In Amazon:
Review
"Every parent has asked for Ty Burr's book. Every movie-mad child will
steal it from the parents. This is a guide to classic movies for kids,
written with verve, humor, and pep. A winner." -David Thomson, author
of The New Biographical Dictionary of Film
"A treasure, a delight, and quite possibly a marriage-saver as well.
Ty Burr's advice on when, how, and even why to share with our children
the movies we cherish from our own youth is funny, hip, and wise. My
ten-year-old stole the book right out of my hands." -Julia Glass,
National Book Award-Winning Author of Three Junes
"Terrific, necessary, and carried out with integrity, intelligence,
sensitivity, and totally without condescension. Ty Burr's book can
lead to a lot of pleasure-of the life-long kind." -Peter Bogdanovich
Book Description
If a child can watch Barney, can't that same child also enjoy watching
Charlie Chaplin or the Marx Brothers? And as they get older, wouldn't
they grow to like screwball comedies (His Girl Friday), women's
weepies (Imitation of Life), and westerns (The Searchers)? The answer
is that they'll follow because they'll have learned that "old" does
not necessarily mean "next channel, please."
Here is an impassioned and eminently readable guide that introduces
the delights of the golden age of movies. Ty Burr has come up with a
winning prescription for children brought up on Hollywood junk food.
FOR THE LITTLE ONES (Ages 3-6): Fast-paced movies that are simple
without being unsophisticated, plainspoken without being dumbed down.
Singin' in the Rain and Bringing Up Baby are perfect.
FOR THE ONES IN BETWEEN (Ages 7-12): "Killer stories," placing easily
grasped characters in situations that start simply and then throw
curveballs. The African Queen and Some Like It Hot do the job well.
FOR THE OLDER ONES (Ages 13+): Burr recommends relating old movies to
teens' contemporary favorites: without Hitchcock, there could be no
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, without Brando, no Johnny Depp.
(end of Amazon excerpt)
And if that last paragraph sounds like heresy to you, please keep in
mind there ARE teens - and younger kids - who practically take pride
in never watching anything made before they were born. (I know The
Texas Chainsaw Massacre was made more than 20 years ago, but you know
what I mean.)
See here for more on the book (many of the descriptions are near the
bottom):
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.movies.past-films/browse_threa...hread/4
Lenona.
Movies