Keaton, Chaplin, Miyazaki.
How about some titles and the time I should watch them? For example, The General when your son is five, etc. I haven’t really thought about when I will actually show them a film and what film that would be. The silent slap stick films might be good when they’re both young (5-8 years of age), but, then again, I don’t want them to try some of stunts!
Btw, I would also welcome films when they become teenagers; in other words, films from when they’re 4 or 5 until they become adults.
I think trying to show a kid old movies first instead of new ones so they “appreciate them” is despicable. The grammar of the moving image has had over 100 years to develop, has done so very quickly and understands our intuition well enough while still throwing lots of complex, intelligent and imaginative stuff at us, that to try and raise a mind on that is almost child abuse.
Let them watch cartoons and develop a love of whatever they want, instead of what you want. Guide them in the right direction, by all means, but your plan comes off a little too Clockwork Orange to me.
Ichi the Killer, or the Isle maybe? The Audition would be good too.
Oh, Crobley, you just lost all credibility with me. :)
I’m a little thrown back by the “despicable” and "Clockwork Orange* comments. If you guys have children, don’t you look foward to watching films with them? I’m basically trying to make a list of films and also determine the best time for them to watch it (e.g. I’m not showing The Audition when my children are in Kindergarten). This is not going to be the only films they will be able to see.
The Wizard of Oz, The Thief of Bagdad, and Babe come to mind.
They’re the only films my kids will see…
There is a difference between sharing a film with your kid because it has carved a large personal place in you and showing them something because you think it’s good for them, particularly in the realm of art. Phrases like “I haven’t really thought about what films they should see at what particular points in their lives” set off distinct warning signs of trying to manufacture a perspective on life rather than allowing one to develop, which will only end badly for you and them.
Pixar films
“Phrases like “I haven’t really thought about what films they should see at what particular points in their lives” set off distinct warning signs of trying to manufacture a perspective on life rather than allowing one to develop, which will only end badly for you and them.”
What I actually meant is that some films are inappropriate at a particular point in time. For example, films like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings would probably be too violent and traumatic for a 5-7year old. There are also certain films that should be seen at a certain time to really enjoy. For example, teenagers seeing The Wizard of Oz for the first time probably won’t enjoy it as much as elementary aged children. That’s the sort of thing I originally meant.
But I don’t see anything wrong with having a list of films to introduce to your children for educational purposes. I understand that parents can be too overbearing about such things, and that’s definitely not good.
Are you some of you objecting to this idea that as a parent I shouldn’t be controlling what my children see and when they see it? I think that would surprse me if that’s what you guys are saying.
Jurassic Park and Toy Story were both obsessions of mine when I was 7 and 8, you should definately show them those.
“But I don’t see anything wrong with having a list of films to introduce to your children for educational purposes. I understand that parents can be too overbearing about such things, and that’s definitely not good.”
How is that any different from any fundamentalist Christian not seeing anything wrong with taking their kid to church every Sunday for a religious education, even if they’re less overbearing about it than some? Your job is not to dictate culture (beyond the earliest and most formative of years, obviously) but to give a kid the tools to understand it and decide where they want to place themselves in it.
Jazzaloha – I have a great book for you called “The Film Club” by David Gilmour. It’s a book that came out maybe a year ago and it’s a very easy read and is a non-fiction book about a guy (I believe he’s a Canadian journalist?) who was having trouble with his teenage son. He made his son an offer that he would allow his son to drop out of high school if his son agreed to watch three movies with him each week (and they would alternate picking out films). On the surface, it sounds like an outrageous and irresponsible thing for a parent to do but when you read the book, it’s quite touching. Not only does the father get to show his son some remarkable films but they form a very strong bond.
I realize this doesn’t address your immediate concern and reason for your post but I thought you might find the book interesting.
And also, I want to echo your thoughts that can’t wait to have children and be able to share with them the experience of watching and discussing film. Like taking your kid to a baseball game, it can be a great way to bond.
I don’t know if your kids are multilingual or not, but I would totally recommend Truffaut’s Small Change. It’s like a better little rascals. Plus, it’s a film that I thoroughly enjoyed both as a child and an adult.
Bruce said, “Your job is not to dictate culture (beyond the earliest and most formative of years, obviously) but to give a kid the tools to understand it and decide where they want to place themselves in it.”
People will differing about when culture should or should not be “dictated.” It is inevitable that parents will control the cultural environment of their children, at least if we’re talking about responsible parents. I think the key is not whether parents have control over their children’s cultural/media environment or not, but how they handle it. For me, I’m not one to force my likes and dislikes on my child (at least I hope I don’t), but that doesn’t mean I can’t introduce them to films, does it?
Fredo,
I heard an interview with the author on NPR, and I was waiting for our public library to pick it up. It really did sound interesting, and it’s the kind of thing (seeing and discussing films) with my children. It’s good to know the book is worth reading. I’ll be on the look out for it.
Emily,
I’ve never seen Small Change. At what age, should I show this to my children?
When my children are early teens, I was thinking about showing them films like Mask or maybe even Raising Victor Vargas although that might be more appropriate when they’re in high school. The Bicyle Thieves might be good when they’re in upper elementary.
