Many years ago, I had the honor of serving my community as the Executive Director of a historic Vaudeville theater, built in 1923. I promise to try and not bore you with a story of its incredible history and purpose to my little ole town, BUT...in the 1950’s, it served as the local movie house.
About ten years ago, they installed a state of the art screen and surround sound in an effort to revive this part of the theaters history. Once a month, you can visit the old Ritz Theatre to see great films like West Side Story, Dracula, Gone With the Wind, etc. Such a super cool way to a classic film, yet many peop;le might not take advantage of an opportunity like that. Many folks may even find the classic/black and white genre of stage and screen to be outdated, uninteresting or boring even.
But not us, we are here to discover how we can become better individuals….and yes, classic movies can help. Know why? Cuz, movies like It’s A Wonderful Life, inspire us to be better people! Don’t believe me, just watch (love you Bruno)...
Here are four ways watching a classic film can support our personal growth:
Connects us with live, raw emotion - Think about it, without all that technology to distract us, these actors really had to bring it.
History - these movies are like living time capsules. Want to learn about a specific decade, just watch a film from that era. The hair, the clothes, the transportation...it’s like a walking, talking museum!
Storylines that matter - Before the day of the sequel, these movies were written with substance. They brought us messages and conversations that transcend the test of time.
Leave a legacy - The classics brought us stories, situations and characters that left a mark.
And a couple more...just for fun:
Discover classic food and beverages.
Movie quotes that makes us smarter.
Pick up a new accent - I love the way they talk in old movies, it’s a lost art.
Lastly, but most importantly, they help us reconnect to our human side. When we aren’t distracted by the explosions, gimmicks and copious amounts of unnecessary bad words...we can actually connect to the people living their life (fantasy or not) out in front of us. They can teach us things that our generation has chosen to forget. Things like: tact, privacy, pride, honor, courage, family and couth (another dying art).
So today, ask your friends, call your relatives or search the interweb for the perfect classic for you. OR do what I did and grab your own personal favorite, pop some popcorn, grab your water and a blanket and allow yourself to “follow the yellow brick road”. Then jump on over to the conversation and share your favorite classics, the best movie quotes of all time or help us build the perfect list of must sees. You’ll feel better for it...trust me.