There is a great scene in the much-overlooked movie Grand Canyon, where Steve Martin states: “All of life’s riddles are answered in the movies.” That quote got me thinking about all the life lessons I’ve learned from film over the years.
Courage: I learned how to handle fear by watching Gary Cooper in the classic western High Noon. A gunman and his gang are due to come back to the town they once terrorized. Not one of the townspeople volunteers to help the marshal; Cooper has to face off against the entire gang all alone.
Dissenting: In a seemingly open and shut murder case, eleven jurors initially vote guilty. A lone hold-out, played by Henry Fonda in 12 Angry Men, convinces the rest of the jury to take a second look at the evidence.
Individualism: Robin Williams plays an inspirational poetry teacher at a New England prep school in the movie Dead Poet’s Society. In one scene, he has the boys walk around the courtyard. At first, each boy demonstrates their own walk, but soon they all walk alike, illustrating the power of conformity in our lives.
Respect: In the movie To Kill a Mockingbird, Gregory Peck defends a young black man. After losing the trial Atticus Finch gained the admiration of all the people in the gallery. My favorite quote of the movie, spoken by Reverend Sykes is: “Stand up, your father is passing.”
Patience: I learned I have none after sitting through the three hour yawn-fest Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End last summer.
Perseverance: There is a scene in Cool Hand Luke where George Kennedy repeatedly knocks Paul Newman down during a fistfight. After Newman is obviously beaten he continues to fight, taking more brutal punishment. Even when the crowd is yelling at him to stay down, he keeps getting back up.
Determination: Based on the real life story of Rudy Ruettiger, Rudy was short, poor, and not very bright. In spite of these major limitations, he not only manages to finish college at Notre Dame, but also plays on the Fighting Irish football team.
Letting Go: Since we have all been guilty of hanging onto doomed relationships, see Casablanca and learn how Humphrey Bogart lets go of Ingrid Bergman. Instead of being selfish, Bogart gave Bergman up for the greater good of defeating Nazi Germany. Casablanca was filmed in 1942, when the fate of the world was yet unknown.
Starting Over: To escape the dust bowl of the Great Depression, the Joad family packs up all their belongings and heads to California in John Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath. Henry Fonda’s “I’ll be there” speech is one of the most inspiring ever captured on film.
Integrity: Echoing my mother’s words, “…just because everyone else is doing it, doesn’t make it right.” Al Pacino in Serpico is a New York City police officer that refuses to be on the take.
Leadership: Patton. George C. Scott completely took over the role of the larger than life character of General Patton. What a shame they don’t make them like “old blood and guts” anymore.
Now, if you will excuse me I have some issues with my in-laws. I need to cue up The Godfather to learn how to solve this dilemma.
Ed Killingsworth, film nerd, learned the art of rolling an odometer backwards from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
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