This isn’t bookish, not exactly, although The Invention of Hugo Cabret provides much of my inspiration. If you are unfamiliar with the book, movies—especially early silent films—play an important role in the story, as one of the main characters is Georges Méliès, an early French film maker credited with a number of developments in the history of cinema. At the end of the book author Brian Selznick lists a number of early films, by Méliès and others, which were either mentioned in the novel or inspirational to its development. A light bulb went off, and I found myself ordering all the various films from the library. A short time later, Richard of Caravana de recuerdos introduced his Foreign Film Festival, and I knew a project was in sight.
Cinematic Treasures: A Viewing Project
I wish to attempt to watch more of two categories of films: 1) Movies that are deemed “classic” or “important” in the history of film and 2) foreign films. For me, “foreign” means anything not (originally) in English; I suppose I could classify British movies as foreign to me, but I watch so many British dramas on PBS that I can’t think of them as foreign even though from another country than I. As for “classic” or “important,” well, we all know what a can of worms that is involving books, so I suppose I mean those movies that can be pointed at as specifically influential or that are the ones everyone mentions over and over again. Or for that matter, just those movies that I particularly want to see. I’m not fussy about definitions. (Although, if it’s from the last say, 15 years or so, I probably won’t be talking about it.)
I mean this as an informal project. I don’t have a list of movies to see that I intend to post, and I may not blog about all the movies that I watch. There are no deadlines, no set goals, just a written reminder that I really want to see more of these films.
Recommendations are always welcome! Or, if your looking for ideas yourself, please see the links below.
Simpler Pastimes 
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