Opposites attract each other.
Jeff (James Stewart) and Lisa (Grace Kelly) would´ve agreed on that in Hitchcock´s ‘Rear Window (1954).’
Welcome to the category where most of the action takes place.
In my opinion Ratings & Reviews go a long very well. Precise ratings with a crystal clear five criteria system on one side and a passionate review of the movie on the other side:
Rating System for Classic Movies Explained – It´s No Rocket Science
There are five criterias:
- Story
- Acting
- Visuals / Soundtrack / Suspense or laughter / Twists
- Dialogues / Monologues
- Unforgettable scenes / Possibility for rewatch / Style
Each criteria obtains one rating from 1 to 10. After this is done, I´ll add up all numbers. The result? Several mathematical enthusiasts out there might already know the answer. It´s the overall sum.
I´m deviding this figure by five. This is the number of criterias. Now you have the average which is also the total rating.
Above mentioned criteria figures are completely based on my personal impressions. Movies are all about feelings. The good and the bad. So this fits quite nice.
The total rating will be displayed at the beginning of each post.
I created following ‘Rating Mountain’ which contributes to an unique touch. How far can a movie climb up?
This ‘Rating Mountain’ also applies for the categories ‘Making A Scene’ and ‘Out of the Box’.
After a longer period of time has passed, I´ll create a ranking list for all films rated and reviewed for this category which will be extended and updated consequently. Movies rated and reviewed in ‘Out of the Box’ aren´t integrated as they´ll have their own ranking list in the future.
Classic Reviews Explained – A Declaration of Love
Timeless classic movies are a piece of art.
Some may think “Hey that guy should´ve made a question! How can he be so sure about this?”
Ok. Fair is fair.
Are timeless classic movies a piece of art?
In fact they are. But not a like a painting.
It´s the art of entertaining millions of people across several generations all over the world. This is what really defines great movies. They shine for decades from the past into the present up to the future.
An American Swedish connection for eternity: Rick and Ilsa (Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman) in ‘Casablanca (1942).’
Three generations keep a close watch from left to right: Hannay and Pamela (Robert Donat / Madeleine Carroll) in ‘The 39 Steps (1935),’ Michael and Sarah (Paul Newman / Julie Andrews) in ‘Torn Curtain (1966)’ and Sebastian and Mia (Ryan Gosling / Emma Stone) in ‘La La Land (2016).’
Imagine it: A twenty-five year old woman watches twenty-five year old ‘Casablanca’ in 1967 at an old school cinema build shortly after the movies initial release. Thirty years later, on a Saturday in 1997, the same woman enjoys an outdoor screening of this picture together with her twenty-five year old daughter which name is Ilsa. After another twenty-four years a seventy-nine year old grandmother, her fourty-nine year old daughter and her three grand children in their twenties sitting on a big movie couch and watching Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart saying ‘Farewell’ on an airfield. Most people change over the years. New love, different jobs and evolving live perspectives. But one thing stays unshaken. The nature of a real classic movie. A piece of art.
That is the main reason I want to write about them.
There are some elements of my reviews which are based on research. I list the most important basic facts about a movie right at the start. It´s very rare that all these informations are in someone´s head. Maybe they are if the topic is one of your favorite movies. But even then there is a possibility that you make mistakes especially when it comes to indicate time related information like the original release date. So research is an inevitable and also necessary process. Also for the review itself. You can be sure that these informations are legit. There are double checked by me and gathered together from established resources. If the slightest uncertainty will occur to me that an information I discovered could be wrong, I´ll give you my word that it´s not mentioned in the review.
Besides that, the reviews can be very different each time. I haven´t a strict or set plan when it comes to writing. It heavily depends on what I want to write about after watching a classic movie. The key topics like the story and everything related to it is mentioned of course. So if this is enough for you I also get you covered.
But what should be even more interesting are the things which go much deeper than just touching the surface and perhaps weren´t discussed in the web or at film festivals before. Now their time has come to step out of the shadows into the limelight. Not only the big picture is important. The possibilities to write about things which perhaps aren´t obvious at first are endless. Stuff that gets under your skin more ponderous with a heavier effect afterwards. And I´m not talking about chemical drugs. I´m talking about a whirlwind of positive feelings caused by classic movies.
Imagine it: You lie in bed one hour after watching a great picture and suddenly something pops up in your head. “Ohh there was that scene with that talented young actress. Ok young in 1940 but still ‘movie young.’ She also played that dame in … where she had this terrific performance. What was here name again?” Bam! Cross reference created without thinking about it before. Or “How on earth did they perform this terrific car crash scene in 1935 without killing the actors? How did stuntman do their work back then?” Check! Another topic to weave into a movie review.
I can say about myself that these flashback memories occur very frequently and that several of them will find their way into my reviews. I call it ‘Sub Movie Awareness.’ Maybe something I should inform brain researchers about. The new scientfic stuff 😉 Classic Movies open up your mind.
Classic movies get under your skin. Mary and Harry (Rhonda Fleming / Donald Curtis) in Hitchcock´s ‘Spellbound (1946).’
I also want to attract readers which normally avoid classic movies due to hackneyed phrases like “This stuff is too old!” or “There are no special effects!” I´m confident that you aren´t one of the unteachable kind. So bear with me. You´ll be surprised how classic movies handle topics which were relevant back then and have even more importance today.
Defining A Classic Movie
I´m closing this post with some important explanations.
Smart movie guy: “Wouldn´t it be reasonable sticking to the official worldwide guideline to define what´s a classic movie? This would specify very precise how old a film have to be at least to be called a classic.”
Well… No! There is no ‘official’ guideline out there and in my opinion that is a good thing.
As described above, movies are all about personal feelings. So the determination whether there´s a classic movie on your screen or not should be made by you and no one else.
Therefore I decided to handle the ratings and reviews in this category according to following easy to remember explanation:
All movies with an original release date before 1990 and the relevance of shining or blinding through decades are qualified to be a part of ‘Classic Ratings & Reviews.’
You also want to read about movies which were published in 1990 and after? Please check my category ‘Out of the Box.’
The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) from James Cameron´s ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)’ will get attention. But not in this category.
No Spoiler Alerts
Curious movie guy: “Wait! No spoiler alerts? Are you sure?”
Yes! I really want to grab the essence of a movie and all important aspects as a whole and do not want be loaded with any boundaries during writing. But I´m sure that my readers also await top notch details. So spoilers shouldn´t be a problem.
I´m diving deep and deliver and tore out the no spoiling liver.
Thanks for reading.
What do you think about this post?
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