Do Young People Appreciate Old Classic Movies?

[disney junky]

I'm watching a 1951 John Wayne movie, Operation Pacific, and I'm struck by the action, the acting, and the lack of special effects, but it's a really good movie. When MGM Studios Opened, the back stage tour with catastrophe canyon was one of my favorite rides. That's how movies were made before computer generated everything. I was very disappointed when The Great Movie Ride closed.

Do we even recognize good actor and acting any more?

 

[tvguy]

Hitchcock did more with shadows and sounds than many movies today do with the latest CG effects.

 

[Master Fastpasser]

I'm 33 and have always been an old soul.
1950's-1960's is my favorite time for music. That's not to say I don't like 90's and today but if I was given a choice it would be the 50'a dn 60's.
I also love old movies. Again I like new movies as well but classics are my favorites.
A few examples... Gone With the Wind, Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, Meet Me In St Louis, It's a Wonderful Life, Gaslight, My Blue Heaven...
I think I first watched Whatever Happened to Baby Jane when I was like 11 and OMG did the ending ever leave an impression on me. I tease my mom about themovie because she just thinks about the rat part and gags lol.

My niece who is 11 also has an old soul and love Elvis etc. In the care the other day she said "This is my favorite Buddy Holly song" and sange the entire thing. As much as I like the song "Everyday" I couldn't even sing it word for word since I hadn't heard it in a while.
She also appreciate some older movies but I mean she is 11 with a 6 year old slittle sister so she's also still watching Disney channel.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I love some older movies, too.

But, one of the things you have to remember that for every "Operation Pacific", there's a "It Conquered the World". Every generation has great and not so great movies. I also think you really have to consider that "Operation Pacific" does, indeed, have special effects: Models, blanks, studio sets, diving tanks, etc. Plus the use of real war footage.

 

[L&Lfan]

I love everything old/classic. There’s very little artswise ( film, music, fashion) that I enjoy post 1990. Certain Disney/Pixar films would be the exception. Otherwise I love the oldies. I am 59.

 

[BrianL]

I think some do and some don't, but I also think that's true of older people. Not everyone likes classic movies, or movies in general. I think people who are really "into" movies though would appreciate many of the classics no matter their age.

 

[dish rag]

We usually watch the 8 pm movie on TCM. We prefer older movies in black and white. Casablanca , Cat People and Frankenstein are good examples of the use of soft lighting and shadows. Also, I enjoy what’s in the movie, furniture, dishes old cllocks and so forth.

 

[amcnj]

I guess it was around fifteen years ago when I was putting on a dvd for one of my children and their friend, and when they saw it was in black and white didn’t want to watch it. And I remember thinking, how sad, will many of the older movies just kind of fade away due to a lack of interest?

 

[Micca]

When it comes to art, the age of the product should be irrelevant. "The Louvre, are you joking, who wants to look at all that old crap?" Said no one ever. This should apply to film, music, and theater too.

 

[Moliphino]

I'm 32 and I love Cary Grant movies. Oh, and you have to watch It's A Wonderful Life around Christmas/New Years.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Unless you're much older than me (I'm 40-something) I'm probably not "young people". But I do like old movies! I really appreciate how much they could do with fewer tools than they have now.

Like someone else said, my own DS will rarely watch something in black & white, but I think there will always be students of film who do love them.

 

[superme80]

My kids love old Disney cartoons. My middle son LOVED Snow White. All 3 are obsessed with the 3 Caballeros. My oldest is OBSESSED with "vintage" video games. Nintendo from the 80s and 90s is his jam. I encourage the love of old. They have watched a few older movies with me, but are not super into live action movies.

 

[RedAngie]

When it comes to art, the age of the product should be irrelevant. "The Louvre, are you joking, who wants to look at all that old crap?" Said no one ever. This should apply to film, music, and theater too.

Not those exact words, but that was my exH's attitude when we visited during our honeymoon. We went, but he was more interested in the glass pyramids that were under construction at the time rather than what was inside.

 

[Feralpeg]

My daughter is 31. Most of her friends have never heard of many classic movies that we love. For instance, the other night we were talking about movies with one of her friends. He'd never heard of Rear Window. In fact, he didn't know who Jimmy Stewart was. I raised my daughter on old film. She has seen the majority of the AFI top 100 films. It makes me sad that young people assume that anything old is not worth investing time. They are missing out on so much.

 

[pahoben]

I like both old and new movies. Two of my favorite black and whites are Treasure of the Sierra Madre and Raging Bull. TotSM is an old classic and RB a relatively modern film.

One of my favorite scenes is from Casablanca when German soldiers singing Deutschland Uber Alles are gradually drowned out by the French singing La Marseillaise. The French seem more noble in war movies than the actual facts would suggest.

 

[Erzengel]

I think it also has to do what was available when we were younger.

When I was younger, we still had After School and Saturday Morning cartoons. TV shows were only from 3 channels. We still watched reruns. Movies were in the theaters for more than 2-3 months and took even longer to come to home video.

Today, you have multiple movie channels, and hit tv shows can be on the AMC, HBO, Netflix, Hulu, etc. Music is streaming. Big movies especially during the Summer seem to drop almost every other week.

I think there's just a lot of selection out there for people and I think it's up to the older generations to get them to watch some of the classics.

 

[diznygirl]

I love old movies, and have watched them with my kids. They are teens now so they have grown up with them. The really liked Rear Window and my son loves the Maltese Falcon. And they have only seen the Sinatra Ocean's 11 - have refused to watch the Clooney one. LOL

 

[Turksmom]

My 11 y.o.'s favorites are Arsenic and Old Lace and Move Over Darling. 13 y.o. loves It's a Wonderful Life, 19 y.o. met a friend at school that loves old movies too and they've been borrowing my DVDs for viewing parties. I'll be 49 next week, so past young people, but a lot of movies I like are older than I am. I'll watch Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House anytime!

 

[ChrisFL]

I should watch more classics, but definitely there's several that I love:

Casablanca
Ocean's Eleven (original)
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
2001: A Space Odyssey
...most of Alfred Hitchcock's work, Rear Window, Psycho, Strangers on a Train, Birds, The Lady Vanishes, The Man Who Knew Too Much (remake)

 

[DIS_MIKE]

I should watch more classics, but definitely there's several that I love:

Casablanca
Ocean's Eleven (original)
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
2001: A Space Odyssey
...most of Alfred Hitchcock's work, Rear Window, Psycho, Strangers on a Train, Birds, The Lady Vanishes, The Man Who Knew Too Much (remake)

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World is a classic! So many great actors in that film. I highly recommend picking up the Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection as it is loaded with extras.

My dad introduced me to so many classics as a kid: The Pink Panther films with Peter Sellers, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis and Abbott & Costello. So many great slapstick films. I love The Ghost and Mr. Chicken with Don Knotts.


I agree that TCM has a great selection.