The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970), directed by Sam Peckinpah, with Jason Robards, Stella Stevens

Here we see transition – an incrementation in lives as they adjust successfully to the changes about them - changes in the social structure as opportunities and resources present themselves to people and change is driven.

Towards the end of his life, I sense that Cable Hogue realizes that perhaps the rugged individualism and isolation and self–reliance that was a part of and necessity of his frontier life no longer fitted the times – that stage coach water stops would no longer be needed, since stagecoaches were no longer needed, nor desired.

And, we see, I think a change in Cable’s rugged isolationist attitudes – developed while people needed to live apart – as Cable develops a need for companionship, community, and travel.

I wonder if often ballads and folk songs are just about that – individuals adjusting to a changed social order, and so often finding tragedy and pain as part of the adjusting activities that are necessary.

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), directed by Stanley Kramer, with Spencer Tracey, Burt Lancaster, Maximilian Snell, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Montgomery Cliff, Richard Widmark

Obviously, a lot of “macro” territory was covered in this film, representing an interest by analysts over the years on the general “macro” question of how a country, such as Germany, end up where it did in August 1945.  This film helped a lot to give me insights and helped me reflect on likely causes related to this question.

But, after a lot of consideration, what this film covered for me even more importantly was a consideration of the human condition – the micro - as that human condition runs into, is affected by, and deals with the macro.  And, getting to the bottom line, the human condition is such that the macro has the upper hand, the macro rules when that macro is such that it has the capacity to provide life-ending consequences to any micro disturbances.   Beware of the system that gives such capacity to the macro.

The human condition is such that people want to continue living and will adopt rather than be extinguished.

Perhaps a new paradigm is that such macros, as Nazi Germany, should not be tolerated.  Perhaps, this new paradigm is supported by changes that have occurred in the industrial, capital, productive, information, intellectual, and military arenas.  As all of these areas become more effective in their use to guarantee and hold the micro as sacred, these arenas should not hesitate to chase the macro that terrorizes.

Moby Dick (1956), directed by John Houston, with Gary Cooper

So what is the meaning of this story?  What is Herman Melville trying to say?  To me, from the film, it has something to do with the danger of goal setting (in the sense of which ones are chosen), with setting goals that are beyond reach, dooming the setter to failure.  The story has to do with choice.

And, perhaps no one professional is more prone to the terrible consequences of goal setting gone astray than the creator’s profession.    The creator is totally dependent on the goal being a correct one.  After all, a novelist does not want to spend five years writing a novel that stinks.   The consequences of such a result for a novelist’s career can be roughly comparable to Capt. Ahab’s result with the white whale.

Here, in this film, the choice and the goals have a lot more to do with individual lives, aberrations in being human, diversity in passions and feelings, then the more analytical goal setting process associated with organizations and other macro entities.

The Yearling (1947), directed by Clarence Brown, with Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman, Claude Jarman, Jr.

This film presents the story of changing human condition going from childhood innocence and make-believe to the necessities of survival thinking.   We see a person with boyhood emotions and feelings growing perspectives and attitudes associated with needs and requirements of adulthood.

This seems to me to be a very helpful experience for all of us to have – this maturation process.  This film excellently takes us into and provides thoughts about a boy growing up into adulthood.

Driving Miss Daisy (1989), directed by Bruce Beresford, with Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman

A good film dealing with that part of the human condition associated with the September of our lives.   Things have started to stop growing, harvesting is nearly complete, if not finished, and there is not the same desire and skills shown earlier in the spring and summer of our lives.

So, what then becomes important, beginning in September and going to December?  I find here in this film the importance being something about the arrival of a new understanding of the world, in which we live, a greater recognition of being adrift and remote from that which was previous, but a greater ability to fill in that loss with a new sense of what is important and can bring happiness.   It is a very peaceful film.

Chariots of Fire (1981), directed by Hugh Hudson, with Ben Cross, Ian Charleson

This biographical treatment of two British citizens, born at the turn of the 20th Century, focuses on what motivates to excel at running track.  We are able to extend the reasons presented more generally to what is behind excellence and outstanding performance.

Both runners, one Scottish, the other English, represents the United Kingdom in international track competitions, and prove themselves to be the best in the world in their events, at the time.

For one, the Scot, the motivation to achieve is related to his faith – his belief that he had a God-given talent and that he had a duty to the giver (and others) to develop and use what was given him.

