well-rehearsed happy feet

Gene Kelly tap dances on roller-skates; its impressive.

Movies will always reflect the ideals of the culture they’re made for.  The ideals may not be daily realities, but they are still esteemed as valuable.  I look at the older movies of our American culture and I see a lot of things I like:  every-day common decency in public, politeness and courtesy, having personal integrity, real ’stand up’ guys and so forth…  I’m not saying these were pictures of the practice of the day, but they were something for people to aspire to.  As far as entertainment goes, its a nice thought that one could retreat into a world where there’s happiness and promise and even morality.  There’s a ‘brighter side’ to those movies that I think we lack in our modern super-movies.

Today we can do almost anything we want in our movies with all the technology we have.  I think more often than not, though, our reaction to the ‘ideal’ image of popular culture in movies(the swing to authenticity and gritty reality) can hinder our view of life.  Our story telling, in moving to more raw-feeling and sometimes more relateable narratives seems like it may foster a more pessimistic point of view about the way of the world.  Indeed, the world is far from perfect and is most grizzly in many regions, but the security individuals need here cannot be merely ‘found within’ as all the movies these days would suggest.  A person alone is hard-pressed to deal positively with their own faults and difficulties, but it’s so rare to see a movie with a community focus!  The ‘broken trust’ is such a common element, but what about team-work?  What about talking through the idea and reality that you have to bend to others sometimes in order to get along and how in the bending you may become a better person?  -Yes, indeed, you may actually grow in understanding and in love and friendship!

I’m not talking about fairy-floaty love bubbles here, but just the other side of the coin that so often is flipped face down.  Its not unrealistic and it does happen in real life.  Is life perfect for anyone anywhere?  No, of course not, and that will be understood always, but I really wonder if the more promising realities are understood the way they should be, too.

Increasingly, our cultural identity dissipates as our personal identities become more and more vital.  Self-improvement, self-awareness, and self-interest in general is robbing a lot of people, including myself, of clear vision of others.  People are people, wonderful in a very unique way, but still they have a common element to them all… they’re just like you.  They eat, they sleep, they have needs, wants, fears, feelings, thoughts and questions.  They have struggles and hard times and good times, or at least a desire for them. When you find the time to take a break from worrying about your own flaws/less-than-ideal whatevers, you see a whole bunch of people who need someone to reach into their world just as much as you need someone to reach into yours!

Try talking to a stranger 2 times a week where a conversation gets going.  You’d be surprised how your view of people changes.  Suddenly you may realize that people don’t necessarily pay any attention to you out and about.  You’re a person and they are, too, and they may not be thinking about their rude driving while trying not to be late, just like you.  They may think they’re wants take precedence over yours just like you tend to, and they may want to be secure as badly as you want to feel good about who you are.  Just saying, if you feel a little insecure, you’re way not alone.

So I like Gene Kelly movies.  He dances confidently, sings in public, has a bright and positive outlook, is courteous to most people, and he usually has a soft heart.  I’ve got a growing bitter disposition, reputation obsession, ungracious thought-life, I’m afraid to be wrong, and I always want to be first in my book.  A bit extremist, sure, but you get the idea.

Gene Kelly tap dances on roller-skates; its impressive.