Movies We're Watching
Hello Friends! We know everyone is binging content right now. We felt like there was a lot of junk out there that was so easy to watch so we made a conscious decision to focus on old movies as we shelter in place. We were hesitant going into this decision, thinking we’d watch a lot of stuff that wasn’t super exciting. Boy, were we wrong! We’ve discovered (and rediscovered!) some great gems. Here’s a list of what we’ve watched, ranked best to worst.
Roman Holiday - Shot entirely on location in Rome, this is (in our opinion) one of the best movies of all time. About a Princess on a European Tour, Audrey Hepburn’s character escapes the confines of her palace one night to live life incognito. While Palace officials send out search parties, she experiences Rome as a “nobody,” who can blend in and enjoy the city to the fullest. As she thinks no one knows her identity, Gregory Peck’s character catches on and starts documenting her every move. We loved watching this as it brought back memories of our time in this beautiful city. Hepburn and Peck are at their prime and both of us were reminded how important scriptwriters are to an excellent production. We absolutely recommend this.
To Catch a Thief - We were surprised by how good this movie was. Starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, the story centers around a series of jewel thefts on the French Rivera. Neither of us had seen it before, and we loved both the footage of the Riviera and the suspense of the movie. We definitely recommend this.
Singing in the Rain - This is a “cheer-you-up” kind of film and it did exactly that for us. Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds make a great pair as they play Old Hollywood characters who help a movie studio executive salvage the studio’s first “Talking Picture” along with their careers. It was a lighthearted break we both needed. We recommend it.
Gigi - Oh, Gigi! Such a great movie. In my head, I remembered thinking Gigi wasn’t as good as My Fair Lady. After rewatching both with Evan, we both firmly feel it’s much better. The storyline is much more interesting and the set is far better. That being said, make sure to understand what a Courtesan is before watching. We both recommend.
Ben Hur - We watched this leading up to Easter and while it was quite intense, it made clear just how brutal the Romans were 2000 years ago. It centers on a wealthy Jewish man who lives at the same as Jesus. By no fault of his own, he ends up a Roman Slave and the movie follows his attempts to break free and return to take revenge on his original captor. It was a great movie to help us grasp the world that Jesus lived in - and why His message was one of hope and controversy at a time when so many people lived under great oppression. We both recommend this - it’s at times heavy but absolutely worth it.
The Magnificent Seven - This was a Western that we both liked! Steve McQueen and Yul Brynner star in it, along with five other men who all band together to help a poor village fight off a gang of thieves. The movie goes by quickly and is easy to follow but full of suspense. We both recommend this.
Charade - Another one we had low expectations of but we liked it better than we expected. It stars Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant and while it’s not of their best performance, we really liked seeing the shots of Paris and enjoyed the intriguing storyline. We both would recommend this, but not as much as the previous movies.
My Fair Lady - I have always liked this movie but Evan really hated it when we watched it together. He felt like it was void of a cohesive plot line and that the whole movie looked like a play being filmed rather than a movie set in real locations. While I agree with this, I have always loved the music of this show and can’t help loving the movie, too. I (somewhat) recommend, He does not.
Pillow Talk - Pillow Talk is one of those lighthearted things that is a good mental break from more serious things. That being said, I don’t know if it would appeal to many men. Rock Hudson and Doris Day team up again as Hudson’s character plays Day’s. While not the best film, it was an enjoyable break. I don’t recommend putting it at the top to your list, but it’s worth a watch at some point. I recommend, Evan does not.
An American in Paris - Yikes. Neither of us liked this movie. It won multiple Oscars so we were shocked to see how bad it actually was. Gene Kelly stars in this as a starving artist in Paris who lands a wealthy female patron who offers to launch his career. However, he’s stuck on a young, mysterious girl who toys with him as he pursues her. The girl is played by Leslie Caron, who starred in Gigi and (fun fact!) plays Lady Mavrodaki in The Durrells. The movie moves quite slowly, doesn’t have a great script, and the setting is an awful attempt at Paris. Would not recommend.
Roman Holiday
Source: Moma.org
To Catch a Thief
Source: Georgia Museum of Art
Gigi
Source: NPR
My Fair Lady
Source: BingsBasement