Saturday, March 29, 2008

Humphrey Bogart

My mom and Atlanta Ben (as he’ll now be referred to in order to distinguish him from Lincoln Ben) have very rightly turned me onto Humphrey Bogart movies. Casablanca is probably the best movie I’ve ever seen. Everything you should want from a movie is there. The Big Sleep, which I watched last night, was grittier and wittier than 99% of movies that come out nowadays.

There’s this vague notion of progress which suggests that contemporary people know better than the people who came before them. I’m pretty sure it’s the opposite, and these movies are strong evidence.

5 comments:

Ben said...

The discussion of "horse racing" was probably the greatest conversation in the history of movies. No, of conversations!

Ben said...

Wanna see Bogart in a completely different role? Check out Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

Ben said...

One more thought. And this one actually qualifies as a thoughtful comment.

Don't forget you're watching the old movies that have stood the test of time. I'm betting there were some stinkers released in the 1940s as well. I bet Bogart even starred in a few of 'em. The difference is, nobody remembers those.

So it's a bit unfair to compare all modern movies to the old greats. It may be better to compare the best movies of today to the greats of old.

Even with that, I must admit it's hard to measure up to Casablanca and The Big Sleep.

You'll note that I find it easier to comment on your blogs about movies than those about spirituality or even politics. This is because I'm shallow.

Kenny said...

That's a good point, A-Ben.

Ben said...

It's a good point that I'm shallow? ;)