The 60s was a time of huge change in filmmaking around the world...it was an era with one foot firmly planted in the classic aesthetic, and the other stepping forward into a future of new ideas and no rules. Incidentally, that is why I chose the 60s as cut-off years for this tribe -- things became so different during this era that they are almost unrelated to the early "golden years".
...but the 60s were great for film, weren't they?!? Let's talk about this exciting transitionary time in film.
What are your favorite films, directors and actors of this time period, and why?
Here are a few of mine:
Director:
Jean-Luc Godard -- A giant in French New Wave, I admire the way he used realism and grittiness, yet always combined with sensuality and romance. I consider him one of the greatest film artists.
Film:
Lawrence of Arabia -- One of the most perfect films I can think of! Gorgeous cinematography, amazing acting, unbelievable sets and locations...there is nothng ou can't love about this amazing movie. Hollywood's crowning glory.
Genres:
Exploitation films -- Political correctness aside, the sexually relaxed 1960s were incredible for films that featured scantily clad women and gratuitous boobie shots. Russ Meyer was probably the best at it, but revealing costumes and well-endowed ladies became practically mainstream across the board in mainstream film too, making women like Raquel Welch, Brigitte Bardot, and any of the early "Bond Girls" household names.
Sci-Fi -- The 1960s were such an explosive time for science and technology. People actually felt they were "living in the future" at times with all the newfangled modern appliances and products that were becoming available to the middle class. It was both exciting and frightening at the same time. Maybe this is why the sci-fi of this time really seemed to come of age during the 60s. Some of the most iconic films of this era are "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Night of the Living Dead" and the "Planet of the Apes" series.
posted by:
|
-
Re: best of the 1960s
Sun, July 15, 2007 - 12:49 PMI've had this conversation with people before... 30s films are like THIS. 40s, like this. And onward. Though these are stereotypes of the eras, you can kinda pinpoint what each of these decades means to you... until you start talking about the 60s. It becomes a lot tougher. You know what the decade feels like in your head, but what are the films? And my answer to this question is always eventually, "Well they look like Richard Lester films, don't they?" At lot of people want to discount his films as too slight or "pop-y", but I think that's exactly the point. He takes what pop culture is there, deepens it, and in doing so, creates it anew.
So my director, Richard Lester.
My best film - Well, I would llove to say it was Lester's "Petulia" which truly IS a masterpiece, but I have to admit that it's really Ingmar Bergman's "Through a Glass Darkly", followed closely by "Persona". I've seen them each dozens of times and find them emotionally shattering each one.
And my actor - I know it's fashionable to trash his excesses, but Richard Burton put in 4 of my favorite film performances ever in the 60s. Far too good to be ignored, "Becket", "Night of the Iguana", "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" In between all that he did Hamlet, Doctor Faustus and Henry VII! I'd like to see someone today put in THAT kind of decade.
