Love, war, politics, religion, power, penance, friends and family – something was up in the 1960s when it was decided to have Peter O’Toole play King Henry II twice in movies which deal with these same themes: Becket and A Lion in Winter. The following two scenes, from A Lion in Winter show how far we have gone in the world: today so-called great movies are about the newest, most awe-inspiring spectacle; back in the 1960s, a movie needed more, it needed actors who could act and a tight script. Indeed, if it had those two things, it could still be great – even if the budget is too low to place any visual spectacle on the screen.
Today, there seems to be a belief that one goes to be entertained to get away from everything, including, and especially, thought. While clearly I believe that the movie industry is a worthy enterprise, I do think entertainment and leisure does not need to be mindless, as Anxietas said so well.
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