November 11, 2022 – Passion and Movies
Dear James,
During your life, your mom and dad will teach you many lessons. As important, they will pass along some of their passions. Having passion is a good thing. Without it, there is no living. And in time, you will develop your own passions, possibly instilling some of those passions in your parents, just as your godfather did to me.
One of Carter’s passions is a love of movies. Before Cable Television and the Internet, the only way to watch movies was to rent them from places like “Blockbuster.” So, Friday nights was Blockbuster and Papa John’s Pizza night at the Franklins. And this may have been where Carter’s love of movies was ignited. He especially loved classic movies. So, he would have Blockbuster order older movies for him.
When these movies would arrive, Carter would have me watch them with him. I remember one movie in particular – the German film M, which was released in 1931. Here was your Godfather Carter, maybe a sophomore in high school, explaining to me the significance of this movie, which I had never heard of. Now considered by the German film industry as the most important German film of all time, Carter explained to me that M was also banned in Germany in 1933 by the Nazi’s because the main actor was Jewish. So, as I watched this movie with Carter, I came to appreciate the art of filmmaking.
We would eventually start a tradition where Carter and I would go to the cinema and watch a double feature on either New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Sometimes we would watch three movies! And so, when Netflix came along, I began to order movies and would sit down and watch independent films like the Japanese made Departures alone – just for the sheer joy of it.
It was inevitable that I would finally discover The Virginia Film Festival, which is held each autumn in our own back yard in Charlottesville, Virginia. I started going several years ago while Carter was attending NYU film school. When Carter moved back to Virginia, he and I started attending the festival together. And this year, its 35th, may have been the best yet. I attended five films this year but should have seen more.
The festival opened on Wednesday evening with a sold-out screening of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery at the Paramount Theatre on the Charlottesville downtown mall. In addition to Carter and me, your grandmother Gizzy and your uncle Jack and Aunt Olivia attended the movie. We loved it. To make an evening of it, we also had dinner together before the movie.
One of the things I love about the film festival is the introduction before each movie. The introductions create an anticipatory stir in the audience and seem to give the movies more character. In addition to watching Glass Onion on Wednesday evening, Carter, Elizabeth, and I watched Corsage and She Said on Friday and Women Talking on Saturday. On Sunday afternoon, I drove back to Charlottesville and watched the premier of Living. Maybe someday when you are older, we can sit down and watch these same movies together. Or attend a movie or two at the festival with your Godfather.
I enjoyed every movie I saw. The only movie that I would hesitate recommending is Corsage, only because, like the movie Spencer, which details the emotional distress of Lady Diana, it is slow moving and haunting. But that said, I think it is much better than Spencer. Based on the true life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria during the late 1800s, it examines the struggles of being a woman during that period, held under a public microscope while having to adhere to strict ceremonies and duties. Becoming ever more frustrated, the passionate and willful Empress tries to buck the system, but unable to do so, comes up with a plan to protect her legacy.
Glass Onion is a frolicking fun murder mystery. Full of satire, the movie does not take itself seriously. And you can tell that the actors had a great time making it with Daniel Craig and Edward Norton giving great performances. I especially loved Kate Hudson’s character. If you can, watch this movie with some friends.
She Said is a must-watch movie. Like Spotlight, which won an Oscar for Best Picture in 2015, which chronicles the real-life investigation of the Catholic Diocese in Boston, She Said chronicles the real-life investigation of Hollywood and Harvey Weinstein. The movie underscores how those in power often use that power to take advantage of others. And no matter how hard it is to find the truth, it is always worth seeking.
Women Talking takes place in an isolated religious colony when three generation of women discuss their struggle to reconcile their faith after a series of assaults. My favorite quote in the movie is “Some people believe forgiveness means permission”. Although most of the film takes place in a barn, it is riveting emotionally as these women talk out loud to each other – often disagreeing in anger over what they should do. They finally agree on a course of action. The beauty of the film is how they get there. What appears to be the obvious solution is not always the best solution. And patience and grace are sometimes needed to get there.
Of the movies I saw, Living was my favorite. Carter would tell me later that it won the Audience Award for Best Film at the festival. The movie is a remake of the famous 1952 Japanese film Ikiru, directed by the famous Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, who also directed Seven Samurai and is considered one of the most influential filmmakers in film history. And to add even more pedigree to Living, the film Ikiru is based on Leo Tolstoy’s 1886 Novel “The Death of Ivan Ilyich.”
So, Living had a lot to live up to – and it did. Set in 1953 London, the movie depicts a bureaucrat facing a fatal illness. This movie could easily have been a dud. But like Women Talking, the acting is superb. For anyone who has seen the Christmas comedy movie Love Actually, you might remember Bill Nighy, who plays the wonderfully funny washed-up rockstar who has a surprise hit. But he is anything but funny in this movie. As the Director of the Virginia Film Industry remarked during the introduction, “Bill Nighy delivers an almost startling transformation in this beautiful period drama”. And you heard it here first. Bill Nighy will get nominated for Best Actor and I think he should win.
There are two scenes that demonstrate how Nighy pulls off an understated performance. In one scene he wistfully tells a young rogue he had just met “If only to be alive for one day, but I realize I don’t know how.” And later in the movie during a pivotal scene with his co-star Aimee Lou Wood, he states “I sometimes look at children playing in the school yard. And when their mothers come to pick them up, they reluctantly leave. And then there is the child who is sitting alone on the curb, not playing, waiting for his mom to pick him up.” And in his eyes, you see a thought – no – a recognition. You know at that moment that the character realizes he has become that child waiting, waiting for his mom to call him home.” And the movie turns.
James, you are lucky because you have parents with many passions. They live full lives and have a love of life – a precious thing they will pass down to you. And you will know how to be alive. Do not forget it. Always play on the playground without waiting to be called home. That will happen in its own time. And when you leave, it is ok to leave reluctantly. And while you are at play, develop your own passions. I only hope to live long enough for you to pass one or two along to me, just as your godfather has done.
With much love,
Papa J
