Finding Humanity in Old Movies
There are more sources of entertainment than I could have imagined even a few decades ago. There is sometimes quality writing but the stories and characters are not always accessible to me. The people and backgrounds are too perfect. The flawed hero is so good looking that you cannot believe she or he has flaws. Even modern movie soundtracks lack depth and meaning. Lisa and I pick and choose our entertainment pretty carefully and recently have watched more older movies.
A friend told me one time about how important the music is to the movie. The music makes the movie however the movie may make the music iconic for several generations. It is a good partnership however one I find less in modern movies. I do find this symbiotic relationship in old movies where the music helps tell stories of heroes that we already know in backgrounds where we have already lived.
The movie “Baby the Rain Must Fall” and I are the same age, both produced in 1965. The movie is about a small-time rockabilly singer, played by Steve McQueen, who is fresh out of prison and flawed by a youth of abuse from his foster mother. The theme song of the same name was written by Glenn Yarbrough. Steve McQueen managed to present the character as fragile, prideful and afraid. He is a person who displays many of the vulnerabilities that are common to all of us. He strives for greatness but his life is pretty humble as his history limits the future he wants. McQueen lip-syncs the song during one scene in the movie, you can tell it is the character’s one song that he counts on to make his dreams come true.
Another favorite is “The Last American Hero” which stars Jeff Bridges and was released in 1973. This is another story which anyone can empathize with as it’s about a young race car driver who wants to make it big. The theme song here is Jim Croce’s “I Got a Name”, which is one of my favorite songs. The song is full of hope and courage which seems to support the character played by Jeff Bridges.
We all strive for something in our life so it’s easy to see yourself in either movie. The movie characters are still small and striving for greatness so they are accessible because they seem like us. The music in both movies is interesting and hopeful, something missing today.
These imperfect characters are not filtered and perfected, they are sometimes a little dirty and in poor shape. In other words, they are human.
I think that what is missing from our world is what I seek in these old movies. It is humanity. When I see people strive for something better than what they have, even though they have little resources, I feel hopeful for them. It is a kind feeling which makes me feel good, maybe because it is an admirable trait and so I feel like I am a good person. This is a feeling that appears less as we so often see movie portrayals of people as physically perfect and the perfect social media portrayals of our social circle. Our own imperfect lives don’t allow us to connect to these perfect stories. These tales lack humanity because they are not telling the whole truth. Perhaps the truth is the pinnacle of humanity. It is essential to find that truth in daily life, and the occasional old movie.
