I rememberbeing fond of the Our Gang comedies when I was a wee one. Also Roy Rogers and Cisco Kid westerns.
>>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).<<
Oh, heck, WIZARD OF OZ and SNOW WHITE and SLEEPING BEAUTY have sequences that absolutely terrified me as a kid. Possibly more so than the 1930s & 40s Universal horror films. And I’d actually recommend those, too, for their fairy-tale qualities and the terrific acyting, directing (mostly) set design, cinematography, efefcts work … they’re practically a Film 101 course. In terms of the darker aspects of any of these films, I think the reactions of your kids will be a sure gauge of what they’re ready for or interested in.
And LA BELLE ET LA BETE for anyone of any age at any time. Yes!
No films at all, just music…images will come later and mix with the ones that were restored by music…
Jazz;
As far as Small Change goes, I’d say around ten would be a good age. There are a couple of more ‘adult’ themes in the movie, but nothing too terribly dark or sexual, just the right amount to make for good conversation between you and your kids.
Also! The Triplets of Belleville! Such a charming movie, perfect for kids around five or so.
TV may be harmful at an early age-
http://www.slate.com/id/2151538
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=3008553&page=1
I totally agree with Francisco. Read to them first, buy them beautiful, colorful children’s books so they fall in love with still imagery and then continue to moving imagery .When they turn five buy a Studio Ghibli Collection, watch them first and decide which are apt for your kids ages. Miyasaki will teach them to think out of the box.
Well I grew up watching Enter the Dragon xD and Karate Kid.
There was also Jurassic Park, Star Wars, and many Disney films.
Start out with Disney’s or Looney Tunes’ animated shorts,
like Silly Symphonies and the such. Continue moving through
films like The Sword in the Stone, or The Three Caballeros -
You can also start watching Studio Ghibli films like Totoro.
Don’t forget to let your kid watch films with Jim Henson’s puppets,
like Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Goonies, The Neverending Story…
or The Storyteller miniseries. ^^
and mix it with with some Pixar. xD
it’s great to have a broad variety of stuff to get kids interested in different things.
Just came across this wiki page on
BFI list of the 50 films you should see by the age of 14
you cannot trust a list with the inclusion of Romeo + Juliet,the Luhrmann version in its list…
Yeah, I was thinking about that myself, wondering if Zeffirelli’s might not be a better choice… I’ve watched both versions.
Maybe The Adventures of Baron Munchausen?
I’d say Chaplin, Indiana Jones and Star Wars at first.
Then Seven Samurai, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, Ben-Hur and so on. That’s good for ages 1-10…
citizen kane—at any age
E.T.—-At seven
Toy Story—-Every year for the rest of their lives!!!!
The Adventures of Prince Achmed is a more universal work of art for children (and not only) than Toy Story but unfortunately,Reiniger’s film will never get the recognition it deserves…
Might I suggest showing a 9 year old Alien is somewhat insane? Call me old fashioned but that just seems wrong.
So many great films out there for family viewing.
THE KID by Chaplin, Disney’s SNOW WHITE, DUMBO and PINOCCHIO, THE WIZARD OF OZ by Fleming, THE THIEF OF BAGDAD
( 1940 version ),THE 5000 FINGERS OF DR T from 1953, MOONFLEET by Lang
From more recent offerings, I would recommend THE WITCHES, THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, EXPLORERS, MATINEE, LOONEY TUNES BACK IN ACTION, THE INCREDIBLES, FINDING NEMO
i saw total recall with my dad when i was really little. it was awesome.
As someone whose taste has been almost entirely defined by her moving-going parents, i’m going to say that as long as you show them what YOU love, if you are absolutely unrelenting in your passion for movies, your kids will be intrigued and probably want to see the same things. I cannot tell you what a big inspiration it was for me just to have films & film posters, etc… just lying around the house….
I’d say, let them watch what they want to, but as long as you let your feelings be known (even in the slightest way possible), their interest will be piqued.
Show them SOME bad movies though.
Rocky and Bull,
Name some films you’re thinking of.
Btw, we actually don’t have a TV—except for watching dvds, right now—primarily because I really want both my kids to love reading. (I watched a ton of TV at an early age, and always chose TV/movies over reading until college.)
Judge,
Of course, that could backfire, too. My kids could be the rebellious type where they won’t like anything their parents really like.
Kim,
I just glanced at the BFI list, and it looked pretty good.
On another note, some of the suggestions of the films seem a little inappropriate for the ages that they’re being recommended to (agree Alien for a 9 year old is a bit intense), but that makes me think of the question of when is it acceptable to expose a child to violent and sexual subject matter? Do people think this is even an issue?
Drew and I have been exposed to violent and sexual subject matter and are still till date, normal and active functioning members of society.
my bodyguard, kes, pee-wee’s big adventure, beetlejuice, george washington, a room for romeo brass, neverending story
Off the top of my head.
