Recently I've been trying to catch some of those films that are considered "divine" in the critical eye. In the last week I have watched "Casablanca" and "Lawrence of Arabia".
Casablanca: It's a pretty damned good movie. Sometimes it seems as if the dialogue is too high-strung, though, if that makes any sense. I don't like it when every line is spoken like it is supposed to be "hit out of the park". It makes the movie seem unearthly and, at times, preachy. On a whole, however, the movie is excellent and I liked the suspense, especially towards the end.
Lawrence of Arabia: Now this movie I really liked. I've always liked desert settings, and this one has plenty of that. The only beef I had with the movie was that sometimes there were too many periods with no dialogue. As much fun as it is to see legions of Arabs riding around on camels, it does get rather tiring after a while. Seeing the evolution of Lawrence throughout the film was a treat, however. Plus, some of the side character were quite entertaining, and I especially like Alec Guinness as the Prince. He had some very witty lines and other times what he said just really made you think. Ironically, this movie seems to really mirror what is happening in Iraq right now.
Of all of the classic films, I think that Citizen Kane is the most overrated. I can see how it is ahead of its time, but the movie really did not entertain me.
Casablanca: It's a pretty damned good movie. Sometimes it seems as if the dialogue is too high-strung, though, if that makes any sense. I don't like it when every line is spoken like it is supposed to be "hit out of the park". It makes the movie seem unearthly and, at times, preachy. On a whole, however, the movie is excellent and I liked the suspense, especially towards the end.
Lawrence of Arabia: Now this movie I really liked. I've always liked desert settings, and this one has plenty of that. The only beef I had with the movie was that sometimes there were too many periods with no dialogue. As much fun as it is to see legions of Arabs riding around on camels, it does get rather tiring after a while. Seeing the evolution of Lawrence throughout the film was a treat, however. Plus, some of the side character were quite entertaining, and I especially like Alec Guinness as the Prince. He had some very witty lines and other times what he said just really made you think. Ironically, this movie seems to really mirror what is happening in Iraq right now.
Of all of the classic films, I think that Citizen Kane is the most overrated. I can see how it is ahead of its time, but the movie really did not entertain me.
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