Media 160 Spring 2018:
I have been a passionate watcher of movies, especially Classic films, for a long time now. Thanks to the TCM channel, providing 24/7 showings of a range of movies starting from the silent era to modern times, and a family of enthusiastic film buffs who organized home "film festivals" showcasing Hitchcock favorites, WWII themes, and even the screwball comedies of the '30s and '40s, I have become keenly aware of the fun and fascination of studying how a group of creative talent - from writers, directors, and cast - create a story to teach, expand, and inspire others.
I will never forget attending a special screening of Casablanca presented at the New-York Historical Society. I was in middle school then, finishing a semester-long course at the Society on WWII; the screening was exclusively for students, and we had all conducted independent research on the historical context the film beforehand. Seeing this beautiful film on a large screen as it had been originally meant to be viewed was a revelation. Furthermore, watching a story about expatriates trying to flee Nazi-occupied Europe was personally moving as my own grandmother, now deceased, had fled occupied France during WWII and voyaged to Casablanca, only having to return to the Continent and remain in hiding as she actively engaged in Underground activities of resistance. She could easily have been one of the characters inhabiting Rick's Cafe, and I more easily imagined what it must have felt like to be her during this harrowing, dangerous time.
That is the power of film for me - it brings history to life; makes passions and tragedies tangible and real; entertains, distracts, informs and enhances human understanding and compassion.
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