FILM APPRECIATION – TWO OF A KIND: THELMA AND LOUISE
FILM APPRECIATION – TWO OF A KIND: THELMA AND LOUISE
Film Appreciation Series: Two of a Kind
The Two of a Kind series features tragic pairings, buddy pictures, and couples on the run in films from the 60’s to the 90’s. What brings two people together? and with whom do you share your life’s experiences? The best films reflect our lives by putting realistic and relatable characters together under extreme or fantastic circumstances. This is a varied collection of unforgettable movies borrowing themes from each other.
- January 4 – Bonnie and Clyde (Released 8/13/67) directed by Arthur Penn, 111 minutes. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty portray the infamous bank robbers from the depression era. The film was a gradual but massive success at least partially due to film critics arguing publicly over its interpretation, and consequently ending some careers (Bosley Crowther) and launching others (Pauline Karl and Roger Ebert). It is now regarded as the first film of the New Hollywood and is known to be influenced by French New Wave directors Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Goddard. Okay okay, but does the movie hold up after all these years? Yes.
- January 11 – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Released 9/23/69) directed by George Roy Hill, 110 minutes. Butch and Sundance are the charismatic leaders of The Hole in the Wall Gang and try to maintain their outlaw way of life at the turn of the 20th century. It was hugely successful, highly influential, and a mold breaking western in that the heroes spend most of the picture on the run. Robert Redford credits Paul Newman and director George Roy Hill for taking a chance and casting him, thereby indirectly giving birth many years later to the Sundance Film Festival.
- January 18 – McCabe and Mrs Miller (Released 6/24/71) directed by Robert Altman, 121 minutes. The story of a gambling man and a hustling lady and the empire they fashioned from the wilderness. Robert Altman builds this cold and wet western around the interesting characters who populate the northwestern town of Presbyterian Church. Members of the cast and crew actually lived in the set during production and the film is shot mostly in sequence as the town (set) rises around them. This is a truly unique cinematic experience enhanced by the cinematography of Vilmos Zsigmond and the haunting songs of Leonard Cohen.
- February 1 – Harold and Maude (Released 12/20/71) directed by Harold Ashby, 91 minutes. A romantic bond develops between a death obsessed young man from a wealthy family and a 79 year old free spirited bohemian. This rebellious and uplifting movie with a Cat Stevens soundtrack quickly developed a cult following in college towns and repertory theaters, but was shunned by mainstream audiences who were shocked to see this odd relationship on screen. Its reputation has only increased over time as it has been recognized by the National Film Registry and the American Film Institute.
- February 8 – Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (Released 5/22/74) directed by Michael Cimino, 115 minutes. Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges play the title characters who are thrown together and pursue an adventurous life of crime together. Clint was number one at the box office and allowed Michael Cimino to direct his own script, but Jeff Bridges stole the movie with his energetic performance and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Cimino’s directorial debut captures the essence of the early 70’s pessimism and the beauty of Big Sky country. The success of this film led to his Oscars for The Deer Hunter and the financial downfall of United Artists with the box office bomb Heaven’s Gate, which is ironically now considered by some to be one of the greatest American films of all time.
- February 15 – Thelma and Louise (Released 5/24/91) directed by Ridley Scott, 129 minutes.The story of two best friends who find themselves transformed into accidental fugitives during a weekend getaway gone wrong. Silence of the Lambs became the third film in history and only horror film to sweep the 5 major categories that year: Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Adapted Screenplay. Perhaps the Academy had to award Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling the Oscar as a show of strength against Anthony Hopkins’ vicious Hannibal Lecter. It’s a shame because Thelma and Louise struck such a chord with audiences in 1991 that I think people would have accepted another tie for Best Actresses Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis. This happened in 1969 with Katherine Hepburn and Barbara Streisand for their performances in The Lion in Winter and Funny Girl, respectively. Ridley Scott’s western, female buddy picture, crime/road movie combines all the elements into a perfect blend to end our series, just as it ended the 1991 Cannes Film Festival closing night.
Luke MacCloskey has been leading Film Appreciation classes in York, PA for the last eleven years. He has a degree in Film Studies from the University of North Texas and has performed on stage and screen around the country.
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