For the other, we are presented different motivations – to be accepted and recognized, liking the feeling of winning and not wanting to lose, to confront and to come out ahead.

In the two, we have a contrast and interaction of dual forces that run through humanity – the worldly versus the spiritual, the religious.   There is perhaps, a need for both, a balance, between performance and reason.

Ship of Fools (1965), directed by Stanley Kramer, with Oskar Werner, Vivian Leigh, George Segal, Lee Marvin, Simone Sigonet, Elizabeth Ashley

This film strikes me as being as close to taking on “epic” qualities as any film.  It truly addresses several major themes of both large and small perspectives of the human condition.

Such large human conditions commented upon in the film, that I can think of, are: the existence of class systems, commented upon in the film with workers on the ground deck; the result that a nation, such as Germany, can become a monstrous state, inflicting horrible acts, commented on frequently, both directly and by implication, in the dialogue and attitudes of the passengers; and the separation of individuals into various “social oriented” perspectives (e.g. conservative and liberal and in between), commented upon by the presence of the “the artist” and others in conflict and tension.

These large human conditions actually seem to be highly interrelated, so that it is not, or may not be, such an over ambitious goal to try to deal with them together, as this film does.

Small human conditions, it seems to me, tend to be more “individually-focused”.   Such examples in the film are: a study of sexual bonding versus bonding based on non-sexual benefits, shown in the film by George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley; the need and comfort that men and women provide one another, shown by Oskar Werner and Simone Sigonet; and frequent presence of bigotry and dislike for others, shown often throughout the film.

The ship is full of fools – it is part of the human condition.  We need to be ever vigilant that fools are in our mist, often in disguise.  We cannot forget this and should not give way to those passengers that are fools.

Five Easy Pieces (1970), directed by Bob Rafelson, with Jack Nicholson, Karen Black

Five Easy Pieces has something to do with rejecting one’s past, finding one’s future, searching for what one wants.

Jack Nicholson’s character does not easily find the future.  In fact, we do not learn what the future will be.  We see in the film a segment of his life in which he is searching.  We learn that he is rejecting parts of his past, that he struggles with this past.

We have a sense of constant tension in the character played by Nicholson.   We get a sense of a wanting to look and move on, but an emotional tie to the present and the past that is strong and creates uncertainty, stagnation, attachment - and tension.

This is generally a young man’s story – probably more of a male circumstance in the human condition than female.  Males tend to search; females tend to focus.  Males tend to be more uncertain.  Males tend to be more dissatisfied, less accepting.  Males tend to be more in the mode of searching for something better – women in improving what one has.

Out of Africa (1985), directed by Sydney Pollack, with Meryl Strep , Robert Redford

This biographical slice from a young woman’s 10-year, life-changing experience with great gratifications and growth, but also of irreversible lost and sorrow, touches and hangs deeply.

The film has attributes similar to the film “Titanic” in dealing and telling the story of lost love.  Both have a reminiscence of lost love, and, as love is such an important component of life, of life itself lost.  Both are stories looking back, by women, at the end of their lives, upon lost love from a period when passion is deep and emotion raw.

For me, Out of Africa goes to dealing with the losses, disappointments, and failures in life.  Putting things in perspective, as has been done here by Isak Dinesen, seems to be a way of working out this dealing.

Johnny Belinda (1948), directed by Jean Negalesco, with Jane Wyman, Lew Ayres

This film takes us into that world of the person born deaf.  The film does so informatively – it gives us insight into pain and loneliness, potential, uniqueness, and the similar needs of the deaf individual.  This is a nice accomplishment.

But the film’s good story telling and emotional connection, also has pull.  A lot of the credit for this needs to be given to the story tellers and the performers.

Film has a huge capacity to take us to new worlds, and reflections, and insights.  It is nice to have films like this one.

The Miracle Worker (1962), directed by Arthur Penn, with Patty Duke, Anne Bancroft

This film gives us a good introduction to what it may be like not to be able to see and to hear.

Learning is such an important part of being human, of having God with us.  Having such development barriers, as not hearing and seeing, put on your mechanisms for learning must be tough.

But this film so wonderfully points out that as tough as these barriers may be, they can be overcome, leaning can proceed, love can be present, and God can deliver.

What a terrific film!

A Shot in the Dark (1964), directed by Blake Edward, with Peter Sellers, Elke Sommer

No doubt about the presence of bad in this film – with something like 15 corpses before film’s end.   But we do not really seem to become particularly bothered by the bad, as we become preoccupied and distracted by Inspector Cousteau, a character truly unique to our experiences.

