Well, I’m back. Still at home, still in lock down. Trying to stay sane, and most importantly, staying safe. Hope all of you are ok and safe too. After more than a month of lock-down and knowing we will make at least two… These weeks have been an emotional roller-coaster, full of ups and downs. I know we all miss our loved-ones, our friends and family. Sometimes I feel like I can’t do anything to help, I don’t know if this will but, here is a new list of films that I hope will make you feel good.
Top Hat (1935)
I wanted to start this new Stay at Home Marathon with a film that has gone viral during quarantine times. I’m sure we have all seen the video of a couple dancing in Italy during quarantine in their window to the song «Cheek to cheek», if you haven’t here you have the link.
Well, the scene you can watch screened on the balconies is part of Top Hat. In 1935 the best dance-musical couple to ever exist: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers paired to shine with talent. The film has become a classic. The choreographies and songs are some of the best remembered in history. Top Hat was nominated for Best picture, Art direction, Original song and Dance direction. Yes, there was a time when the Academy Awards had a category for Best Dance direction. Musicals where so common back then that it was difficult to become a Hollywood star if you didn’t know how to tap dance or sing.
This scene has gone viral in times of box-office and high-budgeted action movies. It is curious how a 1935 movie has travelled around the world in 2020 through social media. When a film reaches your heart it doesn’t matter if it was premiered 85 years ago. This is one of the best proofs that art quality is measured by the power that it has to move people beyond time and space. Let our hearts and souls dance cheek to cheek while you watch this beautiful film.
An American in Paris (1951)
Yes, this is another musical full of dances and singing. But I have to say, that musicals show us the way we should live. Wouldn’t it be nice and fun if we danced and sing through life? An American in Paris was the Best Film of 1951, but it didn’t only win this Oscar. Nominated to eight Oscars this film took home six. This romantic musical is crafted to be aesthetically pleasing and it is one of the most iconic and famous films of all time. It’s 17 minute ballet and closing musical spectacle is mesmerizing. Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron partner in elegant moves.
It is said to be an inspiration for a lot of other musicals and films. Take for example Mary Poppins (1964) and most recently LaLaLand (2016). If you have been following this blog since I started it, more than four years ago, you must know how much I love muicals, tap dancing and Gene Kelly. Well, just one year after An American in Paris, Gene Kelly starred in Singin’ in the rain , another feel good movie to watch or re-watch. During these times, I think going back to these films is like medicine. An American in Paris is a top favorite one, I hope you like it too.
The Parent Trap (1961/98)
I’m sure most of you, if not all of you, know the story by heart. Two identical twins discover they are sisters during a summer camp. When they find out they where separated after their parents divorce they decide to switch themselves. The story gets crazier, funnier and more entertaining as the plot goes on. Based on the 1949 novel: Lottie and Lisa, it is a feel-good family movie you can jump back-in during these days. In the 1961 version, Maureen O’hara and Brian Keith are the fooled parents. And the girls ( both played by Hayley Mills) switch places, moving one to Boston and the other to California. The distance between them is much smaller than in the 1998 version. The Parent Trap ,1961, was a huge success. For generations, this family film entertained children and adults equally. In 1998, Disney decided to do a remake. This is the film, that, if you are a 90s kid like me, you have probably watched countless times. The Parent Trap, 1998, with Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson as the divorced couple was Lindsay Lohan’s film debut. They put an ocean of distance between the twins and the almost identical plot took place this time in London and in California.
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
You know I’m a rom-com binge watcher. I love romantic-comedies. I love how they make you feel, I love how you always know that they will have a happy ending and I love how easy they are to watch. With rom-coms you don’t have to think, just enjoy. And one of the best films of this genre is When Harry Met Sally.
Nora Ephron earned an Oscar nomination for one of her best scripts. The script is indeed on another level: funny, intelligent, and granting us with some of the best and most iconic scenes ever. Billy Christal is able to uphold a great chemistry with Meg Ryan, making us question if he, after all, is the best co-star partner for Meg (Tom Hanks was probably questioning himself).
Here is the most famous extract of the film, the iconic Meg Ryan scene, impossible to have never heard about it (remeber to listen with headphones or low volume). In this scene, I’m the old women at the end, I would also ask the waiter to have what she’s having, please oh yes, yes please!!!
When Harry met Sally is the type of romantic story that raises up the toxic and repetitive question «Can a man and a woman be friends without falling in love with each other?» My answer is, of course men and women friendships exist and indeed these friendships are healthy and necessary. But, to know how this film answers the question you’ll have to watch it. Like every good story, don’t read the last page, and enjoy!!
As Good As It Gets (1997)
In 1997, Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt paired in this brilliant romantic comedy. Both of them won as leading actor and leading actress, making As Good As It Gets the most recent film to have their leads win the Oscar. The film portrays an obssessive compulsive man who takes interest in the waitress that works at the restaurant where he has his breakfast every day. Jack Nicholson is one of the most brilliant actors of his generation. He does great in all kinds of film comedies, horror films or dramas. This film will make you laugh and will show you Nicholson’s most heart-warming and strange romantic side. What I love about Nicholson and Helen Hunt’s performances is how naturally they capture the essence of their characters. Shout out to Greg Kinnear’ s role and his dog in the film. Don’t ask questions about this last statement, if you wanna know what I’m talking about, just whatch the film.
These are all films that make me smile, with their happy endings, their songs, dances and heart warming stories. If you have reached the end of the post I hope I have entertained your mind for some minutes. If you watch the movies I hope you have the best of times.
I would like to dedicate this post, again, to all the healthworkers, and to all of those who have been/ are still working these days for everyone’s sake: in supermarkets, pharmacies, textile sector, cleaning agencies, logistics and other services. We will never be able to thank you enough for it. Please, stay safe, take care and keep staying at home for as long as necessary. ❤
Bibliography
Top Hat (1935)
An American in Paris (1951)
Singin in the rain (1952)
The Parent Trap (1961)
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
As Good As It Gets (1997)
The Parent Trap (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/?hl=es&gl=ES