I have a son and a daughter, too, so I’m planning some for one or the other. I want to make sure I find some action/adventure films with strong female leads. (I was wondering if my daugther would feel left out watching the Star Wars series.)
Let your child grow up with classic Disney animated features; Sword in the Stone, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Fox and the Hound, Bambi, Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Hercules, Mulan, Pocahontas, The Lion King, Oliver and Company, The Aristocats…
Then move into the darker fare, such as James and the Giant Peach, The Nightmare Before Christmas…Before going into Pixar, please introduce your child to Hayao Miyazaki. Kiki’s Delivery Service & My Neighbour Totoro are great starting points, before you delve into Ponyo, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Nausicca, or Laputa. Save Princess Mononoke & Grave of the Fireflies for a date when they can appreciate them.
Pixar is also great for children. Toy Story 1 & 2, Monsters Inc, A Bug’s Life…
I can second The Film Club by Gilmour… excellent read.
Show them movies that make them imagine. Star Wars is perfect. Kids typically only respect things that scare them a little, which is why Mom’s veiled threats to kill me were so effective. Throw some Hitchcock in there too. The Birds scared the crap out of me when I saw it, but I loved it, I found myself going back and revisiting it later in life. I think I was eight. Top Gun was the first movie I ever saw, loved it. Any movie that makes them dream or hope is a good movie to show them.
I think it is perfectly acceptable to inject a little culture into your children’s lives. Since you asked for a yearly breakdown and no one is willing to provide it, I will.
Age 4 – Wizard of Oz, Fantasia, Bambi
Age 5 – Star Wars, Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Pinnochio, Snow White
Age 6 – Jurassic Park, King Kong, Toy Story, It’s a Wonderful Life
Age 7 – The Birds, E.T.
Age 8 – Lord of the Rings 1,2 and 3
Age 9 – Rocky, Thief of Baghdad, Alien
Age 10 – Blazing Saddles, Ben-Hur, Terminator 2
Age 11 – Seven Samurai, Rear Window
Age 12 – Casablanca, To Kill a Mockingbird, Bicycle Thieves
Age 13 – Citizen Kane, It Happened One Night, Divorce Italian Style
Age 14 – Spellbound, Maltese Falcon, The Godfather
Age 15 – Pulp Fiction, The Shining, Schindler’s List
That should satiate theirs and your hunger for film, in the years to come. Congratulations on your new kids! My they have long and healthy lives, and put you in a nice nursing home.
It’s sort of a parents job to choose what their kids should be watching, so I see nothing wrong with this exercise at all; although I would hardly go so far as to call it or foresee it as a curriculum. Frankly, be sure to set the boundaries for TV watching in the first place – films should not be the be all and end all for our youth. Keep SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN for a rainy day; otherwise push them outside and get them to be active. Also let them know their boundaries early on. I think this is what you are going for when you mentioned a curriculum for each age: you want to make sure what they are watching is age appropriate. So obviously no NATURAL BORN KILLERS at 4.
Your kids will obviously form different nostalgia from yourself, so just pick age appropriate films when you can. They will obviously have influences from commercials, friends, school, etc. and will want to see whatever is a hot property (when they’ve developed substantially in the cognitive domain). Otherwise, pick the regulars: Disney, Wizard of Oz, etc. I know that I have very fond memories of older films like GUYS AND DOLLS, NEWSIES and WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, as my family was pretty inclined towards musicals. I also watched quite a few LAUREL & HARDY films. So you don’t need to keep everything contemporary.
JAZZALOHA,
I have two two-year-olds who have been exposed to film from a very early age. It never hurts to step outside the obvious I think. My kids have mostly been interested in color, shape, movement, and music so far, so they love Oskar Fischinger’s work and other abstract animation, for example.
“How is that any different from any fundamentalist Christian not seeing anything wrong with taking their kid to church every Sunday for a religious education, even if they’re less overbearing about it than some?”
Well, those children aren’t denied scientific explanations, are they? People learn about biology etc. as a part of a compulsary curriculum at school. What Jazz hopes to do is to give them something beneficial (the science of this example), i.e. good films. I say shower them with greatness, and if they decide to turn to Transformers 2 and Pixar films in the end then let them. But show them the very best, so they at least know it’s out there, unlike a lot of today’s moviegoers. Culture requires attention from an early age. By the time they’re teenagers…they should probably be making their own decisions about what to watch, or they’ll want to be doing just that, and I don’t think any 13 year old will gravitate towards Citizen Kane.
Chaplin’s entire filmography is excellent for children of all ages. Miyazaki is tops in the animation world. He’ll add a dash of colour and imagination to your screen.
GREY – nicely said. I agree that wanting to introduce, or at least make available to your kids films of quality and diversity is a good thing.
After all, when you’re 5 years old your don’t really have many options for choosing what films you watch – you can’t very easily go online and check out what’s playing or read the reviews on films – you can’t even read the TV guide or the synopsis of a film on the cable menu.
