One of my favorite blogs is Libertas, a conservative commentary site on film. Their theme is simply that Hollywood tends to belittle and slap-in-the-face 50% of this nation’s population through their left-tilting movies (the majority of movies produced today). I agree. I mean, when’s the last time you saw the Christian religion portrayed positively in a Hollywood movie in the past thirty years? Maybe a handful. And how many films portray Christians as weird, evil, backward? How many times must we watch a movie set in a dark, theocratic dystopia? Well, I’m not here to argue for this one way or the other. If you’re interested, check out their site. I tend to agree with them about 90% of the time.
Yesterday, I read this post on their site. I have a three-and-a-half year old, and another child on the way, and I do worry about the influence of MTV-style filmmaking on what they see and process. Let’s take out the content of your average motion picture for a moment (see Libertas for discussions on that), and let’s focus primarily on the craft of making a film: shooting and editing. Most movies today are created as if we are deaf and attention-deficit-disordered. Minutes and minutes of split-second edit cuts, fast-moving and zoom shots, loud booms from the loudspeakers … I really am concerned about the possibility that a low attention span is being cultivated in my child by our entertainment culture. I mean, how will she ever read a cool science fiction book, let alone a philosophy book? (half-wink)
My wife and I were discussing this last night. She’s on the same page as me; however, she stressed that there are indeed good movies made today. I strenuously agree. There are very well-made films today, at least one or two a year (another half-wink). However, on the whole, I think our culture today produces everything with more violence, more sex, more moral relativism, more speed and glitter, none of which is good for those questioning little minds. None. So, in reading the Libertas post, I really connected with one commentator’s suggestion of a movie night with your children. Lights out, all around the DVD player, a bowl of popcorn, and a classic movie dating before, say, 1960. Make it special, so their minds can soak in the message, the characterizations, the story and themes, and let the drug-like cravings for those split-second edits and loud explosions fade. Make it a fun-family event. It can be done; we did it this past Saturday as the Little One recuperated from her injury of a few days ago. She loved it so much she immediately wanted to know when we’ll do it again.
Now, what to watch? Obviously, the age of the child and his emotional development have to be taken into account. We made two lists on the assumption of watching with an eight-year-old. There’ll be four years’ difference between our children, so viewing will have to take the youngest one into account. These aren’t set-in-stone; more like guidelines for us as our children grow older. Here’s my wife’s list:
- Roman Holiday
- My Fair Lady
- His Girl Friday
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s
- National Velvet
- Giant
- Jailhouse Rock
Her selections seem, on balance, more innocent, more family-friendly, than mine will. To me they're geared more to a girl than a boy, but I’d have no problem with a son watching them. For further movie nights, she’d include a Gene Kelly and/or Fred Astaire film, as well as one featuring Sinatra.
My list is appeals more to a boy, I think, but similarly, I’d watch every one with my daughter. They’re more violent, but I think it’s not just violence to be titillating, but to convey important messages. That there is evil in the world, for one. My list would have to be viewed by children a little older than those watching my wife’s selections. Here is mine:
- Ben-Hur
- Bridge on the River Kwai
- Mutiny on the Bounty (Brando version)
- Notorious
- Casablanca
- The Quiet Man
- Citizen Kane
Following up on my list will be the “monster movie Saturday” blowout extravaganza. This will have to be once they’re past the nightmare stage, however, since I treasure whatever precious hours of sleep I get every night. (toothy grin with squinty eyes, nodding head)
Yesterday, I read this post on their site. I have a three-and-a-half year old, and another child on the way, and I do worry about the influence of MTV-style filmmaking on what they see and process. Let’s take out the content of your average motion picture for a moment (see Libertas for discussions on that), and let’s focus primarily on the craft of making a film: shooting and editing. Most movies today are created as if we are deaf and attention-deficit-disordered. Minutes and minutes of split-second edit cuts, fast-moving and zoom shots, loud booms from the loudspeakers … I really am concerned about the possibility that a low attention span is being cultivated in my child by our entertainment culture. I mean, how will she ever read a cool science fiction book, let alone a philosophy book? (half-wink)
My wife and I were discussing this last night. She’s on the same page as me; however, she stressed that there are indeed good movies made today. I strenuously agree. There are very well-made films today, at least one or two a year (another half-wink). However, on the whole, I think our culture today produces everything with more violence, more sex, more moral relativism, more speed and glitter, none of which is good for those questioning little minds. None. So, in reading the Libertas post, I really connected with one commentator’s suggestion of a movie night with your children. Lights out, all around the DVD player, a bowl of popcorn, and a classic movie dating before, say, 1960. Make it special, so their minds can soak in the message, the characterizations, the story and themes, and let the drug-like cravings for those split-second edits and loud explosions fade. Make it a fun-family event. It can be done; we did it this past Saturday as the Little One recuperated from her injury of a few days ago. She loved it so much she immediately wanted to know when we’ll do it again.
Now, what to watch? Obviously, the age of the child and his emotional development have to be taken into account. We made two lists on the assumption of watching with an eight-year-old. There’ll be four years’ difference between our children, so viewing will have to take the youngest one into account. These aren’t set-in-stone; more like guidelines for us as our children grow older. Here’s my wife’s list:
- Roman Holiday
- My Fair Lady
- His Girl Friday
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s
- National Velvet
- Giant
- Jailhouse Rock
Her selections seem, on balance, more innocent, more family-friendly, than mine will. To me they're geared more to a girl than a boy, but I’d have no problem with a son watching them. For further movie nights, she’d include a Gene Kelly and/or Fred Astaire film, as well as one featuring Sinatra.
My list is appeals more to a boy, I think, but similarly, I’d watch every one with my daughter. They’re more violent, but I think it’s not just violence to be titillating, but to convey important messages. That there is evil in the world, for one. My list would have to be viewed by children a little older than those watching my wife’s selections. Here is mine:
- Ben-Hur
- Bridge on the River Kwai
- Mutiny on the Bounty (Brando version)
- Notorious
- Casablanca
- The Quiet Man
- Citizen Kane
Following up on my list will be the “monster movie Saturday” blowout extravaganza. This will have to be once they’re past the nightmare stage, however, since I treasure whatever precious hours of sleep I get every night. (toothy grin with squinty eyes, nodding head)
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