Saturday 6 August 2022

Film Classification [My Version]

Here in the UK, the British Board of Film Classification  gives age ratings, and viewing guidance before any film can be shown in the public cinema or on TV. Introduced in 1912, there was U and A [Universal and Adult] in 1951 X was added [explicit content] ...and now there are 7 bands [R18 is restricted to 18+, only shown in sex shops]
As well as the rating, guidance can say things like "violence, racism theme, threat, language, rude humour, dangerous behaviour" That is the warning on the new Railway Children" film - a PG. I think that's fair - we might feel that children are unlikely to copy the bits about running on railway tracks and playing in the sidings between the carriages, but you never know. And there is fighting, there are bombs, and racist actions and language. I wouldn't take Rosie [I might sit at home and watch the original with her though, that's a U]
I found myself thinking about this on Monday when my neighbour gave me this book. "I Was Monty's Double". She said it had been Daphne's [who also lived in The Close and died in 2010, aged 100] and that Daphne was related to the man who wrote it.Sadly the book is not signed by the author M.E. Clifton James. That might have made it valuable. "I love that film!" I declared. 
"Well you must definitely have the book then, Angela" 
Written in 1954, this autobiography covers events of 1944 - when 'Cliffy' was an actor on the London stage. He was the spitting image of General Montgomery - and someone in MI5 had this brilliant idea of getting him to impersonate Monty reviewing the troops in Africa in order to confuse the Germans [meanwhile plans for the the Normandy landing are taking place] The plan worked! Four years after the book came out, it was filmed [starring James - playing himself and the general, and John Mills is his aide] A great film imho.
It has set me thinking about some of the favourite films I am happy to watch over again, and how to classify them...
  • children's films/cartoons [Toy Story, Mary Poppins, Railway Children]
  • romcoms [Sleepless in Seattle, Working Girl, Love Actually]
  • thrillers/crime [Witness, any Hitchcock, 39 Steps-1978 version]
  • classics [Gone with the Wind, Moby Dick, Kill A Mockingbird, Breakfast at Tiffanys]
  • sci fi/fantasy [Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings] 
  • musicals [Cabaret, Carousel, West Side Story, Sound of Music, LesMis]
But more importantly than that, there is the category known in this family as IRONING FILMS. 
These are films which keep me going when I have a mountain of ironing to do. Many of these are black and white classics from the 30s-60s. Like Monty's Double, or anything filmed at Elstree or Ealing Studios. And such films fall into one of three categories - general, hot or cold.
hot films make me feel hot, so I only watch them in the winter months...Lawrence of Arabia, Twelve Angry Men, Ice Cold in Alex, Capricorn One. If these are on, I find myself reaching for the fan, or opening windows
cold films are the opposite, and just what I want to watch right now...Where Eagles Dare, Scott of the Antarctic, the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe. Even in this sweltering heat, I shiver and reach for a cardi.
general films are anything else with no specific temperature/climatic features but are a useful distraction from the task in front of me.  
I know people who won't watch thrillers before bed in case of nightmares - I understand that. But am I the only person who won't watch "Mississippi Burning" on a hot day, because I shall faint from feeling excess heat?
What is your favourite film? and is it HOT or COLD?

21 comments:

  1. No ironing films here (I generally don't iron), but, I tend to favor musicals. :)

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    1. I iron much less- and musicals are great [although I tend not to sing along if there is anyone else in the house - I have no sense of rhythm and cannot carry a tune!]

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  2. I rather enjoy the films in your ironing category. Only yesterday YouTube popped up with a recommendation for Hobson's Choice (1953) starring Charles Laughton, John Mills, Brenda De Banzie and a very young Prunella Scales. I hadn't seen this in years but enjoyed watching it again.

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    1. Oh yes- I remember that one! We actually watched it at school as part of an English lesson.

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  3. My absolutely favourite film is Truly Madly Deeply - it is a really lovely rom-commish film with Alan Rickman (sigh) and Julia Stevenson. I don't know what temperature film it is for you, but I come over a bit hot and bothered because of AR's beautiful voice, and hands, laying the cello. If you don't know it, seek it out!!

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  4. Alexa and I are ironing companions with all sorts of music involved. Happy weekend. Catriona

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    1. I have a love/hate relationship with "that woman" Alexa!! Sometimes she just will not do what I want.

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  5. Not sure I can come up with a favorite, although a lot of the ones you mention are ones I could watch repeatedly. The Philadelphia Story (Grant and Hepburn--I guess it figures as hot?) comes to mind--just watched (again) Cary Grant in Houseboat with Sophia Loren and Father Goose with Audrey Hepburn. Loved watching Rosalind Russell in anything. Have not seen any recent films. But I do like the oldies.

    Your comment on the actor who looked like Montgomery reminds me of my mother saying her father looked remarkably like Montgomery. Sadly, he died in 1939 in London. I always think of him whenever I pass Monty's statue on Whitehall or see the painting of him in the National Portrait Gallery. Haven't seen that film about the double or read the book (which is selling on a used book site in US for $25-35--a bit too much).

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    1. Father Goose is a great film. I think in many ways I preferred Philadelphia Story to its remake as a musical [High Society] . Anything with either Hepburn [Katherine or Audrey] is usually very enjoyable

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    2. I've been reading the book - the film is better entertainment imho. The book is too much of Clifton James' opinions, and not enough action I think!

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  6. One of my favourites is Passport to Pimlico.

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  7. That reminds me of the old black and white film where the owners of the cinema are going broke so they start showing desert films and crank up the heat so everyone is buying the ice cream at intermission. It might have been an Ealing comedy - I just can’t think of what it was called.

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    1. It Is The Smallest Show on Earth [1957] starring husband and wife team Bill McKenna and Virginia Travers - better known for their animal films 'Born Free' and 'Ring of Bright Water' [after which they went on to become animal rights campaigners]

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  8. I remember Saturday Mornings when I was little, my mom would wash my hair and then we would watch old Shirley Temple or SciFi movies on the TV while she put my hair in rollers.

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  9. Film classification is important to me. When we had our Netflix account I found there was a lot of content that was just plain disagreeable with the language and unnecessary sex and violence.
    A favourite film, which came out around the same time as Titanic, is "Secrets and Lies." It is a story that shows how healing of a family can happen in an amazing way. Brenda Blethyn (of "Vera" fame) plays a woman whose illegitimate daughter turns up.
    As for ironing, when we lived in Vienna and I had dress shirts to iron, I used to play "Last of the Summer Wine" on the laptop!

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    1. My neighbour loves " Last of the Summer Wine" and watches it on Sky. In one school where I worked, the other supply (substitute) teacher looked just like Compo (he even wore jumpers with holes)

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  10. That's a good classification. Mine is knitting or not knitting.

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    1. Knitting is hard with ScandiDrama and EuroCrime when I need to read the subtitles!

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