What is it about the Movies?

So I’m kind of late in getting around to my discussion of The Glass Key film. Oops, sorry about that. But I find myself sitting wondering what it is about movies that makes them stick in my head. I’ve always been that kid who corrects others when they misquote a movie even if it’s just that they didn’t get the word order correct. I think part of that has to do with some OCD tendencies, but more importantly, I myself aspire to be a screenwriter and I wouldn’t want someone misquoting me! There really is something in not just the word choice, but the order and the tone and the body language… a movie can take all of these elements and BOOM! smack you in the face with them. There are always things going on that can’t be appreciated the first or even second time around. For this reason I was very glad that we were able to rewatch parts of The Glass Key during our discussion.

The ending was praticularly problematic for me because I found myself liking it despite the fact that it was quite ridiculous. I think that is where the real magic of film lies: the ability to make rational human beings forget reality for an hour or two and, even if just for a moment, believe that it’s possible that (N)Ed and Janet can just run off together with Paul’s blessing and everyone was ‘blissfully, blissfully happy.’ Ridiculous, right? But do we go to the movies because we desperately need to buy into this sillyness if only just for an hour or so? Maybe. And while the film’s ending did not have the sort of unsettling ending that the novel did, I will say that it was an ending that made me laugh even after I returned to my realistic mindset. I mean, seriously, Paul taking back the ring… that is class cinema. 🙂