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ficwizeApologies to those of you who see this twice, but I wanted to post it on my main journal and here. The conversation on this journal is often more interesting, but I figure I'd give everyone the chance to have thoughts. If you're seeing it in both places, feel free to respond where ever you'd like. I'm not going to lock my AFI posts on this journal, though, and they are locked at my other journal.
So, last week I set about accomplishing a goal of watching all of the American Film Industries Top 100 movie picks. I began at the bottom, with Yankee Doodle Dandy. It's about George M. Cohan, whom I think I'd heard of at one point, but couldn't have told you who he was. It turns out, he was a Broadway producer, playwright and actor - and a very good one. He has quite a few famous songs, many of which I went, "Ohhhhhhhhhhh! I know this!" - including Yankee Doodle Dandy, Grand Ole Flag and Over There.
After retiring, Cohan returned to Broadway some decade plus later to portray FDR in a stage play for his old partner. He received a summons from FDR himself, and went to Washington DC where he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his contributions to World War I morale.
The movie was sharply scripted and surprisingly sarcastic. I laughed aloud more than once as "Georgie" grew from a precocious vaudville brat (who even performed in blackface) to one of the richest and most successful men in showbiz.
(I am not even going to attempt to justify or really address the inherint racism in this movie, except to say that it was more than likely a fairly accurate representation of the times. I don't think denying that it existed is a good reaction. People were reprehensible and attitudes were disgusting. But that's what they were. Instead, I simply think, "Thank God we've progressed since then." The only black man that I saw in the movie was a butler in the White House. It's a stark difference from today's White House, isn't it?)
James Cagney won an Oscar for his role, and it was well deserved. There was a lot of dancing! The movie also won several other Oscars including one for best score, unsurprisingly.
The movie also made me think, specifically about the nature of patriotism. Cohan (in the movie) appeared to resent the fact that he was often told that he could only write a successful play if it involved flag waving, but the resentment seemed to come not from any wish to not be known as a patriot, but because he thought he could do more. It's undeniable that his biggest successes involved music that played up on American patriotism.
Granted, most of the movie was set between WWI and WWII, a period of time when American patriotism was at its highest, but it made me think... People don't write things like this anymore.
I've heard lots of people talk about the fact that music (especially rap glorifying violence in general, drug culture, and particularly violence against women) seems to be affecting culture. It makes me wonder if music is a causative force or a reactive one.
If George M. Cohan wrote It's a Grand Ole Flag now, would it be a success? Or would it flop totally?
Today's culture (especially over the past 8 years) has mangled what *I* think true patriotism is about. It's okay to love your country, as long as you aren't blind to the evils it perpetrates and do your bit to make things better. I make no hesitation in saying that while I'm not an "America, love it or leave it" sort, neither do I comprehend people who say, "America is going down the toilet, time to leave and go to X where it's better." Not only do I have serious doubts that it's actually 'better' at X, but I think it's a shame to tuck tail and run from a fight that needs to be fought.
To me, fighting the fights that need fighting at home, that's what patriotism is. But I can't write a nifty song to go with that. ;) If I could, I wonder what people would think of it.
So, last week I set about accomplishing a goal of watching all of the American Film Industries Top 100 movie picks. I began at the bottom, with Yankee Doodle Dandy. It's about George M. Cohan, whom I think I'd heard of at one point, but couldn't have told you who he was. It turns out, he was a Broadway producer, playwright and actor - and a very good one. He has quite a few famous songs, many of which I went, "Ohhhhhhhhhhh! I know this!" - including Yankee Doodle Dandy, Grand Ole Flag and Over There.
After retiring, Cohan returned to Broadway some decade plus later to portray FDR in a stage play for his old partner. He received a summons from FDR himself, and went to Washington DC where he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his contributions to World War I morale.
The movie was sharply scripted and surprisingly sarcastic. I laughed aloud more than once as "Georgie" grew from a precocious vaudville brat (who even performed in blackface) to one of the richest and most successful men in showbiz.
(I am not even going to attempt to justify or really address the inherint racism in this movie, except to say that it was more than likely a fairly accurate representation of the times. I don't think denying that it existed is a good reaction. People were reprehensible and attitudes were disgusting. But that's what they were. Instead, I simply think, "Thank God we've progressed since then." The only black man that I saw in the movie was a butler in the White House. It's a stark difference from today's White House, isn't it?)
James Cagney won an Oscar for his role, and it was well deserved. There was a lot of dancing! The movie also won several other Oscars including one for best score, unsurprisingly.
The movie also made me think, specifically about the nature of patriotism. Cohan (in the movie) appeared to resent the fact that he was often told that he could only write a successful play if it involved flag waving, but the resentment seemed to come not from any wish to not be known as a patriot, but because he thought he could do more. It's undeniable that his biggest successes involved music that played up on American patriotism.
Granted, most of the movie was set between WWI and WWII, a period of time when American patriotism was at its highest, but it made me think... People don't write things like this anymore.
I've heard lots of people talk about the fact that music (especially rap glorifying violence in general, drug culture, and particularly violence against women) seems to be affecting culture. It makes me wonder if music is a causative force or a reactive one.
If George M. Cohan wrote It's a Grand Ole Flag now, would it be a success? Or would it flop totally?
Today's culture (especially over the past 8 years) has mangled what *I* think true patriotism is about. It's okay to love your country, as long as you aren't blind to the evils it perpetrates and do your bit to make things better. I make no hesitation in saying that while I'm not an "America, love it or leave it" sort, neither do I comprehend people who say, "America is going down the toilet, time to leave and go to X where it's better." Not only do I have serious doubts that it's actually 'better' at X, but I think it's a shame to tuck tail and run from a fight that needs to be fought.
To me, fighting the fights that need fighting at home, that's what patriotism is. But I can't write a nifty song to go with that. ;) If I could, I wonder what people would think of it.
