Lockdown film recommendation: Dumbo (1941) U

Many of you are probably familiar with the Dumbo story, especially due to the 2019 release of Tim Burton’s CGI laden remake. Considering the original was made almost 80 years ago (!), I encourage you all to revisit the beautiful original animation.  

The premise: there’s a new baby elephant at the circus who happens to be a little different: he’s got enormous ears! The other animals ridicule him for this and, as his mother tries to defend him, they are separated, leaving Dumbo to fend for himself. Luckily, he meets Timothy, a mouse who helps Dumbo discover he has an unusual talent. 

Why is it so good? 

Disney has become a household name, synonymous with high-quality family entertainment, stories of great friendships and adorable anthropomorphism (giving animals human characteristics) and the studio’s fourth feature film, Dumbo, is no exception. The traditional, hand-drawn animation is far more simple than previous Disney feature films, due to economic constraints, but it still manages to retain a high level of realism, with the animators famously bringing real elephants into the studio to study their motion for accuracy in their drawings. The trippy pink elephant scene is so memorable due to the extremely catchy song ‘Pink Elephants on Parade’ and for demonstrating seamless transformation and metamorphosis, harking back to the early days of animation in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

  

As with many of the classic Disney animations there are universal themes and messages aplenty in Dumbo. Perhaps the most important one for me is that you should use what makes you different as your strength, a message that we all need reminding about from time to time - what makes us different, makes us great! 

Considering Dumbo was made to recoup the losses from ‘Fantasia’ (1940), I believe the studio has produced a timeless classic that will have you teary-eyed and laughing in equal measures. 

At a mere 64 minutes, it should be easy to find the time to watch this wonderful coming-of-age fable and, interestingly, Dumbo is the very first Disney protagonist to not speak at all in a feature film, can you think of any others?

Lockdown film recommendation: Rear Window (1954) PG

Ever wondered what it would be like to be stuck in your house all the time with only your neighbours to watch? Well, due to this lockdown we all have some idea of what this is like now, but we are lucky enough to have a vast array of technology to entertain us. However, long before the quarantine and minus all the devices, Alfred Hitchcock used this idea for his masterpiece Rear Window.

The premise: photojournalist L.B Jefferies (brilliantly played by James Stewart) is stuck in his New York apartment due to having a broken leg. He occupies his time, during a sweltering heat wave, by observing his neighbours and ends up thinking one of them may have committed a horrific crime. However, is this just a figment of Jefferies’ over-active imagination or has his neighbour really murdered his own wife?

Why is it so good? 

Alfred Hitchcock is, rightly, known as the master of suspense and this film really shows off his slow-burning storytelling skills. It is very easy to rely on action-packed, fast-paced movies these days for entertainment but Rear Window reminds us that good storytelling and character development do not need to be accompanied by special effects and action to be entertaining. As our lives have slowed down, now is the time to enjoy a much slower style of film. 

Hitchcock immerses us in the New York apartment and perspective of the protagonist Jefferies through the use of long takes, a slowly drifting and panning camera and plenty of point of view shots, allowing us as the audience to feel like we are there. Dialogue is crucial to this film and the well-written script, especially the humorous interactions between Jefferies and his nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter), also help to draw us into this world. This is an astutely observed film, with the subtle interactions and observations of the neighbours giving everyone something to identify with.  

If you are new to the work of Alfred Hitchcock or Classical Hollywood cinema then Rear Window is a great film to start with. Hollywood stars James Stewart and Grace Kelly are a joy to watch and  we are transported to a time when life was very different. 

Rear Window explores people’s desires, imagination and obsession as well as exploring voyeurism which, in a time where social media is such a large part of our lives, feels very apt. 

I encourage you all to step out of your comfort zone and try something different, you might be pleasantly surprised! 

Lockdown film recommendation: Jurassic Park (1993) PG

In these troubled times, what better way to escape than with a classic monster movie and this one certainly passes the test of time. 

The premise: a theme park with genetically engineered dinosaurs has been developed by John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), who invites palaeontologists Dr Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and his own grandchildren to test out the park. The problem: a power failure results in the dinosaurs being let loose…

Why is it so good? 

With a combination of animatronics and CGI, the special effects are impressive, especially for when it was made. Both the characters and the dinosaurs are believable and even the smaller character roles are well-developed. Jeff Goldblum is particularly amusing as chaotician  Dr Ian Malcolm and has some of the best lines in the film: 

“Your Scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they Could, they didn’t stop to think if they Should.”

Jurassic Park is a film to be enjoyed on many levels, on the one hand it is a classic popcorn blockbuster to be entertained by but, it also has depth and will make you consider what is ethically and morally right at this time of huge technological advancements.  

There are some of the most iconic scenes in cinema within this film and the classic chase scene has never been so tense. Expert Hollywood composer John Williams provided the iconic music for the film with director Steven Spielberg successfully turning a story into an event. The film cleverly fuses the past with the future, providing entertainment and thrills along the way, as well as humour in all the right places. This is blockbuster filmmaking at its best and all the family can enjoy it.

Jurassic Park is a hugely successful film franchise, so you might as well start at the beginning and indulge in all 5 films while you have the opportunity! 

Jurassic World 3 is anticipated to be released in cinemas next year.

“Welcome to Jurassic Park”