One Decade Apart
I watched two movies last night that I had recorded off of TCM this past week.
Yeah, a very exciting Friday night, don't you know.
Anyway, the first one was made in 1961, the year I was born. The second one happened to be made one decade later in 1971. There really seemed to be a huge thematic difference between the two and it was partially due to the times in which they were made.
The first movie was a Disney flick named The Parent Trap and starred Haley Mills, twice. It was kinda funny watching how clumsy they were dealing with using one actress in two parts on the screen at the same time. Lots of body doubles with the face obscured and in cases where they used Haley on both sides of the screen, the interaction was really forced. Actors today spend a lot of time "interacting" with people and monsters via green screen and they've gotten a lot better at it. Watching Parent Trap was an interesting way to see how they did it way back then.
Social values (or at least the Disney version) were on strong display in this movie. While it centered on a divorced couple (Gasp!) who split their twins between themselves and then didn't communicate for 12 years---still, the film was all about family values.
The second film was Shaft. Apparently things had changed quite a bit between 1961 and 1971. LOL Just a wee bit grittier and with that very interesting soundtrack in the background. This wasn't made by Disney.
A lot more attitude with a prominently displayed NYC as background in all of its early 70s dirt, grime, and urban decay. Great movie. It's a little clunky in places but it's held up pretty well for a movie that's almost 40 years old.
Yeah, a very exciting Friday night, don't you know.
Anyway, the first one was made in 1961, the year I was born. The second one happened to be made one decade later in 1971. There really seemed to be a huge thematic difference between the two and it was partially due to the times in which they were made.
The first movie was a Disney flick named The Parent Trap and starred Haley Mills, twice. It was kinda funny watching how clumsy they were dealing with using one actress in two parts on the screen at the same time. Lots of body doubles with the face obscured and in cases where they used Haley on both sides of the screen, the interaction was really forced. Actors today spend a lot of time "interacting" with people and monsters via green screen and they've gotten a lot better at it. Watching Parent Trap was an interesting way to see how they did it way back then.
Social values (or at least the Disney version) were on strong display in this movie. While it centered on a divorced couple (Gasp!) who split their twins between themselves and then didn't communicate for 12 years---still, the film was all about family values.
The second film was Shaft. Apparently things had changed quite a bit between 1961 and 1971. LOL Just a wee bit grittier and with that very interesting soundtrack in the background. This wasn't made by Disney.
A lot more attitude with a prominently displayed NYC as background in all of its early 70s dirt, grime, and urban decay. Great movie. It's a little clunky in places but it's held up pretty well for a movie that's almost 40 years old.
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