Well, indeed, almost each of us has a couple of films in our hearts that we've watched a dozen times in our lives - and will watch the same number of times in the future. Moreover, these movies do not necessarily have to be Oscar winners or hit the box office. Often it’s even the other way around. For example, The Big Lebowski almost failed at the box office, grossing $17M in the U.S. with a budget of $15M - but the audience's reaction over time made it a cult classic.
It is probably symbolic that in the selection that we present to your attention today, only four movies were awarded the Oscar as the best film of the year (although The Lord of the Rings has enough statuettes en masse for nearly half the list, but these are all details...), so popular opinion often doesn't coincide with the viewpoints of the Academy members. The mechanism for the emergence of popular adoration is so unexpected and unpredictable that it's hardly possible to predict the iconic status of any particular movie.
"Why do we spend so much time with stories we already know?" Robert N. Kraft, Ph.D., writes in his dedicated article on Psychology Today. "The most obvious explanation for rewatching a movie, a series, or an episode is that we enjoy it. And the same reasons we enjoyed a show the first time are still there when we watch it again."
The researchers Cristel A. Russell and Sidney J. Levy in their study claim that “reconsuming can be an extraordinary experience, filled with the emotional luxury of delight, novel sensations, and intellectual insight.” Or maybe the reason is that most of the films presented in this collection belong precisely to that era when there was not so much varied content around us?
After all, the less content, the more unique it is. Perhaps the best example of this is football, with its seventeen regular season games, where each game is actually something special. Just agree, it’s hard to force yourself to re-watch a movie when there are thousands of films and shows available on Netflix or similar services!
#10
Be that as it may, many of us from time to time have a situation when we, for the umpteenth time, launch some old movie on TV, desktop, tablet or even phone, and with bated breath we follow the adventures of heroes familiar to us so we know every on-screen step of theirs, repeating lines and catchphrases that we know by heart.
Films that we'll warmly recommend to our kids, and will be incredibly happy if they share our preferences one day. Films that are so great to share with friends - by the way, why not share them here, in the comments to this post?
#14
#15
