The Classic Movie Tag
I saw the tag #ClassicMovieTag on two blogs I like (Cine Gratia and The Films in My Life) and decided to play along. Raquel Stecher from the blog Out of the Past came up with the idea and invites everyone to participate as long as you give her credit for the tag.
Here are the 10 questions and my answers.
Here are the 10 questions and my answers.
What's one classic movie that you recommend to people over and over and over again?
To be honest, I haven't recommended a classic film to anyone lately, except for my sister who is already into classic films. I just tell her when I've seen a nice film and suggest she should watch it too. The last time I recommended a classic film to a friend was a while ago, the film in question was The Apartment and it was shown on the big screen at an open air film festival. The friend is not into classic films at all but she loved The Apartment. There are many classic films to recommend to people, many films I love and consider my favourites, but I find The Apartment an excellent choice for a recommendation. This Billy Wilder classic is accessible to everyone, no matter what genre you prefer. It really has it all. The story is great, the romance is sweet but not cheesy (so even people who are not romantics at heart will like this love story), the performances are wonderful, the script is so good ("That's the way it crumbles ... cookie-wise.") and the characters played by Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine are very likeable. And then the score by Adolph Deutsch ... it's wonderful too. And a film that you can recommend over and over again should be a film that you can watch over and over again and that's the case with The Apartment. I have seen this many times already but never get tired of it.
What was the last classic film you saw and what were your thoughts about it?
The last film I saw was a James Cagney vehicle, The St. Louis Kid. Unfortunately it was mediocre, just a regular programmer for Warner Bros, enjoyable but totally forgettable. But I love Cagney so I will watch anything with him.
Name a classic movie genre you love and one you dislike.
I love a lot of different genres so it's a bit difficult to name just one. Let me see ... I will have to go for musicals now because at the moment there is a musical retrospective at the Filmoteca in Barcelona, so I'm enjoying musicals on the big screen and it's actually thé genre I was craziest about while growing up. I don't think there's a genre I really dislike. But I'm not too fond of horror or sci-fi films. Still, there are some great ones in these genres and I will definitely check out a couple of must-see titles.
Name a classic movie star with whom you share a birthday or a hometown.
I just consulted IMDB to see if I share a birthday with a classic celeb but came up with no one. I know that Ava Gardner lived in Spain but in Madrid and my current hometown is Barcelona. I cannot think of anyone having lived here or still living here.
Give a shout out to a friend or family member who shares your love of classic movies.
I'd like to give a shout out to both of my parents who passed on their love of classic films to us. I have three sisters and one brother but my parents' love for classics hasn't stuck with all of us. My twin sister (who runs the wonderful blog Stars and Letters) is also a die-hard fan of classic films. My elder sister likes them well enough and whenever she visits us in Barcelona, she loves to go with us to the Filmoteca to watch classics on the big screen. My other two siblings are indifferent to classics (my brother was never a fan) but my younger sister did go to the Filmoteca with us once to see Dead Ringer with Bette Davis and she really liked it and her appreciation for classics was rekindled for a moment.
Name a classic movie star who makes your heart skip a beat or whom you admire greatly.
I've had crushes (and still have, now and then) on numerous male actors. My latest real crush was Alan Ladd. I'm really into James Cagney right now. I have liked him ever since I started seeing his films. Just having watched Footlight Parade and Yankee Doodle Dandy on the big screen makes me love him even more and makes me want to explore more of his filmography. I read a bit about him and he seemed like a nice person. I might do a post on him later on because I really feel like writing about him.
Describe one memorable experience watching a classic movie.
I live in Barcelona and my absolute fave place to go is the film theater Filmoteca. I've been lucky enough to already have seen many great films on the big screen since June 2017. My greatest experience was seeing West Side Story. It was like seeing it live on stage. It was amaaaaazing!!! Next month it is programmed again so I hope to catch it for the second time on the big screen since it's an experience I want to relive for sure.
Describe the craziest thing you've done because of your passion for classic movies.
Spending all my money on DVDs when I was still buying DVDs?
What's something classic movie related that you love to collect?
What's your favourite way to share your passion for classic movies?
Through blogging. I actually hardly talk about my passion with anyone, except my sister. I love writing about the films I have seen and then select photos and gifs for my posts and share it with whomever wants to read it. I also love to visit other people's film blogs, even though I never leave a comment and don't interact with my fellow classic film lovers. I just like it that my blog is out there in the world.
PHOTOS/GIFS IN THIS POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
*The Apartment (1960) with Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine;
*The St. Louis Kid (1934) with James Cagney and Allen Jenkins;
*Dead Ringer (1964) with Bette Davis and Bette Davis;
*The Blue Dahlia (1946) with Alan Ladd;
*West Side Story (1961) with Russ Tamblyn and others;
*Irene Dunne blogging, haha.