Grace Kelly Marilyn Monroe & James Dean
-Danny Kaye
What happened to the theater? Nothing, it only continued to grow and expand to become this wonderful break for society. This quote is taken from the movie, White Christmas, and I thought of it when I was starting to think about this post. In White Christmas, Danny Kaye is referring to the fact that instead of just good ol' fashioned theater, with singers and jokes and performers, the theater was now being replaced with choreography. Choreographed dances that revolutionized modern dance, with the help of Martha Graham. But thankfully, the theater didn't disappear.
It all started a little before 1920, as films were created to be a form of entertainment for people. After the Roaring 20s hit the movie industry was increasing. The movies were still, however, silent films. It wasn't until 1930 hit, when "The Golden Age of Hollywood" really took its course. More and more studios were trying to produce movies to bring an escape for people due to all of the turmoil in the country. The depression hit everyone hard, but if given the opportunity, they were able to leave their poor, depressed, and struggling lives to enjoy a world where everybody falls in love and the good guy always wins.
There are very few movies out there that have a sad ending. I believe that the reason is because people still use movies to get away from their own lives and put themselves in the shoes of the characters they are watching.
I have been noticing that as I near graduation and deal with the nerves that come with that, I tend to find someway to relate to the characters that I am watching. Whether it be a tv show, an old musical (which if you ask anyone, would have to be my favorite, and I may or may not even sometimes watch them with the closed captioning on so that I can sing along when it come time for the songs), or even a simple teenage movie. I find it intriguing to think about my life, right now, and then the situation the character is going through and compare the two. I oftentimes become too involved in it, that I become more emotional than I should, and a normal tear jerker, could be the break in the bend, and a waterfall of tears comes pouring out of me.
Therefore, with all of this being said, enjoy your movies. Don't become too stressed (I know I put this in every post, but I think I do it to continuously remind myself), and know that if things aren't going your way, you can always escape with a 2-hour break to watch a movie. So grab some popcorn, hit the lights, and enjoy the show!
For now...
take care, love Blair