The preoccupation and distraction carries us into the world of make believe – a delightful, humorous journey, due to the comical nature of Inspector Cousteau, and his perturbations.

Perhaps, this is the value of this film – it shows us how humor can lead us, and through the bad that life has to offer.

Deliverance (1972), directed by John Boorman, with Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty

Have you ever felt more than one nature, a different person, a side different from another, a different nature?   Well, you should have.   We have variability in our nature, in our personality, our behavior, on how we are during the course of our lives.

This film deals with these pluralities in our nature.  Actually, really, the film, more simply, deals with duality in us – a side of good (or righteousness, God) and a side of bad (or evil, Saturn).   And, in the course of this film, we see the struggle between the two sides, on both less and more profound levels – from letting loose and having a getaway good time of a weekend, which only four guys together on a trek can have, to making the decision about something as profound as the killing of another human being.

So, there is certainly a dueling nature in all of us, and a set of banjos in duel, well reflects such a nature.

The Trip To Bountiful (1885), directed by Peter Masterson, with Geraldine Page

We should live bountiful lives.  This can be, but for some, it does not seem so.  What is a bountiful life?  In this film, we have folks who are not particularly happy.  Perhaps it was the times.  Depression and war is not much of a recipe for a bountiful life.  But is this true, what are you trying to cook up?

Bountiful somehow has got to be beyond our immediate “situations”.   There is something out there that transforms the seemingly unbountiful life that many of us think we have.  This film seems to go in the direction of heritage, of ancestry, of from which we have come as a place to look for bountifulness.   In a sense, this film might serve as an example of genealogy support.  This film seems to tell us that we should go back to our roots, we should recognize that, regardless of what those roots have delivered us, the roots were nevertheless of great meaning, and, out of this meaning, we can gain bountifulness.

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), directed by Hugh Hudson, with Ralph Richardson, Ian Holm, Andie MacDowell, James Fox

What do you think – does nurture or nature control our fate?   This film reaches a conclusion, and that conclusion is that nurturing more strongly influences the human condition.

I can’t help but to think the novel from which the character Tarzan derives, and upon which this film is based, was written in the early days of the nurture versus nature debate – the early days of significant discoveries and thinking in biological sciences – a debate that lasted a long time and was often based on less than important data.

And, this film is not exactly based upon realistic happenings, but it does do the job of triggering thought about nurture versus nature.

Chocalat (1988), directed by Claire Denis, with Cecile Ducasse, Guilia Bocchi, Mireille Perrier

This film, for me, is about relationships between the French and their northern Africa territories, between the French who lived in northern Africa, managing the French affairs there, and the north Africans, between a husband and a wife, between parents and a daughter, between north Africans, and between the adult daughter and her memoires of her childhood living in north Africa.

But what is it that we are to learn from these relationships.  I think what I learn is that relationships are never perfect, always are based on participants bringing different views and perspectives and diverse backgrounds and are necessary.

Cinema Peradiso (1988), directed by Guiseppe Tornatore

This Italian film deals with how, living in the past, can be not a good thing, not always the desired human condition.  Value can be found from the past, but life without a forward look, walking away from the past, treading in it, can grow stale.

Much in this film deals with staleness in a small Italian village and breaking loose from that staleness.  The film shows that films (and presumably arts) can be a tool, a stimulus to walking forward – leading to a change in thought, a new prospective, a movement from staleness.

The film is a powerful testament to the importance of art in our lives.

My Dinner With Andre (1981), directed by Louis Malle

What is necessary for happiness – to live the simple life, to live the life that is given us, well, or to stretch the boundaries of that which we fit into, to be constantly climbing Mount Everest, if for no other reason, because it is there?

During dinner with Andre, Wally and Andre fully fill the film with interesting answers to this question

On a very fundamental level, I feel we have here a left versus right perspective, anatomically, and also, politically.   Is there a connection between this left/right perspective and the question?

Belle de Jour (1968), directed by Luis Bunuel, with Catherine Deneure

I think this is a look at lust, that drive within us that seeks out sexual climax and pleasure.   This is certainly a part of the human condition, which relates to the essence of life.

An interesting question about this film might be whether what we are seeing is imaginary, only happening in the mind of Serverine Serizey, or is it real?   Leaving a lot of this lust, in the mind, seems to be the right direction, left there to be used only in a living, caring, productive situation.

