Scene - Blogs - Its never too late to catch a classic

It's never too late to catch a classic
Published: 4/30/2009 6:54 PM
Last Modified: 4/30/2009 6:54 PM

A good number of the discussions on film that reach my ears these days are of this variety: They start with "dude," end with "awesome" and are usually limited in words in between to "that was."
So my reaction to a recent e-mail comment from Jerry Pogue (retired Tulsa World night editor, also of the Tulsa Tribune and former sports information director at the University of Tulsa) was such that I felt the need to share.
Jerry was noting my recent blog about the 15 films that Turner Classics Movies named as those most responsible for shaping films of the future. The comment was one that added a certain gravitas to the fact that films can be something more than simply "awesome."
To quote Jerry on the subject of "The Birth of a Nation," Cecil B. DeMille's 1915 landmark epic about the Ku Klux Klan:
"(It) reminded me of the time I saw it. It was 1981 when I was public relations director at Oklahoma Baptist University (where the film was screened)....I saw an older man who was semi-retired but worked at night cleaning the building. He asked me if I knew the way to the auditorium, and I said that's where I was going so we could walk there together....As we walked, he explained that he had wanted to see the movie when it first came out but didn't have the 15 cents admission then. So, some 65 years later, he was finally going to get to see it. Added a little more significance for me."
It should for all of us. It's never too late to view one of the classics. Thank you for writing, Jerry.

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zaphod (4 years ago)

Mr. Smith,
I would like to point out that at the time of public release -- in 1915 -- and still today, many find this movie historically inaccurate and deeply offensive. Roger Ebert once compared this movie to "Triumph of the Will", the Nazi propaganda film by Riefenstahl. Both were cinematically progressive but morally absent and socially destructive.

Tulsa World Scene Writer Michael Smith (4 years ago)

You are correct, zaphod, about the controversy surrounding "The Birth of a Nation." It is such public debate on the merits of the film that make the picture so important still today. Many were offended by DeMille's proud depiction of the KKK and the insensitivity of the black stereotypes. And yet, this was the most popular film of its time, selling more tickets than any motion picture until the release of "Gone With the Wind." It was a polarizing work of art, to say the least. Thanks for commenting.

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I See Movies for Free

“I was born a poor, black child” … not me, actually, but Steve Martin’s character in the “The Jerk.” That absurd opening line is just one of the absurd number of film facts, quotes and minutiae contained in movie critic Michael Smith’s brain, at his disposal to toss out on a moment’s notice. It’s a key requirement as Tulsa World film critic to know these things. Michael learned a few other life facts along the way (seven years as a Crystal’s Pizza & Spaghetti manager) before attempting journalism and joining the Tulsa World in 1996, where he’s covered everything from a school shooting in Fort Gibson to a tornado in Stroud to witnessing an execution. A little community theater coverage was sprinkled in there, too. Movies engender many of his happiest memories, from standing in line for “Star Wars” and “Grease” at the Southroads Cinema to the James Bond and Pink Panther movies that always premiered at the enormous Continental Theater.

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Past Articles By Michael Smith

2/16/2013		Broken Arrow movie theater moves to discount showings
2/15/2013		Review: 'Amour'
2/15/2013		Review: 'A Good Day to Die Hard'
2/15/2013		Review: 'Beautiful Creatures'
2/14/2013		Review: 'Quartet'
2/14/2013		Shirley MacLaine to speak at Osage Casino
2/14/2013		Weekly rewind: February 14
2/14/2013		REVIEW: 'Beautiful Creatures'
2/12/2013		Belgian best picture hopeful 'Amour' opens in Tulsa on Friday
2/10/2013		'Die Hard' marathon at AMC Southroads on Wednesday ends with new film
2/9/2013		Review: 'Identity Thief' a stupid movie from stupid idea
2/8/2013		Oscar audit: Critics choices for best picture hold up over time

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