"I hadn't really thought about it before, but that might be the problem with our whole entire civilization! Walt Disney!"
~The Patriarch
We talk about The Lord of the Rings, Redwall, Watership Down, Narnia, mythology, Harry Potter, the Freddy the pig books, danger in children's stories, and the difference between a contribution and a commitment. Are happy endings a good thing? Also: The Patriarch reads Good Night Moon.
I think I could fall asleep to the Patriarch reading Goodnight Moon, provided it also had "The Parting Glass" in the background.
ReplyDeleteI was just reading Roger Ebert's Great Movies essay on It's a Wonderful Life, and a couple lines reminded me of your discussion here about hope versus despair in the movies. I agree with you Hannah that I find depressing, morbid twists just for the sake of being depressing and morbid to be kind of hollow. Ebert notes that while It's a Wonderful Life plumbs surprisingly dark depths, it's ultimately hopeful and redemptive:
"George Bailey stares into the depths of despair and loses faith in his fellow citizens, but pulls back from the brink. The picture concedes that evil exists and that the world can be a sad and lonely place, but at the end all is back in place... We sense all along, even at the gloomiest moments, that we are on a journey to hope."
This is my favorite version of Goodnight Moon.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1V89-fI4po