When they get old enough The Red Balloon, The Wizard of Oz, City LIghts, Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Fantasia, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Early teens: To Kill a Mockingbird, Marx Bros, Preston Sturges, Bicycle Thieves, Tati, Laurel & Hardy,
Mid-Teens: Citizen Kane, Gone with the Wind, Truffaut, Hitchcock, 50’s Sci-Fi, John Ford, Casablanca, Lumet’s Network, Godfather 1 & 2.
Late Teens: Kubrick, Almodovar, Woody Allen, Scorsese, Polanski, Kurosawa.
This is if you want to give your kid(s) an education on film.
Jazz, I saw The Shining at age 8, Taxi Driver at age 13, and just about everything you can imagine at age 15. And as Law said, I’m doing alright.
My suggestions for them 12 and under are Hitchcock, Ford, Spielberg, Chaplin and a few foreign language films (some Kurosawa perhaps?) just so they are exposed. 12 to 14 I suggest Scorsese, Kurosawa, Truffaut, Fellini, and Kubrick. I have a feeling 14 and above they will make their own discoveries.
I was listening to a review of the bluray release of Fantasia (someone recommended this earlier) today and I thought that might make a perfect film for my 3 year old. (Well, maybe in a year or two.). I think the next two years might be the perfect time for it as the film will be accessible and fun for him (and my daughter who is a year and half younger). As both my children get a bit older, they might like this film so much. (I think I saw it in fifth grade, and I didn’t really care for it.) He likes dinosaurs, so he should like the Stravinsky part.
Do any fans of classical music have any objections to making this one of the first experiences (maybe a powerful one at that) of classical music for children?
I watched two films with my son (almost four) yesterday—Albert Lamorisse’s The Red Balloon and Chaplin’s The Kid. He seemed to enjoy The Red Balloon (although he didn’t really understand that the boys were trying to pop the balloon). The Kid didn’t go over so well. The film actually scared him a bit, and while watching it, I realized that Chaplin’s films may not be appropriate for him (or three year old). I think he got scared when the woman left her baby. (Plus, trying to explain why this was happening was a doozy.) Then he didn’t understand that the car was being stolen, etc. By the time we get to the kid throwing rocks at windows so that Chaplin’s character earn money replacing them, I said, “Hey, how about we play with your toys….” :)
Charlie Chaplin I reckon is pretty good. Certain Spielberg movies like ET and Close Encounters are also recommendable. Vittorio De Sica and any musicals are fantastic, etc…Just don’t show them I Am Curious Yellow.
Do any fans of classical music have any objections to making this one of the first experiences (maybe a powerful one at that) of classical music for children?
Can’t go wrong with Mickey Mouse dancing to Dukas’ L’apprenti sorcier!! It was one of my enduring favourites as a young one. Old school Disney films seem to be a good option for young children.
I can only speak from my own personal experience as a kid (I currently have none of my own), but for older children (starting 8-10ish) I’d basically recommend films involving children as the protagonists having fun and silly adventures against the “bad guy grown-ups” (when I was a kid, Macaulay Culkin films were all the rage and I loved ‘em). I’d opine that it doesn’t really matter so much if you yourself don’t think that these kinds of films are “artistic masterpieces”; early childhood is a special era of innocence and wonderment which can only be had just once for a relatively brief period, and imo it ought to be distinguishable from later adolescence blooming into more serious adulthood themes ;)
I suppose though that in this day and age, the internet makes it so much easier for kids to discover more adult-themed films much earlier in life, for better or worse… my generation simply didn’t have those kinds of options during childhood (unless you had an older sibling who would rent R-rated VHS tapes for you… but I did not, heh).
@Robert B
I thought Chaplin would have been great, too, but it’s a lot more problematic than I thought it would be.
@Mischa
I tried Fantasia with my son a few months (specifically the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” scene), but he didn’t seem too interested. My son seems primarily interested in superheroes right now, which is OK, but I want him to have broader interests. Also, I don’t want him to only like newer films and develop a stigma against older films.
I’d opine that it doesn’t really matter so much if you yourself don’t think that these kinds of films are “artistic masterpieces”;early childhood is a special era of innocence and wonderment which can only be had just once for a relatively brief period, and imo it ought to be distinguishable from later adolescence blooming into more serious adulthood themes ;)
But wouldn’t you say there is a difference between good children’s films and bad? I don’t think they’re all equal, imo.
Jaime Grijalba Gómez
Jazzaloha: (Pulp Fiction at 15 might be a little too early.)
I saw it when I was 14, then I saw Kill Bill Vol. 1 and then KB Vol. 2
It reallyd did not do any harm. Except that now I’m a movie craze.