Movies saved my life this winter
In 1973 Michael Lesy published Wisconsin Death Trip, a book that combined photographs of settlers in the state in the 1890's with excerpts from local newspapers. The photographs showed mostly tired and hardworking people, sometimes large families with worn-out parents, often a baby or two in a small coffin, or simply people with a haunted look in their eyes, like the photo below.
The newspaper excerpts, on the other hand, were selected to show that our image of past settlers playing the fiddle or reading the bible to while away those long winter nights, might not be so accurate. Instead, they may have been going insane, burning houses down, drinking themselves to death, attacking family members, and engaging in other such pastimes, driven mad by the isolation, poverty, and weather.
Luckily, due to advances in electricity and home heating, there will be no repeat of that winter wildness this year, although I personally came pretty close a few times to completely losing it. Movies saved my life this winter.
Our decision to buy a 32 inch HD TV was very fortuitous, because I don't think I would have made it through the winter with the 12 inch one we had. I watched more movies this winter than I have in years, and it is a good thing too. Otherwise our 90+ inches of snow and colder than average temperatures would have had me at least tormenting our pets, if not worse.
Recently I watched three movies, all worth seeing.
1. Nurse Betty. Off-beat quirky flick with Renee Zellweger, Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock and Greg Kinnear. A bit violent at times, but fun nevertheless.
2. and 3. Ladykillers and Kind Hearts and Coronets. These are both Ealing Studios movies from the 1950's, both with Alec Guiness. I preferred Kind Hearts and Coronets, although they were both good. They are just little slices of life in a totally bygone era: "civilized" England. An England full of little old ladies with umbrellas, sherry, and polite criminals.
Now that the sun (!) has returned, and the snow is melting (!), I think I can safely say that I will not kill anyone, maim anyone, destroy my liver, or burn anything down. At least not until next winter.
The newspaper excerpts, on the other hand, were selected to show that our image of past settlers playing the fiddle or reading the bible to while away those long winter nights, might not be so accurate. Instead, they may have been going insane, burning houses down, drinking themselves to death, attacking family members, and engaging in other such pastimes, driven mad by the isolation, poverty, and weather.
Luckily, due to advances in electricity and home heating, there will be no repeat of that winter wildness this year, although I personally came pretty close a few times to completely losing it. Movies saved my life this winter.
Our decision to buy a 32 inch HD TV was very fortuitous, because I don't think I would have made it through the winter with the 12 inch one we had. I watched more movies this winter than I have in years, and it is a good thing too. Otherwise our 90+ inches of snow and colder than average temperatures would have had me at least tormenting our pets, if not worse.
Recently I watched three movies, all worth seeing.
1. Nurse Betty. Off-beat quirky flick with Renee Zellweger, Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock and Greg Kinnear. A bit violent at times, but fun nevertheless.
2. and 3. Ladykillers and Kind Hearts and Coronets. These are both Ealing Studios movies from the 1950's, both with Alec Guiness. I preferred Kind Hearts and Coronets, although they were both good. They are just little slices of life in a totally bygone era: "civilized" England. An England full of little old ladies with umbrellas, sherry, and polite criminals.
Now that the sun (!) has returned, and the snow is melting (!), I think I can safely say that I will not kill anyone, maim anyone, destroy my liver, or burn anything down. At least not until next winter.
posted by Shelly at 3:17 PM
3 Comments:
which was the A.G. movie that was remade with Tom Hanks? Bank robbers planning a heist or some such thing in a little ladies' basement? I didnt think that version was that great.
That was Ladykillers. I didn't rent the remake.
Alas, I've never been able to make it through Ladykillers or Kind Hearts. I guess I should try again.
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