Weekend

Christy is still having some staffing issues at her work and had to work both Saturday and Sunday. I managed to watch a few DVDs this weekend:

Sullivan's Travels (1941) dir. by Preston Sturges
The Lady Eve (1941) dir. by Preston Sturges

Regarding these first two, I was just discussing with Christy last night that, for quite some time, I thought the "romantic comedy" began with When Harry Met Sally... (or somewhere in the 80's, at least) but having watched several Cary Grant films, these Preston Sturges films, Charlie Chaplin's City Lights, etc., I've realized that not everything was created after I was born (shocking, I know). I regret that I spent most of the first 30 years of my life believing that the music & films of my parents' generation were below average (or worse, "stupid") compared with more modern versions. I'm beginning to see just the opposite. I hate it when I learn that a song or film that I know and have grown up with, which I believe is original, is actually a remake, a cover version of the actual original (and often superior) version.

What? Harrison Ford wasn't the original Fugitive??

What? Charlton Heston became a slave and defied Rome in Ben-Hur (which is, itself, a remake of the 1925 silent film) before Russell Crowe in Gladiator??

What? Burt Bacharach wrote and recorded "Always Something There to Remind Me" before Naked Eyes?

What? Steve Martin wasn't the original "Father of the Bride??"

What? Michael Caine actually pulled The Italian Job in Italy before Mark Wahlberg did it in (the slightly less obvious city of) Los Angeles??

And -- who were these people, Tommy James & The Shondells, and why are they ripping off Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now," Joan Jett's "Crimson and Clover," and Billy Idol's "Mony, Mony."

Our local library has been an excellent resource for feeding my need to learn about film. Admittedly, if I had to purchase or rent all of these DVDs, we'd either be in the poorhouse, or, more likely, I just be happily enjoying my collection of DVDs from the 80's, 90's and today.

Also watched:
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) produced by Walt Disney
Stagecoach (1939) dir. by John Ford
and finished:
Empire of the Sun (1987) dir. by Steven Spielberg
If you're interested there is a very interesting discussion of this film HERE. Beware of plot spoilers within if you haven't seen the film, but I had never seen Empire of the Sun and it was this thread that inspired me to watch it. I was probably better off watching the film after having read the analysis there. This is not your average film by Spielberg, to say the least.