What is it that makes a film a classic after decades has past? What makes a film speak to future generations to come?
Classic films are such because they still resonate with us today. They continue to impact us through us its universal storytelling and values. Despite the decades that have elapsed, they speak to us as if they had been made today.
One of the most famous classic films is A Wonderful Life by Frank Capra. In short, it’s about a man who is about to leap off a bridge after his partner loses his bank’s money. Before he leaps into the icy winter waters, a guardian angel jumps in the first, and the man dives in to save him instead.
Despite its black and white photography, slow-moving pace, lack of CGI and action scenes, it’s a film that speaks to our heart. The story is essentially about how each person has an enormous effect on other people’s lives (i.e. saving their lives or steering them in the right direction), and in spite of the hard times we experience, we will get through them–especially through generosity and kindness.
If a movie studio decided to remake it now, I have no doubt that it would be a great movie, though people would irresistibly compare it to the original. But it wouldn’t be great because it had been updated, but because the story was great to begin with.
Time well tell which films of today will be a classic in ten, twenty, or thirty years. Will it be The Matrix? The Sixth Sense? The recent Star Wars or Marvel films? Or does a film stand a greater chance at being a classic if it wins awards (i.e. the Academy Awards)?
Special effects and great CGI are all things that will be improved upon as time goes by, but a great story that captivates the imagination and the spirit are what I think will set a film apart and make it a classic.
Fallton Havenstonne 