Stay Classy: Skaterdater

Maybe you’ve never heard of it. Maybe you’ve always wanted to see it. Or maybe you’re just tired of the new. Whatever your reason, the classics are always worth a nod. In Stay Classy, we look some of the films that started it all and how they hold up today. So sit back while we reel through the past.

Photo: boingboing.net

SKATERDATER

Year released: 1965

How it fared back then: Pretty well. The 16mm, 18-minute film was nominated for Best Short Subject at the Academy Awards. But it didn't take the Oscar home. However, at Cannes, writer and director Noel Black (who's since worked on One Life to Live, Kojak and The Twilight Zone) received both the Palme d'Or for Best Short Film and the Technical Grand Prize for it. Plus, it's also brought in a few from other international film festivals.

Why it's lasted: Mainly for nostalgic reasons. Although reviews and details on the film are scarce today, the few comments via Google search all reminisce about the film's original release. Case in point, one Boing Boing post reads: "I first saw this in 1967, when I was first grade, as the opening feature for a Saturday matinee in my Midwestern hometown. It's not exaggerating to say that this film influenced a lot of things in my life." Then, in 1971, Pyramid Media re-released the short (now available on DVD for the hefty price of $59, I might add). And then decades later, Google put up a black-and-white version for free.

Classic moment: Our skater protagonist knocking a little blonde girl off her bike (twice). Ah, the sprouts of young love. (Plus, it's the crux of the whole film.)

Does it still hold up? For a small artsy crowd, I'd say so. (Though the surf rock soundtrack died so long ago.) But although the coming-of-age story is for the most part universal, this film probably wouldn't do well with the masses. Aside from the fact that the short film platform today is rather small, if you're not actually looking to try something different (i.e. skaters, minimal dialogue and offbeat cinematography), you'd likely not find yourself watching it.

Stay Classy: Alice in Wonderland (1903)

Maybe you’ve never heard of it. Maybe you’ve always wanted to see it. Or maybe you’re just tired of the new. Whatever your reason, the classics are always worth a nod. In Stay Classy, we look some of the films that started it all and how they hold up today. So sit back while we reel through the past.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Year released: 1903

How it fared back then: The film was originally 12 minutes long. At a time when cinema itself was still very young, a night out at the movies meant viewing a collection of shorts, and a 12-minute film was considered too long. (HA!) So scenes from the film were instead sold separately and thus aired separately.

The making of the film was actually much like you'd imagine the production of a very, very small indie film, so small that the lead actress, Mabel Clark, also doubled as the studio secretary. The film also starred director Cecil Hepworth himself, his wife, his cat and his dog (who would later move onto bigger and better things, i.e. 1905's Rescued by Rover). Based on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Hepworth tried to keep the film as tried to keep as much as possible to the likeness of John Tenniel's original illustrations and ended up spending a much longer time than usual pre-production preparing costumes and sets (which was probably a lot of work considering the main set was a small wooden stage). Though I can't say as much attention was paid to the actual story (but maybe more than later adaptations did).

Why it's lasted: It was the first adaptation of the popular children's book, released 38 years after the book. The book itself is a classic in children's literature, which has also developed a devoted cult following of adaptations, the first of which was this version. The film was also noted for its state-of-the-art special effects (see: when Alice shrinks and, in a later scene, disappears). Almost lost forever, film archivists at the BFI National Archive were able to restore 8 minutes of the film and its original colours for the first time in 100 years. So, technically, it hasn't "lasted" but was deemed historically significant enough to be restored and revered.

Classic moment: When Alice shrinks. Then grows. Then shrinks. As I mentioned, it was also very advanced for its time in terms of effects. On a more literary note, it plays a big role in the story's theme as a symbolic entry into a world where nothing really makes sense.

Does it still hold up? For those aforementioned followers of Alice adaptations, this film is a rare gem. For anyone who doesn't fit that description, probably not. Considering the original intended audience of Alice was children, this is definitely not one for them. It's actually kind of creepy. And doesn't stick to the story very well. Though since the film was originally sold by scenes, maybe no one ever cared for the story anyway. But if you're looking for something for the kids, I'd go for Disney. If you're looking for something for yourself, I'd say try Burton's. Both are really good. But if you love the adaptations like I do, go for this one.

Don't You Forget About: Lick the Star

Sure, it's fun to catch the latest flick at the multiplex, or grab the newest release at a video store, but sometimes you just gotta say, "Out with the new, and in with the unknown." There are plenty of older flicks out there that are worth a rental, but never registered on your radar. In Don't You Forget About, we remember the long-gone gems, so you don't have to.

Photo: movieposterdb.com

WHAT it's about: Bullying, popularity, isolation and backstabbing. Featured around a clique of popular girls at school, led by one queen bee, it's a darker Mean Girls before Mean Girls. Without giving too much away (the film is only 14 minutes), it's about this film's "Regina George" trying to take school down. Literally.

WHO'S in it: The cast was comprised of primarily unrecognised actors then who have done only little to add to their resumes to date. You might only point out Peter Bogdanovich (who was then primarily a director, though has since gone to act on The Sopranos and various TV cameos) in his role as the high school principal.

WHEN it came out: 1998.

HOW come you haven't heard of (or just seen) it before: It's a short film by Sofia Coppola that she released at the Venice International Film Festival a year before her debut feature-length film, The Virgin Suicides. Besides being buried behind 13 years, it's also never been released on DVD (as far as I know). Though lucky for us, it sometimes airs on IFC and has been so conveniently uploaded to YouTube.

WHY you need to watch it - immediately!...