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Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 (2007)
Makes me proud to be an American
I can't play piano, but in the 1960s-70s I grew up with a 1913 Steinway on which my mother practiced for several hours every day. When my parents first got married they were close to broke, lived in a tiny apartment, and almost never ate out, but they bought that Steinway so that she could have a great tool for her profession. She played the hell out of it for half a century, then traded it in for a new one which sounds even better.
I'm sure that a lot of people have nostalgic stories like this. Sure, nostalgia is nice, but these pianos truly are wonderful, and this documentary shows why.
I think that as Americans we really shine when we MAKE big beautiful things, whether airplanes, rockets, or pianos. It's even better that in this case many of the workers are immigrants who came looking for jobs. The interviews make clear that they stay at Steinway because they truly love what they do. My mom's an immigrant, too, and it's wonderful that she's playing an instrument made in Astoria, New York.
Watch this video and you'll come away smiling. Afterward, if you have the opportunity to buy a piano, cough up the bucks for a new Steinway--you'll get an absolutely superb instrument, and you've seen some of the good folks who make it, right here in the good ole US of A.
Pan Am (2011)
Fun, but give us more of the plane...
Okay, so the cockpit crew isn't quite right in terms of age, procedures, and attitude, but I can overlook that. The show's a blast to watch. Period details are right and the characters and plot lines are interesting.
My only gripe--not enough of the plane itself. A bit more work on the CGI to render a more realistic 707 would be nice, but I'd especially like them to get the sound right. That glorious shrieking, ringing sound is one thing I really miss.
One of the most interesting moments in the movie Titanic, whether you loved or hated the movie, was the extended CGI flyover of the ship from front to rear. Something like this could be worked into an episode without much trouble. Considering that quite a few viewers tuned in (ha, there's an old turn of phrase!) for the nostalgia of Pan Am and 707s, I suspect I would be the only one who would enjoy a brief visual love song to the 707. Music up front, but then fade to rising engine noise in taxi and takeoff.
Runaway Train (1985)
Wake up, whacko! It's like Casablanca!
"Wake up, whacko!" is one of the funniest lines in Runaway Train.
Since I use it to teach with, I have now seen Runaway Train probably two dozen times, and some scenes much more, as I replayed them for my own enjoyment or for thought. As you can guess, I'm a huge fan of the movie.
In fact, it's my second favorite movie of all time. The first is Casablanca. I think the two have a lot in common.
Manny in Runaway Train, and Rick in Casablanca, are protagonists who are cynical, self-interested, and ruthless. Each has been rendered callous partly by their choices in life, but also by the twists and turns that life has presented them. Each has been terribly scarred by a world which is uncaring, unfeeling, and unthinkingly oblivious to the sufferings of mere individuals. Each is imprisoned by circumstance and by their own pain. Both movies have huge streak of fatalism, existentialism, and determinism within them.
Yet, Manny and Rick are far more widely admired by those around them than they first understand. Neither grasps that they are perceived as heroes by people who possess less stubbornness and independence. The people around them are kinder, gentler and, yes, weaker. Still, Manny and Rick have a surprising quality--they actually care much more about others than they will admit. Watch Rick in Casablanca and you'll see how vulnerable he truly is. You'll see how much peace, happiness, and love mean to him, and get some hints (the earlier Spanish Civil War, inability to return to America, and lost love) as to why those things are so poignantly painful for him to think about. Watch Manny (carefully) in Runaway Train and you'll see how how much he cares about his friend Jonah, and how hard he tries to do some good for Buck.
And, Manny and Rick both face inner conflicts and painful moments of self-awareness followed by opportunities for courageous redemption. Although their choices have different consequences, once each has made his choice, he is immediately transformed into someone who is confident, at peace with himself, accepting of the price he has paid to do the right thing, happy he has truly done the work of a good man, and ready to face the future. In each movie, that transformational scene occurs at the end and is the highlight of the movie. We remember the climactic finale of each movie because those moments are the essence and message of each movie. The world hurtles onward regardless of us, but we do possess free will, the opportunity to make a difference, and the capacity to achieve inner freedom.
In terms of production and editing, Runaway Train and Casablanca have further similarities. Both are sparsely shot. Each shot counts, and each has a purpose, much like each word of dialog. If you think there's something wasted in Runaway Train, watch it again and ask yourself why the director did it that way. These also are movies in which the dialogue and characters are everything. Every sentence and facial expression matters. The dialogue is sparing yet meaningful, and the characters' subtle mannerisms and expressions communicate far more than the words alone. I can watch either movie and still find something new to notice or to think about.
So, there you have it. My two cents on why my two favorite movies of all time really are about the same things: the indifference of the universe and the suffering it inflicts, balanced by yearning, courage, and love.