Calamity Jane (1953) - M7.8/E8

This a fun family film. This movie is probably the main reason I’ve never really enjoyed Doris Day in other movies; her character in this movie is just ingrained in my mind as who she must really be. The music is good and the comedy keeps coming. The relationships are believable and true, almost standard; yet at the same time fresh interpretations of love and friendship.

The majority of the movie takes place in a bar/gentleman’s club, which isn’t the best setting for a family film. I had to explain to my daughter what it was that every one kept drinking (is telling her that it’s juice bad? In reality I doubt they had real alcohol on the set...) She knows that drinking alcohol isn’t good for us, but at her age it doesn’t matter who the person is, that person is a bad person if they’re doing something that my daughter is told not to do. So for the sake of allowing her to enjoy the movie, we fibbed. She’ll figure it out soon enough.

The movie focuses a lot on the female image. Calamity is a rough, saloon-frequenting, stage-protecting woman who is often confused for a man. It isn’t until she begins to understand what it is men actually want to see in a woman (and her own growing gender-awareness) that she feels that it’s time for her to change if she ever hopes of winning the heart of her Danny.

To some, this idea of femininity may seem appalling. However, I think it’s important for women to focus on their own natural characteristics instead of trying to become and do everything that a man is and does. Men and women are different for a reason, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Sure, the world tends to paint the picture as man being “better” just because they tend to be stronger and bigger, but if you rely on the world for your definition of man and woman and don’t have a strong understanding of your own individual self-worth and identity, it’s easier to give in and clamor for equality.

At any rate, this is a great show for the whole family. Music, Indians chasing a stage, gun fire, drinking, dancing, you name it... Check it out while you still can on Netflix Instant.

Rashomon (1950) - M9.7/E7

I'm sure I had read the name of this movie before, with it being part of the Criterion Collection, on the IMDb top 250, and other top movie lists, but for some reason it seems the first time I had paid any attention to it was when it showed up on my Leonard Maltin day-to-day calendar sometime this past year. My brother-in-law mentioned he had seen it and enjoyed it, so I put it on reserve at the library. After sitting by the TV for almost 6 weeks, we finally sat down to watch Rashomon so that we could turn it back in without being fined. I'm glad we did.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was the first Asian foreign film I had seen and loved it along with Hero, Curse of the Golden Flower, and others. This film will be added to that list of enjoyed movies. While a simple storyline (basically an event and then witnesses reporting what was seen), the way that the story unfolds from the various witnesses is very thought provoking. In addition to a good story, the filming was very impressive (even to someone who doesn't know a whole lot about filming)! It was helpful to watch an intro to the film after having watched it, where the speaker talks about the talent of Kurosawa's filming direction.

I was particularly moved by one of the end scenes where the woodcutter and commoner are arguing over stealing from a baby that has oddly appeared out of nowhere. The woodcutter reprimands the commoner for taking the amulet and kimono from the baby, but is in turn chastised for stealing the dagger from the scene of the crime that he was a witness for, "a bandit calling another a bandit." It's very enlightening to realize that many times what we despise in others is nothing more than traits we have ourselves and resent ourselves for having.

This scene brings up another interesting question with regards to when stealing might be considered OK. It might be considered OK (though not lawful) to steal when your family is starving and you find a valuable dagger to sell to obtain food. The thief should not be excused from the demands of the law, justice must be satisfied (to keep order in society). Stealing from a baby, just because it won’t miss what is taken or know any better, is wrong if it’s only for greed. There are a million different circumstances where this logic is probably flawed or doesn’t work. Laws exist to protect society, and imperfect as they maybe, there may be appropriate times to break the law, so long as you are not putting your soul in danger. This is far from a lesson in ethics, any additional discussion is welcome in the comments.

Wikipedia does a decent job summarizing the last scene of the movie that was equally poignant and more hopeful:

"These deceptions and lies shake the priest's faith in humanity. He is brought back to his senses when the woodcutter reaches for the baby in the priest's arms. The priest is suspicious at first, but the woodcutter explains that he intends to take care of the baby along with his own children, of whom he already has six. This simple revelation recasts the woodcutter's story and the subsequent theft of the dagger in a new light. The priest gives the baby to the woodcutter, saying that the woodcutter has given him reason to continue having hope in humanity. The film closes on the woodcutter, walking home with the baby. The rain has stopped and the clouds have opened revealing the sun in contrast to the beginning where it was overcast."

