hey, that's not funny!

December 14, 2013



A few days ago I took the train up to New York to see The Two Mrs. Carrolls on the big screen, as part of The Film Forum's Barbara Stanwyck festival. She's my favorite actress so I was beyond delighted to see how many of her lesser-known movies were being shown, and I had a pretty hard time deciding which ones to go see on my meager budget and busy schedule. I settled on The Two Mrs. Carrolls and Banjo on my Knee (which I'm seeing next week.)

The Two Mrs. Carrolls is an atmospheric, super creepy mystery that always gives me shivers whenever I watch it. Sadly I had the misfortune of sitting in an audience with moviegoers who couldn't appreciate the chilly charm of this classic thriller. Everyone kept laughing at things that were decidedly not funny. It happens so often whenever I venture into the world of classic film screenings and it breaks my heart every time. I can't tell if people intentionally go see old movies just to make fun of them, or if they're fans of modern action films and somehow mistakenly wandered into the wrong theater. You can't possibly be a classic movie fan and laugh at a mystery unless it's horribly bad (which this isn't.)

I've seen The Two Mrs. Carrolls countless times so this experience didn't color my opinion of the movie in the slightest, but unfortunately my brother was seeing it for the first time and said that he had a hard time concentrating on the film because he was so mad at our fellow moviegoers :( I'm going to lend him my dvd so he can have a proper watch at home on a dark stormy night. In the end I wonder if that's really the best way to view classic films, despite my constant desire to see them the way they were intended. It's difficult to enjoy a movie if you're surrounded by people who aren't. Or maybe I need to just limit myself to seeing comedies (but then I suppose I'll be upset if nobody laughs! ha!)

I'm going to the TCM Film Festival next year (yay!) and I'm hoping for a much better experience there since everyone attending will be a bona fide classic film fan. Maybe it'll make up for all the lousy theater experiences I've had over the last few years..

8 comments:

Diane said...

Hey Kate,

First, so excited to hear that you're going to make it to the TCM Classic Film Festival next year. I'm sure you're going to love it.

Second, I have had very similar experiences at the Film Forum and at classic film screenings in NYC in general. There's something about movie audiences in NYC it's strange, but I can assure you that the audiences at the film festival are the best! It feels like a shared experience, a much more authentic experience.

KC said...

I'm so excited that you are going to the TCMFF as well! I'm hoping to meet as many cool bloggers as possible. I haven't had the experience of a ill-suited audience for classic films, but I do become disgruntled by the talking in some screenings. I just don't get how you could jabber away during a film that is only showing for a limited time in the theater. This is something special and they're not only missing it, but messing it up for other people. It isn't the same thing as what your talking about, but in a way I feel your pain. It's a matter of respect.

Jacqueline T. Lynch said...

I believe there are more wonderful people in the world than stupid ones. It's just a rotten bit of bad luck we keep running into the stupid ones.

It's a good movie. Tell your brother, when he gets the chance, to feel free to enjoy it.

Amanda M. said...

Oh my god you got to go to the Barbara Stanwyck festival!
Even if it was only for one movie I'm still so jealous! I haven't seen this particular movie but I hope to.

amz said...

We have silent movie nights in Seattle occasionally and I find I can't properly enjoy watching them because the audience ruins them for me! They're too loud (eating popcorn and talking and laughing at not funny things) and I don't think they "get" silent films at all. Recently, I saw one where they LAUGHED AT GARBO. She was passionately kissing someone and they laughed at her for putting her hands all over his face. How dare they?! So, even though it's cool to see a silent film in an old movie theater with a real person playing the mighty Wurlitzer, I will probably skip any future silent movie nights. :( I feel your pain!

Lindsey said...

Have you seen Help! or A Hard Day's Night? They're both Beatles movies but are absolutely hilarious.

Lindsey said...

Have you seen Help! or A Hard Day's Night? They're both Beatles movies but are absolutely hilarious.

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