The sad thing is that my students invariably love older films once they've been introduced to them. But at this point, the only ones who know them have movie-loving parents who made an effort to give them some degree of media literacy. - ThreadSky

danhf.bsky.social • 151 days ago

The sad thing is that my students invariably love older films once they've been introduced to them. But at this point, the only ones who know them have movie-loving parents who made an effort to give them some degree of media literacy.

Reposted from Will McKinley

THE STING (1973) is now the oldest American narrative film on Netflix — one of only 5 released before 1980 on the largest subscription streaming service in the U.S.

#Streaming #FilmSky

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katootje.bsky.social•151 days ago

Who needs Netflix anyway??

schlicksbier.com•151 days ago

Well, to be fair they have some nice Korean TV series which I wouldn't be able to see here otherwise ;-). But regarding films? No one really.

danhf.bsky.social•151 days ago

Besides the (stupidly) limited availability on all major platforms, classic films also have to compete for attention with every other thing every single moment. Growing up, I saw so many great movies on TV in part because there was nothing else on that I wanted to watch at that point.

danhf.bsky.social•151 days ago

Streaming services therefore massively disadvantage films that seem in any way challenging or unfamiliar: why watch something that requires effort if there are so many simultaneous "easy" options? It's no coincidence that easily-consumed *content* and classic sitcoms dominate streaming figures.

danhf.bsky.social•151 days ago

My kids (10 and 12) see all kinds of stuff, including whatever circulates on streamers. But given a choice, their absolute favorites are:
THE COURT JESTER (1955)
BLAZING SADDLES (1974)
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974)
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1986)
MIDNIGHT RUN (1988)
CLIFFORD (1994)
SCHOOL OF ROCK (2003)

danhf.bsky.social•151 days ago

For years, an easy way to entertain visiting kids at a birthday party was just to throw on a disc full of Chaplin or Keaton shorts. *Guaranteed* hit with every single pre-teen, hardly any of whom had ever seen a black-and-white (let alone a silent) film before.

danhf.bsky.social•151 days ago

During the COVID shutdown, I put together this "Film School for Kids" starter pack. I'd watch a different film with them every day, and then afterwards, they would make a drawing or write something about it in a notebook they kept. https://letterboxd.com/realravenhurst/list/coronafilmschool/

danhf.bsky.social•151 days ago

They were too young to read subtitles yet, so the list is very anglo-centric.

thejoegriffin.bsky.social•151 days ago

Oh yeah, my daughter is 9, and some of her favourites are The Princess Bride, Back to the Future, and Emperor's New Groove. She also loves clips of Duck Soup and will probably end up watching the whole thing this year.

doclynn.bsky.social•151 days ago

I spent my college years going to double features at art/revival houses. Now, Turner Classic Movies and the Criterion Channel are national treasures. Wading through Netflix to find anything decent is a horror show.

schlicksbier.com•151 days ago

This is so true. My daughter wasn't really interested in b&w films until she saw her first screwball comedies and now is in love with Nick & Nora for example. And noticed herself that it doesn't matter at all if a film is old or b&w as long as it's good and manages to entertain.

davebackwell.bsky.social•150 days ago

So depressing. I teach 3rd year students on a Uni Screenwriting course. Despite their ambition to write for the screen, they have neither seen or heard of any of the great classic movies. Anything before 1980 or in black and white may as well not exist.

inpraiseoffolly.net•151 days ago

Honestly, I open Netflix less and less these days. I find myself in Max or Paramount+, but the sheer volume of services is its own issue.

arthearthistory.bsky.social•151 days ago

This is very sad. It's like art students never having seen any painting done before Andy Warhol.

kroth.bsky.social•151 days ago

For a full cultural education at least one Marx brothers movie must be viewed by young Americans

danhf.bsky.social•151 days ago

at least!!

atut711.bsky.social•150 days ago

Five??? Only five!!! Ridiculous and a sad commentary that becomes sadder every single day

stephenshapiro.bsky.social•151 days ago

Classic films have become like novels. As you say, students without generational cultural capital now need our help.

rerun201.bsky.social•151 days ago

My wife has recently discovered westerns (1950s forward). She’s loving them.

monkeyrotica.bsky.social•151 days ago

Youngest is taking a sophomore Psych class where they're discussion dreams. He told his prof most of his dreams were Kaftkaesque like "The Trial." The prof was surprised that he'd read Kafka. "I haven't," he quipped, "But my dad made me watch Orson Welles' version when I was around 10."

danhf.bsky.social•151 days ago

That’s good parenting right there. 👍🏻

jooppauwels.bsky.social•151 days ago

Is there a service where you can stream (bigger) classic films? Mubi is great, but it's mostly arthouse, and curated. Criterion is not available in NL. Is there a place one can see movies by big name directors for times past?

danhf.bsky.social•151 days ago

Not really. Mubi has the best selection, but it's pretty limited and variable. EYE also has an interesting streaming selection but it's also not very much in terms of quantity. How great would it be to have something like what TCM and TNT used to be on basic cable, but for streaming?

jooppauwels.bsky.social•151 days ago

That would be fantastic. I just don't know where to find certain movies anymore. It shouldn't be this hard.

schlicksbier.com•151 days ago

I would be glad if they would be at least available as physical copies. But lots of older films are out of print and very hard to come by at a reasonable price (like "Die Frauen" (The Women) from 1939 that is > 30 € for a simple 2nd hand DVD).

danhf.bsky.social•151 days ago

Boutique physical media producers are doing amazing work in restoration and preservation of classic and cult movies – but they cater to an audience that knows what to look for. For young people, access to older films is therefore more and more difficult.

schlicksbier.com•151 days ago

They do & I'm glad what labels like Eureka & 88films do (and at a reasonable price for the (bonus) content they're offering. But such labels are very rare in Germany and currently I still need the dubbed version for my kids education since she can't speak english yet nor read subtitles fast enough.

davidhirsch.bsky.social•151 days ago

You might be surprised how much is available on YouTube free of charge. However ads and subtitles could be an issue for you. Look here for instance. https://youtube.com/@mosfilm_eng?si=9csLpjGHTOx5pEaR

jooppauwels.bsky.social•150 days ago

Thanks yo, I'm definitely going to check it out. If you got a tip where I can find Ikiru and Ran with English subtitles I will be for ever grateful.

danhf.bsky.social•150 days ago

Both are readily available on disc, at relatively low prices. Physical media remain the only reliable resource in my experience.

jooppauwels.bsky.social•150 days ago

I bought two Kurosawa collection boxes some time ago and these two titles weren't in it. That's why I was looking for streaming. But yeah, I think I'm going to buy them individually.

rowena3.bsky.social•151 days ago

This is my experience as well, especially with a course that fulfills the humanities elective. I suspect this will be more of the norm moving forward which is another argument for the need for a humanities department...shouting this to the rooftops!

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