Aug 13 2008
What makes a movie classic?
Often times, you must have heard your parents say, ‘Oh that movie is a classic!’ Generally, these expressions are concerned with the long lost movies of yesteryear and not for those made in contemporary times. So what is it that makes a move, classic for all times to come? And has Hollywood really stopped producing ‘classic’ movies?
The answers to these questions lie in simple knowledge of which movie can be qualified as a classic and which can’t. A movie can be called a classic if it has certain features which can classify it as a classic. However, a movie has its own individuality, appeal and power and hence, there are no specific rules or defined guidelines that can make a movie classic. Sometimes it is the story that makes an impact and strikes the right chord with audience as well as the critics, other times it is the acting, treatment or direction that matters. An ideal classic movie is one that has all the ingredients along with novelty, innovation and uniqueness. One of the most important characteristic of a good classic movie is that it is timeless and a-cultural. This implies that the relevance of a motion picture is not subjected to any particular time or place in history and is also not specific to any culture. The thematic strains of a classic movie are generally universal and deal with subjects that have become romanticized over a period of time. For instance, a lot of movies related to wars and epics were generally considered as classics. However, the word ‘classic’ connotes different things for different people. Sometimes, declaring a movie a classic also has a deep-seated political motives. There are many instances, which show that movies that were considered to be classics were in fact not as good as they were hyped to be, for eg, Gone with the Wind and Casablanca had better competitors. One can say that for a movie to qualify as a classic, 40% depends on the potential of the movie and the significant 60% depends on popular consensus and other external factors.
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