why are old films the best?

Question

watched gregorys girl-classic!
it has everything,humour,romance,good acting,its original.....

I dont see why films now cant be original.
Its a rare find .

Answer 1

It's the way they were made. Today movies are made with the $$ in mind. Back then they had the Studio Players in place, along with hungry writers who could churn out great stories designed around a particular cast. In addition, cinemetogrpahy was designed to utilize the black and white media better than today's movies utilize the color. Color is everywhre, so it's hard to be artistic with the pallette. (Best use of both can be found in "Wizard of Oz" an original classic! The stark use of the black and white for 'reality' and the bright color for 'Oz' made the movie stand out - then and now.)

Production companies now cannot afford a flop. Back then a flop merely meant retooling of ideas. These days a flop can just about break an actor's carreer or bankrupt a fledgling production company. So studios back then were more daring and more willing to try new things, new scripts and ideas. These days the fear of loss keeps many good movies from being made.

Answer 2

Old films are probably appreciated by those who can't accept change, or are too threatened by the aspect of advancing technology taking over some of the filmmaking functions, or have little patience for some of those thought-provoking and mind-bending film... a good example being Todd Haynes' new film: I'm Not There.

A lot of fine and creative scriptwriters and film directors tend to build their film contents to subtely follow their self-philosophical association with their contemporary times and this makes film-watching experience more testing to the brain-cells, not unlike the old films in which everuthing stands out as either black or white without patchy gray areas.

There are excellent films which will very probably be added to the list of film classics in the years to come... movies like Pan Labyrinth, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men, American history, Little Miss Sunshine, etc. etc. Also, old films had depended more on the stage-like performances and easier-to-follow, straight forward dialogue of its cast members without any attempt to overshadow the performing characters without today's competitive cinematic backgrounds beckoning to appeal to the audience.

There are too many 'cooks' involved in the filmmaking functions of contemporary films, each competing to get noticed by the film audience... which can make films pretty tough to watch and appreciate.

Keep checking the AFI listing to see their recommendations:
http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/movies.aspx

Answer 3

I think because all the stories were fresh & fun. Everything was new that they were doing. Sadly, all the new movies try too hard to be cute & apply to too many people rather than original & entertain a select few. This is why I like independent movies so much. Check out the movie called Sweet Land for a great movie.

Answer 4

I don't know where Marvinat got his answer but he is spot on excellent answer, with regards to the Wizard of Oz and also Gone with the Wind, the special effects that where used in those films where used in Star Wars and are still used today.

But I love the old films as they are originally and probably because they are innocent story telling.

Answer 5

Oldies are better not just because they were original or groundbreaking but more because of the morals of the time when they were made in.

Today everything is right our there on the screen, whether it be sex, violence, blood, gore, etc. Older movies were done without such graphic depictions, leaving the viewer to interpret or utilize their imagination (something today's movies are absolutely devoid of). That's what makes the old movie better or more interesting , it requires the viewer to think not just sit there like a lump.

Answer 6

Because they seem to have run out of ideas more recently.
They churn so many films out these days, that the majority are bound to be pretty poor.
Half the so-called actors, I have never even heard of.
Then of course, it's only the money they make that matters!
I suppose as long as people go to see this rubbish and buy the DVD's etc., the present trend will continue.

Answer 7

They were the best because anyone could watch them. You didn't have to worry about what your kids were seeing and hearing. No nasty sex scenes and gross murder scenes. Things were left to the imagination. You knew the Betty and Joe were going to make love but no one showed it. Films were made with taste and class. People go to the movies to get away from the harsh reality of life. Not to see it thrown up in there face by some twisted producers idea of art.

Answer 8

Best story lines that tell a real tale and most have atmosphere and very little in the way of on screen violence. Though some of the set were ham they felt real. 39 steps was a good old classic and citizen Cane.

Answer 9

Because back in the day they didn't have fancy effects. They had to rely on other things to make the movie seem real. Look at the old horror movies, instead of gore they used atmosphere and instead of psycho killers they gave their villains a personality and original characteristics. They also didn't have as much of competition as they know which allowed them to try new ideas instead of trying to make as much money as possible.

Answer 10

Because the older films relied on good stories rather than special effects to keep the action moving. Plus, they weren't greenlighted by a bunch of accountants.