If you're not biased against black and white films or films that have subtitles (unless you speak Japanese), this is a good movie to watch if you're not in the mood to be solely entertained.

High Noon (1952)

Entertainment Rating: 5 of 5

This was a great movie. Gary Cooper did a great job, even if he isn’t your typical cowboy character. Even though the film only runs 83 minutes, they don’t waste a single second of it and executed it perfectly; we’ll definitely watch this plenty more times in the future. The Ballad of Frank Miller played throughout the film added a very nice touch.

Moral Rating: 5 of 5

We found ourselves constantly hoping that someone in the town would recognize all the good Marshal Kane had fought for and lend him a hand. Even though the climax occurs when the fight happens at the end, the crux of the movie is on the audience wondering and hoping that the Marshall is going to get someone to help him against the deadly quartet at the train depot. We found ourselves sickened by the townspeople’s lack of goodness.

We’re led to believe at the beginning when Kane gets married that the townsfolk have his best interest at heart and want him to enjoy his honeymoon. However, it turns out they were more likely tired of having to be good with him around. They missed the debauchery that existed when Frank Miller and his gang ran the town. Even though Marshal Kane helped convict a murderer and cleaned up the town so that women and children could feel safe there, the townsfolk didn’t seem to care - they almost seemed to think that Marshall Kane was the reason that Frank Miller would be coming back in the first place. (This last idea is very similar to Batman’s predicament - he gets blamed for all the crazy psychopaths that come to Gotham; if he weren’t there the Gotham citizens/PD would just have to deal with normal criminals).

While we didn’t feel happy or triumphant at the end of the show, it sure made us reflect on how much we sometimes don’t want the good around because it makes us feel guilty of the worldly pleasures we enjoy. We need to learn to give place to good and righteousness in our lives and be willing to sacrifice temporal pleasures for eternal joys.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

This musical had a fun story and great music. The two main actors did a great job, and you can’t go wrong with a classic.

Moral Rating: 4 of 5

It’s rather ridiculous for a man to go down from the country into town one day, get married, and move back out to the country, not expecting much to change except getting some home cooked meals and laundry done. It’s also a bit of a stretch that a girl thinks that a man can just whisk her away from all her troubles and that married life will be loads better than what she was dealing with.

This exaggeration makes it fun to see the compromises that come with being married. The selfishness we experience while being single (though not bad selfishness, but we don’t have to worry about others) needs to give in to selflessness in order for happiness to exist at home. Husband and wife have to learn to communicate their needs and expectations and at the same time have to be willing to listen to the others needs and concerns.

Even though one of our kids mentioned that it was a long movie only 20 minutes into it, I think the whole family enjoyed it.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Entertainment Rating: 5 of 5

With the recent passing of Elizabeth Taylor I thought I’d look for a movie with her in it on Netflix. I didn’t remember ever seeing anything with her in it before and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was well praised and had garnered some awards at the Oscars in its day, so I thought I’d add it to our instant queue. The few plot summaries I read weren’t terribly interesting so I was a little hesitant to spend two hours of my time watching it. The hesitancy continued a little way into the film, but quickly dissipated as the story unfolded and the relationships between the characters became more intense. I’d have to say this is now one of the best movies I have ever seen. I’m not sure how close the film is to the Tennessee Williams play, but on its own this was one heck of a movie. You should go out of your way to see this, but expect to have to think pretty deeply.

Moral Rating: 5 of 5 - World Shaker

Don’t look at the names of the characters and judge the movie, just laugh and keep on reading. It really is a good show.

Big Daddy (Brick and Gooper’s father) has cancer and is not expected to live much longer. He’s got 28,000 acres of land as part of his legacy that he plans on passing on. Gooper’s wife, Mae, insists that they are the ones who deserve it since they’ve actually got kids (Brick and Maggie don’t have any yet), Gooper is a hard working man, and Brick is nothing but an irresponsible drunk and a has-been pro-football player.

Big Daddy really wants to leave his inheritance to his younger son, Brick, but can’t find any logical reason to. He then sets out to find out the truth behind Brick’s drinking and persists beyond Brick’s superficial initial response that he’s sick of all the lying and cheating (mendacity) in the world. Brick later reveals that he’s really disgusted with himself. Big Daddy feels that he’s done nothing but loved his family by giving them everything they ever needed or could want and they haven’t appreciated one ounce of it. Brick eventually helps his father realize that love is not made up of things. You can’t buy love. Love comes from memories made together, time spent together, and happiness and trials experienced together.

