Philosophy

Welcome to Philosophyguru's journey through the world of classic movies.

Not meant to be a guide to any specific genre, but in the true spirit of this website, to draw attention to same classic movies and provoke some thought.

As Walt Disney is quoted as saying, "I'd rather entertain and hope that people learn, than teach and hope that people are entertained."

Let us start by taking a look at some of our favorite film genres that will be discussed here.

Film-Noir is French for "black film"

Scholars debate on the definition of the genre. The primary literary influence on film noir was the hardboiled school of American detective and crime fiction, and is generally regarded as stretching from the early 1940s to the late 1950s.  A common formula for a Film-Noir is a cynical male lead and the interesting femme fatale. While not all are cut in the mold of the classic ganster flick, most are melodramas with some interaction between a strong male lead and a female, with one, if not both, of the characters having some type of social disfunction.  I can see why I like them so!

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A few summers ago my then teen age daughter joined me for a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert at the Delaware State Fair.  As I watched the fans of Skynyrd Nation I saw as many fifty year old fans, as I saw twenty something fans, all have a great time together. This was validated by my daughter who joined me, and told me at the end of the evening how much she really enjoyed the concert.

Back in the 1970's singer songwriter Mac Davis wrote the song "I Believe in Music."  While I remember the song well, It was not one of Mac's biggest hits.  That's a shame for a song that proclaimed "music is the universal language." 

As someone who studies music and philosophy, I often see comments on the differences in generations, and how these differences are often marked by differences in music.

I don't beleve the music is what divides, but is indeed that universal language that brings us together.

Many years ago I did a work shop for a social services agency with people from very diverse backgrounds. I used music as way to start conversations, and find common interests.

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