Despite the headline on this post, I may not have learned absolutely everything from the movies. What would that say about art, poetry, music, the Nat Geo channel? However, I’ve gained immeasurable wisdom from my love of classic cinema. And so can you. Let’s focus first on valuable lessons from a sampling of movies from the 1930s–1960s, in alphabetical order.
The Apartment, 1960
Dir: Billy Wilder. Starring: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine
The lesson: What you really want or need may not be where you first look for it. There will be pressure to conform. Resist, and you may find yourself.
Dr. Dreyfuss (Jack Kruschen): “Be a mensch. Do you know what that means?”
C.C. Baxter (Lemmon): “No.”
Dr. Dreyfuss: “A human being.”
Casablanca, 1942
Dir: Michael Curtiz. Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains
The lesson: You never know where important new alliances will form. Life is about loyalties, shared purpose and sticking to your principles.
Rick (Bogart) to Louis (Claude Rains): “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
Dodsworth, 1936
Dir: William Wyler. Starring: Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Mary Astor
The lesson: It is possible to change your course, to open yourself to new opportunities. But you must be willing to abandon old definitions.
Sam Dodsworth (Huston) to Edith Cortwright (Astor): “I’ve been doing things to life for a while. I’ve decided to let life do things to me.”
Double Indemnity, 1944
Dir: Billy Wilder. Starring: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson
The lesson: Holding onto your integrity is essential. Temptations persist in a noir universe, but honor wins out.
Walter (MacMurray): “Don’t let’s start losing our heads, that’s all.”
Phyllis (Stanwyck): “It’s not our heads. It’s our nerve we’re losing.”
Rashomon, 1950
Dir: Akira Kurosawa. Starring: Toshiro Mifune
The lesson: Truth often resides at the edges. Pay attention to differing points of view.
“Which of these stories do you believe?”
“None makes any sense.”
2 Comments
Great post, Candace.
These are timeless films and lessons. Thank you for sharing them.