Big Daddy and Big Momma have been married for 40 years and they no longer seem to love each other. They put on a show as if they do (at least Momma does). Big Daddy says some pretty harsh words to her that break her heart, but Brick’s talk with him down in the cellar seem to make Big Daddy realize how much he really does love her.

The relationship between Brick and Maggie is on the breaking point and Brick doesn’t seem to want to do anything to make it better, except drink (which supposedly makes it better to him, since he can’t think straight about it.) Brick has recently lost a “good” friend who played football with him. Brick is seen with a lot of crutches (literal and figurative) that he’s been leaning on, but the one person he should have leaned on all along was his wife. He’s never appreciated her or loved her as he should and that’s part of the reason he feels so guilty and has taken to the bottle. Maggie’s undying love, support, and defense of her husband throughout the film helps Brick realize the type of person she is and that no matter what he’s done, she’ll be there for him - as long as he learns to trust her.

There are more intricacies in these and other relationships throughout the movie that I won’t spend time on here. Generally when when one of our reviews is longer than normal, it’s either because the movie was deplorable, or, in this case, amazing. Let me know what you think once you see it!

Some Like It Hot (1959)

How the Other Half Lives
Some Like It Hot at MOVIECLIPS.com

Entertainment Rating: 4/5

This is considered one of the best comedies of the 20th century, and at one point I agreed. After watching it over the Christmas break I’ve had second thoughts about it. The acting is great and it really is a funny show, but there’s a bit too much sexual appeal to it for my comfort.

Moral Rating: 2/5

There is no moral to this movie. The only message is that if you lie and cheat you get everything you want and your buddy gets stuck engaged with a person of the same sex.

Seriously, though, Joe takes advantage of Sugar's frustration with men and capitalizes on the information she shares with him.  In the end when she finds out Joe's just another sax player (and not a millionaire who owns a yacht) she throws out all her previously set upon standards and reverts to making the same bad decisions that made her unhappy in the first place.

Jerry seemed to be one of the few level-headed characters in the movie (though he fit in a little too well with the girls).  However, any reason or precognition he exhibited was rewarded by getting stuck engaged with a rich millionaire who ends up not caring that Jerry is not a Sherry.

If you’re looking for some witty comedy that is cleaner than any contemporary comedy, but still has a bit of an edge to it, this is worth checking out; though, I'd hesitate showing it to young kids due to the few scenes of automatic weapons massacring people and Marilyn Monroe's very revealing attire.

African Queen (1951)

Entertainment Rating: A

Great romance movie with no sex (explicit or implied). A little slow at first, but seeing Charlie and Rosie's relationship grow is very rewarding. My wife particularly liked the film because Rosie wasn't your typical damsel in distress that Charlie came to save. She's the one who came up with the plan to blow up the Louiza, worked side by side with Charlie even though she knew nothing about boats or metallurgy or explosives.

Moral Rating: 4

This was a fun story with depictions of virtue and integrity. Rosie’s prayer when they got stuck in the reeds was particularly inspiring when she told the Lord that they had done everything they possibly could and now left everything up to Him. Her prayer of faith was answered and their mission miraculously gets accomplished.

Sleeping Beauty

Synopsis

Two kingdoms plan to unite when a daughter (Aurora) is born that can wed the son (Phillip) of the other kingdom. The plans are at risk when the evil Maleficent prophesies that on the girl's 16th birthday she will die. The girls father, in an attempt to foil Maleficent's plan, sends her to live with the fairies deep in the woods. Aurora is found and Phillip must fight the powers of Hell to save her.

Entertainment Value

Rating: A

This is probably one of my favorite Disney princess movies (right up there with Beauty and the Beast). Maleficent's character particularly intrigues me (probably one of Disney's most evil villains) and the prince's fight against her at the end is pretty intense. The whole falling in love after dancing together isn't much of a story, it's kind of a side story to the battle between good and evil in the film.  The musical score is excellent!

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate?

Rating: 4

Love really is the thing that Satan cannot understand (in the movie Maleficent = Satan), particularly the love God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ have for us. Just as Maleficent tried to ruin the life of the princess, Satan tried to ruin God's plan, but Jesus Christ stepped in and put enmity between Satan and man (just as the fairies stepped in and blessed the child that she would not die, but sleep).

