When we talk about the films of our young days, there is always the danger that nostalgia will dull our critical faculties. In my opinion, this danger is more imagined than real; on a second showing, we soon realise whether a film is capable of stirring more than fond memories. A good film will stand on its own, easily transcending all that is obsolete or quaint. On the other hand, if it safely passes the critical test, the nostalgic element is without doubt a powerful bonus.
1. Critical Test
Roman Holiday starred Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, was directed by William Wyler and came out in 1953. It is, in my opinion, to the acting of the first two and the direction of Wyler that we owe the success of the film - together with the superb screenplay to which Dalton Trambo contributed. With another cast and director, things could very easily have gone disastrously long. But, if anything, Hepburn and Peck under-play their parts, and the film is kept under tight control at all times by Wyler. Audrey Hepburn was, of course, bewitching and breathtaking. How could she be anything else? And Gregory Peck showed us once again what an exceptionally fine and unselfish actor he was.
2. Nostalgia
Secure in the knowledge that I am dealing with a film of substance, I can now look back with fondness on post-war Rome, a time and place of which I have no first-hand experience. Was it really a better, simpler time? Almost certainly not! But that's not really the point, is it? Besides, it doesn't have to be first-hand experience. The charm of films like Roman Holiiday, Avanti (1972) and A Room with a View (1985), lies in their ability to magnify the potent attraction that Italy has always exercised on so many people and to give shape to our deep longing and yearning for a time when we were young.
1. Critical Test
Roman Holiday starred Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, was directed by William Wyler and came out in 1953. It is, in my opinion, to the acting of the first two and the direction of Wyler that we owe the success of the film - together with the superb screenplay to which Dalton Trambo contributed. With another cast and director, things could very easily have gone disastrously long. But, if anything, Hepburn and Peck under-play their parts, and the film is kept under tight control at all times by Wyler. Audrey Hepburn was, of course, bewitching and breathtaking. How could she be anything else? And Gregory Peck showed us once again what an exceptionally fine and unselfish actor he was.
2. Nostalgia
Secure in the knowledge that I am dealing with a film of substance, I can now look back with fondness on post-war Rome, a time and place of which I have no first-hand experience. Was it really a better, simpler time? Almost certainly not! But that's not really the point, is it? Besides, it doesn't have to be first-hand experience. The charm of films like Roman Holiiday, Avanti (1972) and A Room with a View (1985), lies in their ability to magnify the potent attraction that Italy has always exercised on so many people and to give shape to our deep longing and yearning for a time when we were young.
“Besides, it doesn't have to be first-hand experience.” That reminds me of an observation I’ve been trying for years to track down — that what people often feel nostalgic for is the time just before their own. For me, it’s the mid-century black-and-white world I know from movies and photographs and TV.
ReplyDeleteDon’t forget Rome’s contribution! Coney Island Holiday would have been a very different film.