So I’m wondering about what I’d actually like to call superfilms. (Didn’t put it in the thread title because I have to explain it.)
Not just popular films, or well-made films, or big money-makers. Basically, films that have never gotten old, that have never been out of the public consciousness. Bearing in mind that there are very few of them, they’d have to have all four of these criteria. (And they’re just my criteria; if you think they should or could be modified, by all means say so.)
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Started out at least strong, if not a huge hit, or even a phenomenon. But it had to have struck a chord with the majority of viewers while it was still in theaters. This rules out, for instance, It’s a Wonderful Life, which didn’t find its audience until it started getting shown on TV every year.
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Its popularity has never taken a dive since then. Waned a bit, perhaps, but no backlash, no perception that it’s old and no longer worth watching. You may think American Beauty is an awesome film, and you may be right, but I remember that DVD sales were not at all as expected. Somehow, it didn’t resonate as well after a year had gone by.
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Especially devoted fans, like Casablancaholics. Or the guy I know who only watches Once Upon a Time in the West once every five years because overviewing would ruin it for him. But if it only has this element, it’s not what I’m looking for. There’s a group that gets together every year to watch Somewhere in Time, but I’m not including that film, because it doesn’t have the first two criteria, while Casablanca and OUATITW both do.
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Still taken seriously by filmmakers. Subject of parody and homage. Used in “It’s [blank] meets [blank]!” log lines. And not just because it’s a well-made film, but because it’s proven that it’s a concept that people want to see.
So I’ve got five of each so far: five in the real world and then-current era, and five set in a fantasy world or in the past.
Gone With the Wind (entirely in the past)
Wizard of Oz (made-up world)
Titanic (mostly flashback)
Star Wars (made-up world)
Once Upon a Time in the West (entirely in past)
Casablanca
Rocky
Jaws (thanks, Quint!)
Saturday Night Fever
E.T.
The only one of these that is really of its moment is Casablanca. But it’s set in a time period that films have never stopped revisiting, so it doesn’t really come off as anachronistic. Except for things that can’t be helped, like cars and old-fashioned phones, there’s nothing especially trendy in Rocky, Jaws or E.T.. Disco was trendy if anything was, but SNF was not celebrating disco. It was really about how grim Tony’s life was every minute that he was not dancing.
So I’m wondering, how much does a film’s time/place setting contribute to this? I can’t help thinking that if a film is not tied to the era in which it’s made, that helps a lot with its longevity. And how much does it help when it’s new? The term “escapism” is thrown around so much; are people more drawn to films with settings that are entirely unlike the world outside the theater? And what other elements do these films have in common?
Of course, there is the question of how old a film has to be before it’s proven its longevity. Some recent films may surprise everyone by outlasting currently bigger hits, and currently beloved films might already be wearing thin. I might be premature naming Titanic. Maybe by 2030, people will be scoffing at it. I’d like to name the Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Carribean series, but it’s early for them too. If there really is a 3-D revolution, they might be dismissed by future generations as old-fashioned but not enough so as to be retro-cool. Still, by all means make predictions about which films will last. (But remember 1, 3 and 4!)