Somebody Up There Likes Me

Synopsis

Rocky Graziano is nothing but trouble for his family and the community, and works his way into several prisons and work camps. His future becomes brighter when he realizes (with the help of a few mentors) that he has good potential to fight professionally and legally. He straightens up his life, gets married, has a child, and eventually completely turns over a new leaf and realizes what things are most important in his life. Starring Paul Newman.

Entertainment Value - B

Great movie, probably Stallone's inspiration behind Rocky, very similar story line (shady character turns to fighting as a more legitimate profession and marries a shy girl who doesn't like to see him fighting). Paul Newman did a great job, though I like Stallone and Crowe a little better as boxers.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate? - 5

Norma had a great role. I liked the part where she corrected his manager by telling him that he can't turn a blind eye to Rocky's past. Doing so was dishonest and in no way helping Rocky accept who he was so he could genuinely turn over a new leaf (not the leaf of some imagined self). By accepting his past, Norma was able to accept Rocky for who he really was and help him get to the point where he had nothing to worry about. (He states that he knows that he'll lose his title someday, but that doesn't bother him; what's most important is what he has right then - his family.)

The great moral dilemma comes when he's about to contact the evil..shady? replace "shady" above with "troublemaker"(need better word) Frankie Peppo to do some business with him. At a very opportune moment his friend, a soda jerk, tells him that when he orders a soda he has to pay for it, teaching him he needs to face up to the truth and take responsibility for what he's done and promised to do. He then runs into another friend who wants to start a flower shop (but really wants money to buy a gun and pay someone to hold someone up with the newly acquired gun for the money for a flower shop so he can run a bootlegging joint...). Rocky tries to talk some sense into him, but realizes he can't force the guy to change.

Rocky's reconciliation with his father was touching as well. Their frank discussion helped both realize the true state of their circumstances and allow them to finally see eye to eye. Rocky's father breaks down and says that all he wants for Rocky is to be the champ he, as a fighter/father, never was. Rocky says "Don't worry about a thing!" and the rest is history.

If you're looking for an original (in that it came out before Rocky), inspirational sports story, check this one out.

Dial 'M' for Murder

Synopsis

A man will go to the extent of murdering his wife because of his jealousy and to get his hands on some money he would inherit from her. But what happens when his plan goes awry and the wrong person gets killed?

Entertainment Value - A

Great suspense movie. The best part is to see the how the truth unravels from the view of the head detective and watching the husband squirm.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate? - 3

Some important things the show made me think about:

1. Being too busy with hobbies resulting in less communication with your spouse can lead to infidelity or just falling out of love with each other, making it hard to want to perpetuate the union.


2. It is important to be open and honest - she appears to have never told her husband that she had grown to love him more since he quit playing tennis (though her actions may attest to it, he needed a little more evidence of it).  She also could have mentioned that she was less interested in the writer. Had she been open and honest with him, he may not have tried to kill her.

Ben-Hur

Rating: 5 

This is a classic, must-see movie.  It is definitely a faith promoting film.  The story is set in the Middle East during the life of Jesus Christ, in fact Christ and Judah Ben-Hur are about the same age.  Even though Judah doesn't personally know Christ, it is inspiring to see how Christ touches and inspires his life.  Judah shows faith at different stages of his journey and is blessed in each instance.  It's a story of familial love, the poison of anger and revenge, and faith in Jesus Christ.

One of the strongest lessons presented in the movie is that just because we are doing what's right or standing up for what is right does not mean that we will be rewarded.  However much evil happens to us for choosing the right, God will be with us every step of the way offering us life sustaining water and ultimately eternal life if we stay the course.

On the Waterfront

Rating: 5, World-shaker

This movie is a world-shaker.  It is very inspiring and really makes me want to stand up to the Jonny Friendly's of the world.  The internal struggle with Terry Malloy and how his conscience weighs on him to do what's right is very inspiring.

The movie realistically shows the difficulty of changing your philosophy on life and how crucial role models are, especially those of family.  The film showed how much Terry loved his brother Charly (and vice-a-versa).  This is particularly evident in the famous "I coulda been a contender, I coulda been somebody..." scene.  When Charly got killed the contrast of this brotherly love and the supposed "family" bond of the union bosses clearly teaches the important influence (for good or bad) family members can have on each other.

Another important message is the pastor's humility and his realization of the need to stand up and practice what is preached.

