Representing Humanity Blogathon

Sam from Duke & The Movies recently started a very cool blogathon, and the big question we need to answer is:


Extraterrestrial forces land on Earth. Unknowing of our planet and society, you can pick five films from the history of cinema that represent humanity. What titles would you choose and why?


It's very hard to choose, but I would probably try to show the world as an extremely diverse, creative, yet complicated place to be in, also showing realistic movies, as they need to know what is Planet Earth! I will try to make it chronologically, because I think it might help them to better understand Earth and its inhabitants. 


1. A historical movie showcasing Ancient times, just so they can see the early stages of the planet and how it all started- it could be Ben-Hur, The Ten commandments, The Gladiator, Troy...you name it! I will choose The Ten Commandments, although I haven't seen it, so I may be wrong, but I think is what I am looking for to show them!

2. A period drama- for their costumes, the story, their manners and the conservative, yet passionate natures of people in those days. My pick: Pride&Prejudice (2005?)

3. A movie from or about the 20s-30s. Since we also need a musical to make them happy after all the previous dramas, I will go with Chicago

4. A movie about life, its trial and tribulations and with a normal, rather realistic scrip. I can't think of anything better than Paris, Je t'aime: multiple stories, great actors, amazing directors, and with believable storylines. 

5. The final one would be an action packed, entertaining type of movie that is currently topping the box office. This was pretty hard to decide, since there are big choices like Harry Potter, James Bond, The Dark knight, Lord of the Rings and so on, but I will stick with the current king of the world, as it has a great mix of drama, action, love, comedy and superheroes: Avengers

Not the most original choices, but I think these will help give a basic image of the world they are stuck in! Hope you like it and thank you Sam for the great idea!

Midnight In Paris [2011]

Director: Woody Allen

Writer: Woody Allen

Stars: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates

‘Paul: Nostalgia is denial - denial of the painful present... the name for this denial is golden age thinking - the erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one ones living in – it’s a flaw in the romantic imagination of those people who find it difficult to cope with the present.’

Woody Allen has his own style, his own genre of films. I haven’t seen all of his movies, but the few I did see had common details , like smart, funny lines, introspective thinking, with usual themes like love- for a person or a city. You don’t really expect from Woody Allen a lot of action or a fast pace...he likes to take things slow and relish on the important things; at least that’s what I observed.

This movie is no exception, but I loved it....and I find it a little different than most of them.  The story is about a man trying to write a novel while in Paris with his fiancée.  One night he wanders around the streets of Paris and is suddenly invited into an old, beautiful car that transports him into the 1920s, his favourite time period.

The rest is a succession of magic sets, with recognisable characters and lovely lines. If you’re not familiar, at least on a basic level, with universal literature and art, you won’t realise the importance and beauty of the people- Ernest Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso and others. 

Gil finally finds what he was looking for and starts a great adventure, each day waiting for midnight to come sooner so he can transport himself into the world that he loves and appreciates.  In the end he makes the right decision for him and starts living the life he was dreaming all this time.

I really liked this movie- the script was very sweet, inventive and interesting, the core subject was something that you can’t say it’s the most original thing in the world, but it represents a situation every human being wants to be in, at least once in their lives.  It’s an introspective story, it makes you reconsider some aspects of your life, but the main idea is perfectly reasonable and logic- people are never satisfied with their current situation or the time period they live in; they linger into the past, thinking they had it better. It shows you that you should appreciate and love the past, but always live in the present and make the best of it!

I highly recommend it- although if I can make a suggestion? Familiarise yourself with Paris in the 1920s, just names, places- it will help!

Did you see it? What did you like most about it?