TCM Classic Film Festival Starts Today!
Thursday, March 26, 2015 at 7:00AM 
Greetings and salutations, cinephiles! Anne Marie here, reporting from sunny (and hot) Hollywood, CA as the 6th annual TCM Classic Film Festival kicks off. For the next four days, I'll be reporting what's new (and old) at Hollywood's largest festival devoted entirely to celebrating the classics.
This year, the theme of the festival is "History According To Hollywood". Films range in period and subject from the French Revolution (Reign of Terror), to the American West (My Darling Clementine), to the Civil Rights Movement (Malcom X), and the Apollo missions (Apollo 13), with historians and even an astronaut onhand to lend perspective. Of course, it wouldn't be TCM if they didn't roll out the red carpet for icons of a bygone era of the silver screen: Sophia Loren, Shirley MacLaine, and Ann Margaret will discuss their films before special screenings. And tonight, the entire festival kicks off with the 50th Anniversary of The Sound Of Music, with Dame Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in attendance.
However, the TCM Film Festival has courted some controversy this year for exactly the wide range of films that they are celebrating.
After the festival schedule was announced, TCM fans took to social media to denounce it as "too new" and "lacking true classic film." Adding to the controversy was the decision to screen many films digitally, instead of on film. Sides were taken, articles were written (the best explanation is courtesy of The Black Maria), and all of it seems to boil down to one question:
How do you define a classic?
Is a Classic film defined by age? Quality? Time and place of origin? By expanding this definition to include films that are only 20 years old, are we adding diversity or devaluing already great work? Film is, comparatively speaking, a very new artform; only a little over 100 years old. It's been regarded as "legitimate" art for less than half of that. Considering that movies are still new and ever-changing, maybe we should focus less on labels and more on celebrating what's been accomplished in a century.
Today, dear TFE readers, you get to choose what you think is a classic. Below are five films being shown at TCMFF. On top of the daily updates, I will go to whichever of these five you choose, and report back on it during the Monday wrap up. So, I'll ask again: how do you define a classic?
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Reader Comments (19)
I love Wyler, but The Children's Hour is not his best... hour?
Go see My Darling Clementine (it's TERRIFIC). I love recommending westerns to girls. Since I love my melodramas, why can't women enjoy westerns? I hate when people say that a genre belongs to a gender. We can love every kind of movie if we try.
I voted for Lenny. It's an under-discussed masterpiece and the proof that Bob Fosse is one of the greatest. Dustin Hoffman has never been better -well, yes, he's fantastic in Tootsie- and Valerie Perrine is everything .
I kind of like The Children's Hour specially as a time capsule. In The Celluloid Closet, the great Shirley MacLaine explains how she never discussed her character's sexuality with Audrey or Wyler. It was such a taboo.
I voted for My Darling Clementine and haven't seen Malcolm X but 42nd Street and Lenny are great films and The Children's Hour a good one, though it's attitudes are dated now.
1933? I didn't know Christine Ebersole was that old!
1. Lol Paris. I'm guessing Ebersole, like Carradine, Fonda and Baldwin, will just be In attendance, although seeing their names did throw me off at first.
2. I voted for Lenny. Just amazing.
3. You call this hot?
cal roth - I love Westerns too! John Ford is a sacred name in my house, though I've somehow missed seeing My Darling Clementine up to this point.
Paul Outlaw - it is 90 degrees in April and the lines are outside in the concrete courtyards of the Chinese theater. Yes, I call this hot. :P
I actually haven't seen any of these 5 options, so I'm excited to see what people choose!
Anne Marie, I'm so flippin jealous. As a Julie Andrews fanatic, I so wanted to be there today. What a rare treat, to see her and Christopher together talking up SOM. Their fireside chat on the DVD extras of the 40th anniversary of SOM is one of my prized possessions!
I'm sorry, but I cannot choose one of these from the survey. I've only seen The Children's House (underrated, with extraordinary performances from all three leads and an Oscar-nommed Bainter) and Lenny (brilliant), so I would love to see any of the other three, especially Clementine. But to see MacLaine or Hoffman discussing these movies--that makes me foam at the mouth with movie love!
Whatever you choose, you will love it--and say hi to Dame Julie for me and tell her that I am her biggest fan of all time!
Voted for "Lenny." Only seen that and "Malcolm X" from this lineup. I just think "Lenny" would be more your speed. Never heard of "The Children's Hour" (embarrassed).
oops sorry, Children's Hour, not House...typo
I'd go with Malcom X and The Children's Hour because I've seen the others projected before. If you haven't seen My Darling Clementine, though, you should absolutely see that.
I have seen all of these and so had a very hard time choosing what to vote for. But ... listening to Shirley Maclaine talk about Wyler, Hepburn, and lesbianism back in the 50's is the choice to go to. Even if the film isn't the best on the list, her talk will be fabulous.
My runner-up choice would be Dustin Hoffman & "Lenny". It was Hoffman at his best and Fosse being innovative.
42nd St, Malcom X, and My Darling Clementine are all classics of there respective genres, please go see them too if you have the chance.
I don't envy you the heat, but I do envy you seeing those films with those guests. Lucky you!
Such pleasant weather we're having out here! ;-)
Not all of Lillian Hellman gets on screen, Children’s Hour is a little out of synch for todays world but worthwhile for all the reasons expressed.
I would vote for Lenny…….so good, so different and a tour de force for both director and star
And My Darling Clementine is one of those beautifully shot westerns that make you forget it’s in black and white.
I'm torn between Lenny and The Children's Hour. I actually think The Children's Hour is fantastic (taking into account how dated it is)... it may be Audrey Hepburn's best performance, plus attending would give you the chance to see MacLaine! But Lenny is a great classic as well, and Baldwin is a terrific interviewer with a real love for film, I'm sure it would be great to see him interview Hoffman about his experiences working with Bob Fosse.
Lenny! I second Suzanne and others re Baldwin being there in person to talk to Hoffman. He did a fantastic job with Julie Andrews earlier this year on his podcast. Besides Lenny is a great movie.
Ugh--Anne Marie--I don't envy you and others waiting in those Santa Ana winds! Hey--did your series start? Did I miss a post?
Pam - The Santa Anas are making everyone a little nutty right now. And my series did start! It's called "Women's Pictures" and we'll be wrapping up Ida Lupino's directing career today!
Pam: you missed like six posts...
Lenny. It's Fosse, it's reference in All that Jazz and it isn't discussed enough (plus Lenny himself was a true original). No contest.