Last Updated on August 30, 2023, 2:57 PM | Published: August 30, 2023
OKLAHOMA CITY — When we think of the true classics in film, it’s easy to picture the grand Golden Age of Hollywood, with sweeping studio dramas like “Casablanca,” the darkness and complexity of later landmarks like “The Godfather,” or the spectacle of blockbusters like “Star Wars.”
But some classics are films that quietly, sometimes unexpectedly build such a reputation among filmmakers and fans over time that they become intrinsically linked to the future of film after them.
Sometimes they’re overlooked completely upon first release. Sometimes they’re enjoyed and moderately successful, only to be forgotten until their influence is felt so strongly later. And sometimes they’re even outright panned and derided, only to be rediscovered later as pieces of true art far ahead of their time.
Examples of each of these kinds of “quiet classics” will be screening around Oklahoma City in the coming weeks, with some of the most influential films of both genre and technique gracing city screens.
‘Sorcerer’ presented by the Oklahoma Film Society – Rodeo Cinema – August 31st
When directing legend William Friedkin passed away earlier this month, every obituary and retrospective understandably focused on his two most iconic masterpieces: the Best Picture-winning action/thriller “The French Connection” and arguably the greatest slow-burn horror film ever made, “The Exorcist.”
But his follow-up to those two critical and commercial smashes was “Sorcerer,” a film that combines the action and thrills of “The French Connection” with the horror and existential tension of “The Exorcist” as four strangers meet to transport a truck full of unstable dynamite through the South American jungle.
Neither critics nor audiences could stomach it at the time, but “Sorcerer” has gone on to become a widely acclaimed cross-genre roadmap for heart-pounding suspense and the filmmakers that it has influenced span everyone from “Mad Max” mastermind George Miller to “Drive” director Nicolas Winding Refn.
For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit rodeocinema.org.
‘The Rules of the Game’ – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – September 2nd & 3rd
Perhaps no other film in cinema has had quite the reversal of response as Jean Renoir’s 1939 French comedy, “The Rules of the Game.”
Upon release, with World War II rapidly bearing down on France and attention spans and morale both running short, this cynical, satirical look at a group of privileged socialites sparring throughout a hunting weekend was met with disdain and indifference.
It has since come to be considered by many to be among the greatest films in history, with some buffs and critics even placing it in the very top spot.
No other film quite captures the frivolousness and ignorance of pre-war wealth, and the way in which Renoir turns his lens to the disparity of classes and the insistence of the privileged on manufacturing their own petty drama is unmatched.
For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit okcmoa.com.
‘Clue’ – Harkins Bricktown – September 12th
Another now-classic that was largely dismissed upon release, 1985’s “Clue,” brilliantly and comedically adapted from the beloved board game, has grown to cast a long shadow over everything from recent ensemble comedies to modern mysteries.
At a time when comedy filmmaking was increasingly focused on teenagers, raunchiness, or the combination of the two, “Clue” brought together a number of the most talented character actors of the generation for a wacky murder-mystery farce that feels timeless even today.
The idea of gathering a group of hilarious, comedic minds for a larger-than-life genre excursion is still going strong even right now with Disney’s new “Haunted Mansion,” and “Clue’s” gimmick of multiple possible endings has only recently seen its influence grow through experiments like “Black Mirror’s” “Bandersnatch.”
Not to even mention Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” series, which is seemingly cut directly from the cloth of “Clue.”
For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit harkins.com.
‘The Wicker Man’ – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – September 15th through 17th
Though it was met with moderate success and even early festival accolades, British cultist-horror yarn “The Wicker Man” became long relegated to the also-rans of 70s psychedelic horror flicks before a late re-consideration rightfully placed it among the most important and influential works of the genre.
The film that horror magazine Cinefantastique dubbed “the ‘Citizen Kane’ of horror movies” follows a police sergeant on the trail of a missing girl, leading to a remote Scottish island and the mysterious pagan cult that resides there under the leadership of the masterful Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle.
With a focus on everything from Christianity, groupthink, sexual proclivity, and even impending climate change, “The Wicker Man” practically invented the genre of folk-horror film with an influence still felt now in offerings like “The VVitch” and of course Ari Aster’s “Midsommar.”
For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit okcmoa.com.
Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
