THE THIRD MAN (1949)

[Bill Anderson]

Another weekend, another notable film to share with the kid. As usual, he
pronounced a great film, “great.”

It is gratifying to me that I know a teenager who appreciates old movies
and is willing to indulge me as I introduce him to the best of them. I have
pretty much stopped worrying about disappointing him. If I pick a classic
he is almost guaranteed to like it. And he really liked this one — stayed
engaged throughout. As the movie played we talked about all sorts of things
including proliferation of a black market after a war, was Hitler actually
Austrian, does a zither have that many strings, who was Zane Gray, the
naïve American trope, stunning black-and-white cinematography, and sewer
rats. His comment at the end was, “This is almost like THE GRADUATE. You
don’t know what happened next.“ As that beautifully composed, heartbreaking
final shot played out, I observed, “This is art,” and he replied, “I know.“

He had a great time and I thoroughly enjoyed re-watching one of my favorite
movies of all time.

[gtr]

Post by Bill Anderson
Another weekend, another notable film to share with the kid. As usual, he
pronounced a great film, “great.”
It is gratifying to me that I know a teenager who appreciates old movies
and is willing to indulge me as I introduce him to the best of them. I have
pretty much stopped worrying about disappointing him. If I pick a classic
he is almost guaranteed to like it. And he really liked this one — stayed
engaged throughout. As the movie played we talked about all sorts of things
including proliferation of a black market after a war, was Hitler actually
Austrian, does a zither have that many strings, who was Zane Gray, the
naïve American trope, stunning black-and-white cinematography, and sewer
rats. His comment at the end was, “This is almost like THE GRADUATE. You
don’t know what happened next.“ As that beautifully composed, heartbreaking
final shot played out, I observed, “This is art,” and he replied, “I know.“
He had a great time and I thoroughly enjoyed re-watching one of my favorite
movies of all time.

Really cool that you have this opportunity and are doing it.

When was a kid, from about the age of 10 (when we moved back to the US and had
a TV), my film-addled older sister used to pick our movies each weekend
evening, and sometimes in between. And she provided the running commentary,
pointing out why great was great and trash was trash. I truly developed my own
aesthetic, applicable to the arts in general, while pivoting off of hers.

We kept up the chatter for some 60 years periodicallly citing our complaints
and praise for food, fiction, and film. She's been gone a few years now, but I
*still* make a mental note to tell her about a cool find.

[Bill Anderson]

Post by gtr

Post by Bill Anderson
Another weekend, another notable film to share with the kid. As usual, he
pronounced a great film, “great.”
It is gratifying to me that I know a teenager who appreciates old movies
and is willing to indulge me as I introduce him to the best of them. I have
pretty much stopped worrying about disappointing him. If I pick a classic
he is almost guaranteed to like it. And he really liked this one — stayed
engaged throughout. As the movie played we talked about all sorts of things
including proliferation of a black market after a war, was Hitler actually
Austrian, does a zither have that many strings, who was Zane Gray, the
naïve American trope, stunning black-and-white cinematography, and sewer
rats. His comment at the end was, “This is almost like THE GRADUATE. You
don’t know what happened next.“ As that beautifully composed, heartbreaking
final shot played out, I observed, “This is art,” and he replied, “I know.“
He had a great time and I thoroughly enjoyed re-watching one of my favorite
movies of all time.

Really cool that you have this opportunity and are doing it.
When was a kid, from about the age of 10 (when we moved back to the US and had
a TV), my film-addled older sister used to pick our movies each weekend
evening, and sometimes in between. And she provided the running commentary,
pointing out why great was great and trash was trash. I truly developed my own
aesthetic, applicable to the arts in general, while pivoting off of hers.
We kept up the chatter for some 60 years periodicallly citing our complaints
and praise for food, fiction, and film. She's been gone a few years now, but I
*still* make a mental note to tell her about a cool find.

Nice story. Thanks for sharing.