ONCE upon a time when the TV stations in my country were too budget-conscious, they resorted to showing old movie classics from Hollywood. A lot of these were in black and white. I was very young then, I just want to look at moving pictures.
Later, the old movies came in technicolor. What a beautiful world, I thought. But it's the stories that always get to me. One of my favourites is It's A Wonderful Life starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed.
That movie came out around 1946 but it left such a deep impression on me that it changed my life. I no longer frowned on my humble background nor do I take my simple, only-coins-in-the-pocket friends from various backgrounds.
It was such an uplifting story that I remember all its simple lessons.
Then there were the classics like Ben Hur, Ten Commandments, all those Fred Astaire dance movies, Western movies and comedies. I love them all.
Sometimes I wonder why don't Hollywood make movies like that anymore. I guess it's because society has "matured" and expectations are high. I mean when you get movies with titles like Gremlins, Tremors, Swarm, Child's Play, etc, you know that society has gone on ahead and left you as an individual way behind.
Personally, I prefer movies with a moral theme or a sense of mission. Those Spenser Tracy-Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, Orson Welles, Victor Mature, Alan Ladd and William Holden movies really reach into my heart and mind. When the show is over, I tend to reflect on my own life. Some of the similarities are there, even some of the answers are there. It is comforting to know that even from Hollywood, one can sometimes find some suitable answers to personal problems.
I believe it is the social responsibility of directors and producers to disseminate valuable moral lessons through their movies. Some of the greatest stories ever told on the cinema screen have moral themes that are ageless. Take for example, Ben Hur.
This Roman epic is about friendship, family relationships, courage, endurance, forgiveness and spiritual quest. It has all the right ingredients for great entertainment. At the same time, movies like Ben Hur is a sheer joy to watch, over and over again.
I am never tired of Ben Hur. I must have watched it at least five times in my entire life. Each time, it is still as good as the last. I cried when the scene of how Ben Hur suffered on seeing his sister and mother suffering among the lepers. I shared his pain when his childhood friend Massala turned against him. Those were memorable moments in Ben Hur. Some of which I could relate to, in my personal life.
Then there are the great Hollywood love stories like An Affair To Remember. This movie touched the hearts of many women across the world. I believe it also squeezed the hearts of many men as well but they won't admit it.
Love is an everlasting theme that is as perennial as the sun at the break of dawn. To view love in many of its sweet and gentle forms tends to remind us, me in particular, that when the chips are down, love always finds a way.
A person who has love will always find life worth living. When you love something intensely, you live for them and you will make life worthwhile for them as well. An Affair To Remember is one of those movies. It teaches me not to prejudge any one or situation. Very often in life, things are not what we think they are. Often, these situations or people are much kinder than we give them credit for.
Some of my other old favourite stars are Greer Garson, Bing Crosby, Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Cyd Charisse, Elizabeth Taylor, Jean Simmons, Errol Flynn, Deborah Kerr, Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda and William Holden.
I suspect back in "those old days", circumstances shaped the thinking of script writers. In 1932, there was the Great Depression. Almost everyone was hungry and out of job. Families were crushed by bleak economic times and Hollywood churned out movies to give families hope and encouragement.
During World War II, millions died and countless lost loved ones, Hollywood produced movies that told of courage, fortitude, love and hope. These were the moments in Hollywood history when the right movies were produced.
Such bad times in man's history tend to bring out the best in others, and I am glad that in Hollywood, some of the best movies were produced during some of the worst times.
Today, on some evenings, I get the chance to see some of these marvellous old movie classics, and I am reminded that there are always good people in the world. These movies serve to remind us, to teach us and to encourage us to continue to do the right thing. We are all one family on earth.
Great Hollywood movies will never die. They may lose a bit of their colour but they will never get out of fashion.
Okay, let's go to the movies!!!
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