The Oscars are now over, and much to the delight of conservatives across America, neither George Clooney nor Brokeback Mountain managed a clean sweep. It seems good old-fashioned racism (i.e., Crash) is as far out on a limb as Hollywood is willing to go with respect to social commentary. It's worth peeking at some of the conservative blogs to see what America's grumpy white men are saying about Clooney these days. Amusingly, the patrons of Ace of Spades HQ hate the entire catalog of Clooney's work (as well as his politics), except for O'Brother, Where Art Thou. Go figure - the one character with which conservatives can identify is an uneducated, crooning, redneck convict.
Meanwhile, as a counter to the immoral fanfare of the Oscars, film producer Michael Class has been promoting the American Values Awards for family-oriented film-making. His picks: Cinderella Man, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Star Wars: Episode III and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Yep, nothing says "family-values" like movies about boxing, the proliferation of evil throughout the universe, and witchcraft. After all, it's far more important that Americans learn what drove Darth Vader to the dark side than the intricacies of U.S. econcomic, energy, and foreign policy or the humanity of gays.
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Hello.
I am Michael Class.
Regardless of what the newspapers and media critics may say, I am not a movie producer. I am an author, photographer, and publisher. I am a married father of two children. I am an ordinary person.
I published a book about American history. I used advanced digital photography to place my real-life twelve-year-old son, Anthony, in the cockpit of the Spirit of St. Louis with Charles Lindbergh, on the moon with Neil Armstrong, and on Normandy beach on D-Day (among other places). The result: It looks like my son really did meet Thomas Edison, Jonas Salk, FDR, Lou Gehrig, Charles Lindbergh, and Audie Murphy. I did this because I wanted to capture the interest of today's kids by turning American history into a grand time travel adventure. It's fun, but it is also authentic history: even Anthony’s conversations with the people of the past are based on things they really said.
Anthony visits America’s past by stepping through a Magic Picture Frame. But, I decided to include a "built-in time machine" that young adults can use to see, hear, and experience the past. The book includes recommendations for 461 books, 600 movies, 217 songs, and 155 places to visit. I think this unique approach excites young adults about American history, and helps parents and teachers promote an appreciation for America’s past.
But the book is also challenging. It was meant to be. The book presents the moral lessons of American history, and prepares kids for the future. The chapter about Lindbergh’s flight is about perseverance. The story of Lou Gehrig is one of a virtuous life. The chapter about Thomas Edison is really about business. The story of Apollo 11 is about wonder, taking risks, and courage. The story of Dr. Jonas Salk and the cure for polio is really about dedicating one’s life to a higher purpose. Anthony’s observation of D-Day and the liberation of the death camps during the Holocaust is a testament to the reality of evil and the need to fight it.
While recounting his adventures, Anthony discusses the nature of good and evil, right and wrong, war and peace, what it means to be an American, honor and discipline, success and achievement, courage and destiny, marriage and family, God and purpose. Anthony compares the people and events of the past with the people and events of his own time. Anthony’s observations prompt serious discussion of timeless moral questions.
Because of this, the movies I selected for the book - 600 in all - are also challenging. They run the gamut from movies that deal with good versus evil, to movies that deal with role models and strength of character in adversity. But in each, there is an example to follow.
I wrote the book to provide inspiration to young adults - to follow in the footsteps of some great American heroes. The lesson that Anthony learns during his time-travel adventures is what the heroes of the past tell him: "The purpose of life is to live a life of purpose, and doing the right thing always matters."
So, when I selected movies for 2005 for the American Values Awards, I had that in mind. I created the American Values Awards for Movies and Television. And why not? There are awards for best documentary, best horror film, best science fiction film - why not an award that celebrates the values that Americans hold dear? Why not a list of movies worth watching because they inspire? I will make the award every year. I will also invite people to nominate their favorite movies for the award. Many already are.
You can see the complete list of winners for 2005 here: www.magicpictureframe.com.
I chose Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as a "movie worth watching" because it is part of a series that is about the battle of good versus evil. Of course, I anticipate that good will triumph over evil. I also chose the Harry Potter films (more than one makes my list of winners) because they are stories of friendship and loyalty: Harry tries to never lets his friends down, and if he fails, he tries to correct it and make up for it. Harry is admirable. I have always been a fan of the Harry Potter films and books for these reasons.
