List: Movies for Vagabond Spirits

April 6th, 2008

It's snowing again. The local weather report says it will continue until Thursday.The moose outside my front window looks weary. Don't get me wrong. I love winter, but it's been 4 months since I've seen my front yard. Living at the base of the mountains I'll get more snow than they will in town. Good day to dive into the mixed collection of DVDs and videos for transportation via film to other (perhaps warmer) corners of the planet. I'm thinking I might not be the only vagabond using cinema for this purpose on days like today. My own personal film festival will include the following:

1) Gallipoli - This 1981 Peter Weir film beautifully tells the tale of a pair of Australian men (a classically gorgeous Mark Lee and a very young Mel Gibson) on their travels and travails becoming ANZAC soldiers in WWI. The cinematography in Australia and Egypt is breathtaking.

2) Roman Holiday - I've never been to Rome. I'm certain it's changed quite a bit since this classic introducing Audrey Hepburn to the world hit the theaters. But what a romp. Are there still dashing newspaper men like Gregory Peck's character willing to guide lost princesses around the Eternal City?

3) Out of Africa - I can probably quote every line in the film. The treatment of Karen Blixen stories about her time in Kenya make the African landscape as much a character as any of the people she encontered, as well it should be.

4) French Kiss - Who wouldn't want to explore Paris, the wine regions and the Blue Coast with Kevin Kline's charming, handsome thief. His French accent is perfect!

5) Wah Wah - A family drama set in the tiny African nation of Swaziland during it's peaceful transition to independence from Britain. This one holds strong personal ties, as it was playing on my flight back to the States after I'd spent several months in and out of the country in 2006. An independent film with a brilliant cast.

6) Lost in Translation - I really think Bill Murray deserved the Oscar for his performance as the tallest person in every room he enters in Japan. The scenes move effortlessly from big city frenzy to tranquil Zen gardens....and aren't you still wondering what he whispered in the young woman's ear at the end of the movie?

7) The Bourne Trilogy - Watch them in sequence or on their own. The action and intrigue are perfectly accented by the film locations.

So what movies would you add? That's enough from me. The walk isn't going to shovel itself.