Hosted by Dave Karger with filmmakers Doug Pray and Laura Gabbert
Just why do we love the movies so much? What is it about this medium which creates the effect it has on so many of us? Why do certain films resonate with people as much as they do? Why do certain films appeal to audiences both upon their initial releases and for generations afterwards? Why do people continue to rewatch certain films over and over? These are the big questions explored by esteemed UCLA film professor Howard Suber in his landmark book, “The Power of Film” published in 2006.
In an academic career spanning more than 50 years, Suber’s teachings helped pave the way to make film studies more than just the teaching of filmmaking techniques. Instead, they explore film as an art form and from a historical and critical aspect.
2024 will mark the release of a new documentary based on Suber’s most famous book. The Power of Film (2024) is a six-part series which combines footage from some of the most acclaimed and beloved movies of all time along with Suber’s own thoughts on why these films had such cultural and emotional impact on audiences, both upon their original release and still today.
Over six weeks, TCM host Dave Karger will be joined by documentary filmmakers (and former Howard Suber students) Doug Pray and Laura Gabbert for the premiere of a new episode of The Power of Film. Each new episode will coincide with a program of some of the “memorable popular films” (as Suber describes them) discussed in each episode of the series.
One of the first filmmakers to intentionally bring their own personal and political thoughts and beliefs to their films, and still one of the best to ever do so, was certainly Charles Chaplin. A true auteur, Chaplin wrote, directed, produced, scored and of course starred in the majority of his films. Chaplin recognized that the popularity of movies created an opportunity for an artist to create cultural change (or at least try to) and to express his own beliefs in an artistic and storytelling way. Probably Chaplin’s most openly political film was the satirical The Great Dictator (1940). Chaplin plays the dual roles of a Jewish Barber who has spent 20 years recovering from injuries sustained during World War I while also playing a fascist dictator set on global domination. Paulette Goddard is the beautiful girl who convinces the barber to join the resistance. Chaplin made this film when Europe was already in the throes of war against Nazi Germany, while the United States was still retaining an isolationist stance. The filmmaker bravely made no attempt to hide who he was mocking with his portrayal of a maniacal fascist dictator. More than just sporting a similar mustache, Chaplin made a point of imitating Adolph Hitler’s mannerisms and physicality. This makes for a stirring viewing experience and even more effective when the dictator is overthrown. Both Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt expressed their appreciation of Chaplin’s film. As profound as the film was (and still is) this would be Chaplin’s last feature film for seven years, until after the second World War.
Another filmmaker who took full control over his movies with great results was Orson Welles. At just 25 years old, Welles produced, directed, co-wrote and starred in the movie that many have called the greatest ever made. The tragic story told in Citizen Kane (1941) of a man’s blind ambitions and loss of innocence remains as spellbinding as ever. Welles portrays Charles Foster Kane, a man who sets out for money and power as a newspaper tycoon, and who loses all feeling for others in the process. Framed as a detective story and told in flashback, the story structure and cinematographer Gregg Toland’s deep focus photography set a standard for the films noir of the 1940s. The story was not so secretly based on the life of media mogul William Randolph Hearst. Hearst was so displeased with the film, he tried to stop distribution of the film. Fortunately for the history of movies, Hearst was not successful. Up until this film, Welles was known as a very successful theatre and radio personality who had produced and acted in several successful Broadway plays. RKO Studios offered the untried filmmaker an unprecedented deal to make his first movie, including choice of story, casting and technical team and even final cut. Though Welles used this freedom to create what is now considered a masterpiece, the film was not a commercial success upon release.
If there is such a thing as a perfect movie in the eyes of both critical scholars and mass audiences, Michael Curtiz’s World War II drama Casablanca (1942) may be about as close as it gets. In his most iconic performance, Humphrey Bogart plays Rick, the cynical American expatriate running a saloon in French Morocco. Rick’s lonely existence is suddenly changed with the unexpected arrival of his former lover Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) and her resistance leader husband (Paul Henreid). How this film came to be is a drama in and of itself. The film faced multiple casting and director changes, and the screenplay was in constant rewrites by five different writers up until the end of shooting. The entire cast had little confidence in the project, with each of the three lead actors expressing displeasure with the original script(s) and reportedly not getting along well with each other. Paul Henreid felt the part unsubstantial and only accepted the role when he was offered billing above the title with Bogart and Bergman. Bergman later recalled being given little direction from Michael Curtiz, never knowing which of her leading men her character was supposed to be in love with. However, the end result was a masterpiece which won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and is ranked by many as the most romantic movie ever made.
Great films with moving and emotional stories can inspire the real world, but it is important to remember that often the real world has moving and emotional stories which can inspire great films. The true story of how author and advocate Helen Keller first learned how to communicate as a blind and deaf child through the sheer determination of her teacher and caretaker Annie Sullivan is one of true inspiration. The Miracle Worker (1962) was a Tony winning Broadway play which inspired a successful and unusually faithful film adaptation. Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft won Oscars for reprising their Broadway roles as Helen and Annie. In turn of the century Alabama, blind and deaf child Helen has taken to angry tantrums and disturbing the family household. As a last resort before sending her to an asylum, Helen’s parents (Victor Jory and Inga Swenson) bring in Annie to try and teach Helen how to behave and communicate. The result is a battle of wills brought to stark and moving reality. Director Arthur Penn and screenwriter William Gibson were also the creatives behind the original Broadway play. When the play had been a smash on Broadway, United Artists offered Penn and Gibson a lucrative high budget deal for their film version, but with the caveat that they recast the leads with bigger stars (Elizabeth Taylor was reportedly mentioned to play Annie Sullivan). Fortunately, the team accepted a lower budget in exchange for casting the original Broadway cast.
Sometimes the most impactful Hollywood films are the ones that look upon Hollywood itself. No film portrays both the show business glitz and glamour along with the strife and turmoil like George Cukor’s A Star is Born (1954). The third of five films (to date), this is the quintessential fable of a performer who is on their way to the top alongside one who is slipping to the bottom. After a four-year absence from the screen, Judy Garland made one of the greatest appearances playing Esther Blodgett, an enormously gifted singer. James Mason is the heavy drinking movie actor who recognizes Esther’s talent and sets about making her a star. Both actors were nominated for Academy Awards for their moving performances. Much has been speculated about how this story of a great star being defeated by personal demons is a stirring example of art imitating life. Garland’s then husband Sidney Luft arranged the film through Warner Bros and produced the film with a whopping six-million-dollar budget and three hour running time. Unfortunately, the inflated production scared Warner Bros into cutting the film by 27 minutes which left noticeable holes in the story resulting in the film becoming a box office disappointment. After its restoration in 1983, the film has come to be known as one of the great film musicals, a great showcase for the talents of its stars and one of the great movies about the movies.
These film masterworks alongside the teachings of Howard Suber have inspired generations of both great filmmakers and great film scholars.