I can not recommend Brokeback Mountain because the main character, Ennis, allows his infidelity to destroy his marriage and family. Ennis does not tell his friend Jack, "No, I can't be with you." Ennis does not say: "I have made a commitment to my wife and children and I will honor it." Instead, Ennis chooses to enter into an adulterous affair for 20 years. Some people will say Ennis had no choice, but the facts are clearly presented in the movie: Ennis was engaged to be married before he went up on the mountain with Jack. When Ennis came down from the mountain, he married and spent four years loving his wife and daughters, creating a family. But then, when an unexpected postcard arrives in the mail from Jack four years later, Ennis chooses to see him. Then, Ennis chooses to begin an adulterous affair.
Brokeback Mountain makes a point about prejudice, but it does so in a negative way, not an inspiring way. Imagine if REMEMBER THE TITANS or GLORY ROAD portrayed the racially integrated teams (football and basketball, respectively) as losing the championships, and the team members dropped out of school emotionally broken and frustrated and penniless. It would pull at the heartstrings and makes you feel quilty about the prejudice that destroyed them - like Brokeback Mountain does. But what is there to emulate? Where is the inspiration? Instead, by showing the two sports teams winning, the two movies prove that everything people thought about them was wrong. A much stronger point is made because these team members rise above the prejudice and have courage and exhibit behavior that is worth emulating. In fact, like Ennis, many team members are faced with choices - to continue or not, to sacrifice or not. The team members are role models. And the movies are inspiring.
Brokeback Mountain also proposes that all human relationships are equal. Well, all humans are equal, but all relationships are not equal. So, I would suggest that the relationship between Ennis and his wife and children is more important - has greater weight and significance - than his relationship with Jack. Ennis did not weigh his relationships properly, he chose one over the other wrongly, and it destroyed him and his family. Jack does the same thing, amounting to two whole families, wives, and children destroyed. Brokeback Mountain may have a place on a list of tragedies - but not on my list.
I also did not recommend Syriana and Munich. Syriana blames America for terrorism, which is just plain wrong: Osama bin Laden stated his reasons for attacking America in a "Letter to America," published around the world. Munich confuses justice with vengeance, and morally equates counter-terrorism with terrorism. The opening screen for Munich states: "Inspired by true events," meaning that the direction of the story is made up. There are some very good documentaries that interview the actual Israeli agents who carried out the mission to hunt the terrorists: the agents do not doubt the morality of what they did, and they also point out that the terrorists were actively plotting further attacks.
Finally, I had high hopes for my favorite science fiction story: I really wanted to include War of the Worlds on my list, but I choked on one of the deviations from H.G. Wells’ book. Why couldn’t it feature a married father defending his family, instead of a divorced father? Why do Hollywood screenwriters seem to think every family is “broken?” Fortunately, the 1960 original is excellent.
So, there you have it. I don't advocate censorship. I don't plot the overthrow of America by a sinister conservative movement. I list 600 movies in my book - and I choose movies every year for the values and messages they advocate. And, I present my reasons for selecting certain movies as "worth seeing."
I'm an ordinary person just trying to do what the American heroes in my book suggest all people should do: "Live a life of purpose. Make a positive difference. Try to do the right thing."
I wanted to provide a history lesson to America's next generation, and at the same time give them some things to think about. Some ideas to challenge them. I do that by letting the heroes of America's past speak directly to them through Anthony in the book. I hope that the words and the deeds of American heroes will inspire today's young Americans to do great things, and make the tough choices a successful life requires.
Michael Class
www.MagicPictureFrame.com
"Why not an award that celebrates the values that Americans hold dear? Why not a list of movies worth watching because they inspire?"
I suppose I object to the rather narrow conceptualization of what it takes to inspire and what values Americans hold dear. America is not homogeneous, and the so-called "culture wars" would appear to be a rather peculiar debate over whether nations should strive for homogeneity, and if so, in what form. Is there a prescribed set of values that I must embrace in order to be an American, and if so, who gets to choose what those are? If Class is interested in challenging American, and particularly its youth, then it would seem that showing them America, both the positives and the negatives (and the fact that sometimes it's a wash) is the most robust path.
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