Otherwise, taking it out of the mind, likely will lead you down some regrettable destination, which I have, unfortunately, occasionally experienced.

The Great White Hope (1970), directed by, with James Earl Jones, Jane Alexander

I see this film as a look at prominent American attitudes about African Americans existing in the early 20th Century.

Looking at this film from the 21st Century, I think we can say that change in such attitudes take a long time, unfortunately, but change can occur.  Change has occurred, change continues, and more time is needed.  Such of change is part of the human condition.

The Diary of Anne Frank, directed by, with

Aha, the human condition - how it can range from the bliss and joyfulness of heaven to the evil and pain of an event like Hitler.   And I suspect, little from the 20th Century better contrasts the two in one event than this innocent, sweet, so full of promise and hope and love and faith young person being forced into hiding, then into the claws of death for no other reason than wanting to live.

And we are very blessed to have this event so well documented by the written word and by the storytelling of a film.

Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)

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This is certainly an unusual film, with a seemingly superficiality and frivolousness to it, but, in fact, it turns out, for me, to be a very profound treatment of how, in the human condition, there is a hidden, intangible connection between humans and the past.

To expand upon this, here in a few words, if possible, there can be knowledge between us that comes out of ancestral past.  There is an underlying in many of our basic genetic code make ups, which I believed record previous ancestral life experiences, and I also believe these genetic memories past down to us do trigger influences on our actions and our reactions.

So, it is possible that when Billy looks into the eyes of the newly met Joe Pendleton, and vice versa, they do find something that they have known, at a genetic level, before.  And this that they find, can be a special attraction, a unique unexplained reaction, unique just to them.

The Great Dictator (1940), directed by Charlie Chaplin, with Charlie Chaplin

This film seems to me to be reaching to us to tell us how lucky we are when we have freedom, and that we should be willing to stand up and fight for our freedom.

So, is this a film that gives us a message about a “macro” theme or a “human condition” theme?

This film tells me it is the human condition that allows dictators, barbaric acts, atrocities, holocausts.  It is when the human condition fails, that the macro is allowed to create dictators, barbaric acts, atrocities, holocausts.

It is up to us to manage this condition, our human condition, in a better, more responsible way.

Mildred Pierce (1945)

What could be clearer than good versus evil as depicted in this film  yet, in a somewhat stranger fashion, the film also shows that good and evil is part of the human condition.

So, here is a film that connects two of my categories – the good versus evil and the human condition, and of course we know there is a connection.  In fact, many films have more than one category as a component of the story.  For me, it is a matter of focus - which one has the strongest thrust into my inner being and moves that being towards knowledge and truth.

In this film, I want everyone to be good – mother, child, and husband.  But it is not a part of the human condition that everyone will be “good”, as we would want.  Bad does happen, and frequently is permanent, as in this film.  Permanency is a part of the human condition.

Wild Strawberries (1957)

The theme of this film to me comes across loud and clearly – human conditions.

We see flashbacks into conditions that existed in a life.  We see interactions of a life with the conditions currently existing in family and friends and caretakers and in acquaintances.

We see, what is present in all lives, intimate details that may not be so honorable and proud, but which nevertheless exist for all of us.  And, we see the disappointments and pain, but we also see hope and resurrections, and happiness.

Dead Poet’s Society (1989)

I had a father who was well represented by Neil’s father - the tyrannical, possessive, domineering, irrational father - who participated in the centerpiece message in this film about becoming what you want to become, based on independent, inspired, passionate internal growth and work.

We see how becoming what one want is difficult and often not accomplished.  We see that becoming crowded together, herd like, is more often the norm.

We see that not all who have gone before are herded, and through them inspiration can be found.

And we see how much words and their internalization can cause growth and the right result, but, also, because of the human condition, tragedy.

The Heiress (1949), with Olivia de Havilland

This film deals with innocence and then the transformation that takes place from innocence (childlike) to maturity and wisdom.

What a fantastic treatment of such a big subject, in such a short time.  This is what I really like about films. They really do meet the life style condition of modern times

Olivia de Havilland is terrific. She demonstrates something exceptional.

We see a lovely, simple, totally truthful, non-analytical innocent creature, yet dull and socially inept, transformed into a wise, mature, no-longer innocent person, on the basis of a rough transformative experience. Such should be the human condition.