Your parents or other adults in your life are pretty much the only film influences you have at an early age. Even after you’ve reached the age where you can read about what’s out there, it never hurts to have someone broaden your choices. I’m forever grateful to my “pseudo-aunt” (she was my mom’s best friend) who used her precious weekends to take me and my sister to the old L.A. historical theaters to watch cool horror films like “The House the Dripped Blood” or “Tales from the Crypt” and the Hammer Dracula films with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.
And it was my parents who took me to my first drive-in movies. Watching classic Disney films from the back of our station wagon when I was 4 or 5 years old was a priceless experience that planted the seeds of my future passion and deep appreciation for film. That’s why I take every opportunity to turn my nephews on to interesting films that they wouldn’t otherwise know about just by going to the local cineplex or catching the latest feature on HBO for their movie-watching. I think it makes a person’s world a little bigger when new
things enter into it, doesn’t it? As long as it’s not forced down their throats like going to church sometimes is (although my parents never did that to me…).
I agree with a lot of the recommendations already made here, so I don’t have much to add. Although, I think a little bit of scariness or violence isn’t always bad at an early age – it may give them nightmares for awhile, but it does a lot in the way of expanding the imagination I think. I could be wrong though… I’m just speaking from my own experience. I’m really grateful for having been able to see
glimpses of the “dark side” every now and then in the movies when I was young. It was a hell of a lot more interesting than 2 hours of colorful talking animals and happy people all the time.
Susan,
It’s hard to know which darker films to allow and when. Some children’s films have some dark elements in them (i.e. James and the Giant Peach or Nightmare Before Christmas). On a related note, I’ve toyed with the idea of showing my children psycho at a relative young age (say 10 or 11) because once they get too old, they’ll probably have seen many clips from the film, which would ruin it. I saw Psycho in its entirety for the first time a few years ago, and it had no effect on me because I saw most of the film. The film is the greatest “set-up” of all-time, too. Still, I don’t think I’m going to show them this until later.
Grey and Andres,
We’re on basically the same wavelength.
Rawdeal,
Thanks for the list. That’s the kind of thing I was looking for. I like the Fantasia idea at 4. I wonder if my kids would be bored by it, though. I think Star Wars at 5 might be too scary, and I don’t know if they would fully appreciate it. I can’t argue much with those picks otherwise. (Pulp Fiction at 15 might be a little too early.)
Matt,
What specific films would you recommend by Oskar Fischinger? Based on your post, I assume you already starting showing films to your children. How has that experience been for your children? My children really don’t watch TV or any films (except when they are their grandparents, but even then, they’r not plunked in front of the TV) yet. We’re hoping they develop a love of reading and imaginary play. But I’m not sure when I’m going to start showing them films. Four sounds like a good age.
It would be great to show them stop-motion short films sort of the Wallace and Gromit’s or by Eastern Europe animators (Starewicz, Jiri Trnka, Yuri Norstein,etc). Here is one I specially like and which can be understood by anybody (not to mention it’s utterly cute)
start with salo and work your way down to boobahs
After they’ve been reading for a few years, definitely watch La Belle et la Bete. It’s the perfect introduction to foreign film because they will by then already know the story. And even though it’s from cinema’s early days, it’s still very impressive visually. Also M. Hulot’s Holiday. Actually, all of Tati’s films are good for kids since they rely a lot on visuals. If they like cars, show Trafic. They’ll love it.
The screwball comedies from the 30s and 40s are great for any age. Bringing Up Baby especially. Also It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World (although that came much later).
And of course musicals. Singin’ In The Rain, Meet Me In St. Louis, and Swing Time are especially choice.
Disney is always the best place to start when they’re young. I’d recommend Cinderella when they’re really young (no really scary villain and no one dies during the film) and after that just feel them out. A lot depends on your kids’ personalities. As their personalities become more developed, it will become more and more clear what they will be interested in on film. Your decisions will eventually make themselves.
How about Children of the Damned or Village of the Damned?
Just kidding.
I’d absolutely recommend WHISPER OF THE HEART (my most favorite non-Miyazaki Studio Ghibli film so far) and try showing it in Japanese w/ English subtitles. I know it’s hard to catch up when you’re a kid but you don’t want them to experience the horrors of dubbing, do you?
What else? Why not recommend something “non-wholesome” and a little bit too violent or sensual? I heard about someone who grew up watching Come Drink With Me, a martial arts film with fake blood and whatnot, and I think a lot must have grown up with horror films, etc. and you don’t see them turning into serial killers or rapists.
But then again, you are watching the movies along with them so I can’t recommend those but then again, they can watch those other movies in their own time when the parents aren’t looking (I’m wicked XD).
I think the old musicals, old romance/comedy films, etc. have been recommended to death. So of course, THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN, THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, LES MAITRES DU TEMPS, and THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN. I can’t think of anything else right now.
Jazzaloha
My children (age two and five months) are not quite ready for movie-viewing, but I’m already thinking about the films I’m going to enjoy watching with them. (Star Wars!) But I haven’t really thought about what films they should see at what particular points in their lives. (Well, to be honest, I haven’t really thought about too many films to show them, period.) So I’m asking you all to help me build a kind of “curriculum” for my children, not just to educate them in terms of movies, but also to choose films that would just be fun to watch with them.