Netflix is great for seeing Dead White Men

Mark Olsen, of WorldMagBlog, writes:

One of the great things about services like NetFlix, DVDs, and the expected arrival of the video dial tone is that for the home viewer the equivalent to the Great Works by long Dead White Men are more available than ever. Over this last weekend, I availed myself of such services and my kids and I watched High Noon directed by Fred Zinneman starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly.

Just as with books by long dead white men, e.g., Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Tolstoy and so on, is that one thing that insures that these works are worthwhile is that they have endured the test of time. High Noon is one such movie ... and actually one I've never seen either and so of course my kids hadn't either.

Good stories and great acting don't need color, pizzaz, and fancy CGI to make a great film. I intend to watch (and inflict on my kids) more of movies from the "classics" lists. Seeking those long dead b&w great movies ... that have stood the test of time. It's worth it for the same reasons as why Great Books are worthwhile.

On the other hand, if you still can, skip Gone With the Wind. The critics are right. It's a great movie ... at the same time it is also not a very [great] movie. Kind of a contradiction, a Great but bad film.