewers point of view is the sentimentality of it-its illusory concept of life. Mr. Capra’s nice people are charming, his small town is a quite beguiling place and his pattern for solving problems is most optimistic and facile. But somehow, they all resemble theatrical attitudes rather than average realities.” Another film critic named Manny Farber wrote “To make his points (Capra) always takes an easy, simple-minded path that doesn’t give much credit to the intelligence of the audience,” and he added that it has only a “few unsentimental moments here and there.” The Oscars were kind enough to give the film a total of five nominations, but four out of those five nominations went to William Wyler’s The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). Just like with “Wizard of Oz,” seven years earlier, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” gained popularity when airing on television, though that didn’t happen until 1976. There it gained positive reception , and along with being released on VHS in the ‘80s, DVD in 2001, and Blu Ray in 2009, it is widely considered a “must” for Christmas-time viewing.
MGM produced Singin’ in the Rain in 1952. This film was only a moderate hit when it was first released, grossing $5.5 million in the US and internationally, though it did earn MGM a profit. And although the film provides “Best Picture Oscar” quality, in reality the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences only nominated the film for Best Original Score and Best Supporting Actress for Jean Hagen for her performance as spoiled screen diva, Lina Lamont. The film’s male lead star, Gene Kelly, previously made An American in Paris (1951) and that film was much more successful, winning the Best Picture Oscar that year, as well as five other Oscars. In 1989, however, Singin’ in the Rain was among the first 25 films to be inducted into the National Film Registry for films that are considered “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant,” whereas “An American in Paris,” wasn’t inducted until 1993. This film was later readapted for the Broadway Stage in 1985, and was released on VHS in 1992, DVD in 2002, and Blu Ray in 2012.
Today each of these films are included on AFI’s (American Film Institute’s) Top 100 Movies with “It’s a Wonderful Life,” at #20, “The Wizard of Oz,” at #10, and “Singin’ in the Rain,” at #5. Please feel free to comment on any of these movies and tune in again when we continue our tribute to underrated classics.
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