Terry's choice to be a "canary" lets him see who his real friends are.

I felt disgusted as the longshoremen just looked on and didn't seem to care when Terry took on Johnny and his cronies.  Maybe the longshoremen weren't supposed to get into it, but they sure did out number them, they cared more about their jobs under corrupt union bosses (their lives could have been at stake, but when they out number them what could they do?) than breaking free and standing up for what's right.  If you've never seen this, make it a point to do so and tell us what you think.

An Affair to Remember

An Affair to Remember - Trailer | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

Rating: 4

If you're looking for a good classic romance story this is it. This is the perfect example of how you can have a good romantic movie with out any one sleeping together. Even though the story could be a little far fetched (falling in love in a couple days; breaking up long term, serious relationships; and maintaining no communications for 6 months and then thinking they're going to get married), it is morally straight. It even goes as far as discouraging adultery or loose relationships in support of marriage and showing that finding someone you can truly be in love with is possible.

The story displays how thinking you know what's best for the other person (without communicating your thoughts to them) can, unintentionally, damage the relationship. Communication is a key issue, both seem to communicate pretty effectively to their previous fiances that they wish to end the relationship, but to the person they truly love they seem to have a harder time communicating.

It was quite frustrating that Terry wouldn't tell Nickie what happened and that Nickie thought that she had simply decided to not show up. However, things do work out in the end.

The main reason for this not getting a 5 is that we didn't feel motivated to do good afterwards. It was a good, clean film with great acting and a good story, but nothing earth shattering.

Friendly Persuasion

Rating: 5

Luke

This is a very nice, easy-going movie. To some it might be a little slow, but I enjoyed the time I was given to enjoy each scene completely without being jerked from one place to the next as some frenzied directors like to do. I felt very good after watching this movie. It provoked a very good conversation between Carr and me as to what truth is and when or whether or not it's relative.

Jess Birdwell and his neighbor, Mr. Jordan, were of different religions that were quite opposite of each other, but both men were able to not let those views get in the way of their friendship. It's often too easy to judge someone based the values we're taught in our own church and look past the simple truth that we are all children of God trying to return back to his presence.

I think Eliza tried too hard to play her role as preacher and had a hard time balancing her authority in the church with that of the home. Jess portrayed a very loving and understanding husband and complemented (not complimented) his wife very well. Jess displayed the best way to use authority: sharp when necessary, but always showing love afterward (this is evidenced in the scene where Jess goes out to check on his son after a battle and confronts a confederate soldier).

The most contemplative question I came out with was, when is killing someone O.K.? Several characters reacted out of anger, others out of fear, others out of love. Josh realized how hard it is to kill another man. Jess went out prepared to fight if he needed to, but if he could avoid it, he did. Jess's mercy on the life of the Confederate soldier who had shot at him was very Christ-like and has inspired me to try to learn to be as merciful.

Carr

Friendly Persuasion was laid-back, easy-going entertainment with a good balance of humor and seriousness. It may have been a little slow, but it was totally clean and really made me re-think some things. So often we have in our minds definite rights and wrongs, yet it made me wonder what really exists as absolute truths. There were simple issues related to the family's particular religion (whether or not to allow an organ into the home) and more complex issues (if and when killing is ok). Each character made different decisions concerning fighting in the war and for different reasons. All instances appeared to work out in their own way with the only negative portrayal being the judgmental hypocrite.

The hypocritical character was firmly anti-war and vowed he wouldn't lift a finger even to protect his own family. The Lord said "Thou shall not kill" and he wouldn't do it. In the end, his farm was burned and his family attacked and he turned angry and vengeful. He went to war for revenge and got upset with others who wouldn't. He was judging others decisions based on his own circumstances and experiences. This was obviously frowned upon and it left a very bad taste in my mouth. Yet, I wondered if his character didn't represent most people, in particular myself. Why do we sometimes stand so firmly on one side of the line? If it's because our own trials and experiences have converted us there then we are honest in that stance. Yet when it's simply because we've never been tried in that area, how firm can we stand in our place when the trial does hit? More importantly, are we too quick to judge the actions of others based solely on our own experiences and understandings?

