Movie Night with Grandma

What do you picture when someone suggests a movie night? Candace Arthuria knows how she prefers to take in movies, and she has some ideas for what makes some of the old films worth revisiting – especially with the grandkids.

Giant movie theaters are overrated, overpriced, and for my tastes, over the top. The last time I was in one, the darkness was overwhelming. Terror engulfed me as I wondered if something would scurry up my leg and take a nip. I cannot recall the name of the film, so it must have fallen short of the blockbuster designation. What I do remember is my desperate need to escape into sunlight and fresh air.

You can keep the fine dining and leather reclining seats. Just give me a sofa, a footrest, and a tray of unhealthy snacks that I’m not supposed to eat – in my living room. I have always been a cheap date.

Last Sunday around 6 a.m., I perused my DVR recordings and clicked my remote on the British film “Room At The Top.” I had three hours to enjoy it before church. That’s the beauty of DIY. I don’t have to adhere to anybody else’s timetable. To refer to the movie as “excellent” would be embarrassingly cliché. Suffice it to say that Laurence Harvey did a stand-up job of portraying a complex character who is neither easy to love, nor easy to hate. If it were possible, I would start a petition to award him a posthumous Oscar. I hope his family will be happy to hear that.

Simone Signoret did earn an Academy Award, among others. She lived during a time in which women were permitted to look like women, full-figured and beautiful, yet subject to the lusts that made them vulnerable to the desires of needy men. Her loyal friend (Hermione Baddeley) holds out hope for the enigmatic Harvey – until he breaks her trust. In a climactic scene, she unleashes unadulterated fury, a rage so vehement that the submissive Signoret character was incapable of pulling it off. Applaud the chutzpah of a minor player who delivers the most riveting performance of the film.

Laurence Harvey is equally selfish in “BUtterfield 8,” this time with Elizabeth Taylor in the role of the damaged damsel – once again, powerful presentation that elicits both pity and disdain. I doubt if that story would play in theaters today. Independent millennial women would never sanction that kind of abuse.

One more Signoret film. “Ship of Fools” casts a beacon on the bigotries and betrayals of the pre-WWII era, a prelude to what’s coming next. The characters take us through their tumultuous lives, then leave us with no resolution. I had to write my own. It wasn’t easy. For most of my life, I saw the world in black and white. After all, isn’t that what literature taught us in school? The dastardly Iago versus too-good-to-be-true Desdemona. Even the Bible gives us Judas v. Job. I was an absolutist. It took a long time to peel the layers and allow myself to see the intricacies and contradictions that make human beings what we are. My perspective was yes or no, intolerant of the slightest possibility of maybe so. But over time, I came to understand the overlap of love and hate, good and evil, thick and thin. “To thine own self be true” is the perfect prescription for awareness, i.e., the first step toward empathy for the afflictions and imperfections of others.

Perhaps those of us who came of age in the mid-20th century can introduce younger generations to societal evolution. Might I suggest that you grandmas schedule some time with Heather on her next obligatory visit? Matching PJs and warm, fuzzy slippers might be nice. And don’t assume she’s too old to cuddle. Get a couple of toasty blankets and embark upon an intergenerational adventure, what Edith Wharton called “Autres Temps.” And don’t invite anybody else.

So why am I obsessed with traveling through time and unearthing forgotten cinema? My fascination is the characters – the way they were written and how they were played on film. The plots are history – albeit fictionalized, romanticized, and often unpleasant. Don’t look for a tidy wrap-up at the end. Sad things happen. Trust yourself to discern the truth. Sometimes it is precisely what you see. Just ask the little boy who outed the naked emperor.

Kudos to the novelists and screenwriters who stimulate our consciousness through black, white, and silhouetted nuances. Shadows teach us powerful lessons.

Okay, it’s time to rock and roll. Quiet on the set. Grab your hot chocolate and macadamia biscuits, lose the shoes, snuggle up with Heather and enjoy the show. As for you, dearest Jeremy, get your excuses ready. The minute school is out, Grandma is coming for you.

Aaaannnd … Action!

Candace Arthuria is an independent writer and editor based in New Jersey. Her short fiction collection, “DIVERSE: Stories Behind the Stained Glass,” earned a 2024 New Jersey State Council on the Arts Finalist Award. Arthuria’s work is multicultural and intergenerational, encompassing a broad range of genres. 

Also from Candace Arthuria: Old Movies – Stimuli of the Mind

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