In stark contrast is the father. His interpretation of the war dilemma is portrayed to be the most correct. He is also honest about his beliefs and even defies his wife's strictness to fulfill his own harmless desires (like wanting an organ in the home). Luckily they are able to peacefully mediate their difference of opinion through love and compromise. I really like when the father says that a person has to do what his conscience is telling him, regardless of whether or not someone else thinks it's wrong. I believe that is the whole message of the movie. Our personal experiences shape our thinking and our beliefs and no one else can tell us what we should do or think because ultimately right and wrong is created in our own mind. Even God has decreed that there are times for war and for killing, He himself giving that command on various occasions. But there is also a time for peace and love. Circumstances and our own feelings determine what we choose, thus no one else can make the choice for us and no one else can accurately judge whether our choice was right or wrong.

Adding God to the equation can make things even more complicated. The mother is actually one of the preachers in their congregation and could be considered a zealot. The conflict that stands most prominently in my mind is when her son felt he needed to fight in the war. The boy's conscience would not let him stand by doing nothing while innocent people were dying. The mother advised him to pray about it, certain about the answer he would receive. She was totally taken by surprise when her son was packed up and off to war the next morning. "You said you'd pray about it" she challenged him, sure he couldn't have prayed or else he wouldn't be going. "I did" was his short reply. By the look on her face you could tell that she had quite the internal conflict. She loved and trusted her son, yet she also knew killing was wrong. How could he be so sure that he was doing the right thing and she was sure it was wrong? Right and wrong are not subjective...or are they? As portrayed in this movie, what is right is entirely dependent on the individual. In reference to Moroni 7, perhaps what leads one person to believe in Christ is not the same for another and thus right and wrong do depend heavily on personal interpretation.

Overall it's a great movie that incites a lot of serious thinking and personal evaluation.

Guys and Dolls

Luke

Rating: 5

I had never sat through this entire movie. The last time I attempted (or rather, my family attempted) I fell asleep halfway through it. This time I was wide awake through the whole thing and enjoyed all the music, dancing, and great story.

I was kind of wondering where the movie was going with Sky Masterson's initial outlook on women as "toys." He harped on Nathan Detroit and his 14-year relationship with a single woman and boasted that he could get any woman he wanted. Nathan takes him up on his bet, desperate for some dough to fund his floating crap game and selects a woman from a religious group who preaches against such gamblers as Sky and Nathan.

Through a series of wonderful musical scenes, including Marlon Brando singing and dancing, you see a very realistic change of heart for his character, Sky. He sees that women really are more than just toys and feels something stronger than he's ever felt before. In today's movies he would have made that realization and still slept with the girl claiming he found "true love"; but he doesn't. While in Cuba, he realizes the drunken state he's lured his victim into and respectfully flies her home in the middle of the night.

The only possible qualm that could exist on the morality of the movie is the fact that gambling was shown as "saving" Sky's and Sarah's relationship; but it allowed Sky to keep his word (marker) which was another strong positive in the movie and outweighs the sin of gambling. Also, the idea of marriage was made light of throughout the film in the depiction of the relationship between Nathan and Adelaide. I believe this depiction actually helped strengthen the argument that marriage is essential between a man and a woman, Nathan just needed a stronger person to show him the importance of it, though there's no implication that he fully appreciated the end situation.

Rear Window

Luke

Rating: 4

This movie should never have been remade (though I haven't seen the Christopher Reeves version). We watched Disturbia a while back and it is a movie that will forever spend a night in the box. Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece doesn't have to create a gory film or a terrifying background for the killer, the suspense around the murder is enough. When you start displaying the evil (serial killings, gore, etc.), it becomes either too frightening or too cheesy to enjoy.

On that note I really enjoyed this original version. It all takes place in an apartment living room and is never slow or dull. This type of movie isn't made to inspire, but primarily to entertain, and I believe it achieved it's purposes.

Jeff is a nosy, crippled man with nothing better to do than to involve himself, uninvited, in the lives of his neighbors. He ends up neglecting his own real-life relationships for his imaginary ones he forges through a telephoto lens. It is very unrealistic in the fact that he is able to understand each neighbor's situation by simply observing them and never interacting with them. This may be the purpose of the film to display the risks of being a busy body and the importance of focusing on strengthening real life relationships.

Lisa did end up relinquishing her efforts to dissuade Jeff from pursuing his new hobby of prying and immersed herself in it, though she denounced it at first. This was a selfless act that showed her devotion to him and her willingness to bring their relationship closer proving she really was interested in marriage (which was a qualm Jeff had in the movie with regards to whether or not she was ready or not for marriage).