Our DEGRADED Culture Is Reflected in Our Art

[@RadioMattM]

Hitchcock understood that it was more powerful to NOT show the violence than it was to show it. Modern film makers do not understand that.

[@rebekahguilder602]

Yes. I love old movie, especially old scary movies. Alfred Hichcock was the master of terror as opposed to horrible. Terror has a lot of ambiguity, horror is just obviously really bad. Also, I felt " What Lies Beneath" was a modern film that did a good job of terror in a Hitchcockian way.

[@rebekahguilder602]

@Move_I_Got_This I understand what you mean but Reservoir Dogs and Good Fellows are horror/terror movies. I feel that ambiguity is better for terror. Think of the scary movies that really stay with you. Nightmare on Elm Street is sooo gory, but is it a movie that keeps you scared long after?

[@RadioMattM]

@Move_I_Got_This In the 1930’s film, Sabotage, Hitchcock had a boy supposedly taking a can of motion picture film across town on a bus not knowing that the film can has a bomb in in. The bomb goes off on a bus killing several people on the bus including the boy. The film showed the aftermath. Hitchcock regretted showing that scene, feeling that it took the impact out of it. I remember seeing the Birds in 1963. It showed the farmer who had been pecked to death. However, it did not show him being pecked to death - Hitchcock left that up to the viewers imagination. I don’t think showing a toilet is the same as showing a graphic scene of violence. On the Jack Benny radio show, Benny had his vault in the basement that was guarded by any number of traps and wild animals. It was very funny. When Benny’s show went to TV they attempted to show the fault. Nothing they could do would have made it anywhere as funny as what people could imagine.

[@RadioMattM]

@Move_I_Got_This The Exorcist is not a suspense movie and, since the subject was Hitchcock, I thought we were talking about suspense movies. The Exorcist was also one first movies to use modern techniques to be graphic. I have not seen the film but I can understand that the scenes did add to the story. On the other hand, I don’t recall many graphic scenes in Jaws. Yes there were some that were slightly graphic, but for the most part is was left up to the viewers imagination. But how many directors use graphic scenes to make up for lack of story telling?

[@johngoras73]

People have gotten SO used to seeing simulated scenes of over the top horrific violence, it all winds up becoming just techne, just slapstick. I recently watched Bone Tomahawk, which is a great movie with some disturbing nightmarish scenes, but it's still kind of funny because we've seen such things in lesser/cheesier films for almost 50 years now.

[@PeterAndWillAnderson]

Andrew, I love how you talk so much about the arts and culture! The conservatism movement should focus on this more I think. I am a jazz musician and can see obviously how popular music has been degraded since the 20s, 30s, 40s. Autumn in NY is one of my favorites. Also, the culture in the black community was very different back then.

[@anhumblemessengerofthelawo3858]

_Shostakovich String Quartet Number 8_

[@adamgates1142]

If Andrew was alive in 1920 he would have considered jazz degenerate

[@Lunchladydoyle]

Wow. What’s it like being the first human being who can read another persons mind ?? Must be a huge burden for you

[@danieldasilva9829]

The black community was very different back then INDEED. They weren’t allowed to do very much did they?

[@RockNRollSurf]

@@danieldasilva9829 Back then, the African American community had badass music such as being the pioneers of jazz, jump blues, and the founders of rock and roll music. Their doo wop, soul, and rhythm and blues was class 100% They also were the pioneers of Zoot suits, which was stylish and envied by everyone. Fast forward today, and the rap community is complete trash. The 90s gansta era was a mistake. I talked to the African American community that are baby boomers and the silent generation, and even they are absolutely disgusted with the modern culture. I'm pretty sure the OP is talking about the culture in general. There's a famous saying: hard times create heroic men. Heroic men create easy times. Easy times creates weak men. In other words, since the African community in the early part of the 20th century had it extremely hard, they were able to create masterpiece after masterpiece especially in the music department: such as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, James Brown, etc since it all comes from the soul. Today you have Megan Stallion, Cardi B, and that guy who sings the Gucci Gang song.

[@nmr6988]

Star Wars was an homage to the movies and serials that George Lucas loved from his childhood. Simple as that.

[@Sam_T2000]

agreed… the complexity of Luke Skywalker’s arc is often overlooked, but they’re really just pure and simple movies that entertain and make you happy, and there is nothing wrong with that at all. I don’t know if they’re high art or not, but they’re great at what they attempt to be.

[@nmr6988]

@@Sam_T2000 the first Star Wars (episode IV) is pure and beautiful, the best of the whole series. It’s derivative because it was inspired by movies that Lucas loved but also inventive and original and poetic. Many people like episode V better, but it’s more of a standard action film, standard sci-fi. None of the other entries reached the level of Lucas’s very first entry. Just my opinion.

[@disco7379]

He ripped off most of Dune.

[@tekis0]

@@disco7379 Interesting point. I never thought of that.

[@BishopWalters12]

@@disco7379 Dune ripped off Beowulf going by your logic.

[@dugonman8360]

2 points I have an issue with. 1. The reason why the arts before the renaissance weren't as sophisticated as those in the roman times has nothing to do with the culture necessarily, but due to wealth and a passing on of skill. The nations in the middle ages, after rome collapsed. Had nowhere near the amount of wealth that rome during that era did and those sculpting skills were lost to the seas of time until they were relearned during the renaissance. Art needs wealth and skill and time to reach that level of perfection. 2. To dismiss art because it utilizes influence from other sources is easentially dismissing art in and of itself. Writers and artisens are theives of each others works most of the time and those influences revolve around a spark of inspiration. Most of Shakespeare's plays were just old stories of myths or tragic talss he rewritten into a play format. This myth about creativity just emerging through the ether is detrimental to people honing their skills. To dismiss Star Wars due to being inspired by Flash Gordan and lord of the rings is trivial when the identity of star wars is uniquely its own.

[@liamc8729]

I'm a 27 yr old artist and much of my style has been inspired by the things I see. I always find inspiration in Francisco Goya and the work he did when he became deaf and extremely depressed. This guy once painted almost photorealistic portraits for royalty and gut wrenching interpretations of war and revolution in Spain. But his style shifted 180 degrees and it became very dark and ominous and horrific when he became deaf. His art reflected the pain and torment he was experiencing and it gives you an idea for what total madness must look and feel like. I can say with total certainty that both the fine arts and music are at their lowest point in human history. I've spent enough time in contemporary art museums and modern art galleries here in Chicago to tell you it's horrendously bad and shallow garbage. Literally! A lot of it is actually garbage just dumped on a pedestal with stantions around it. The most famous artist alive, named Banksy, isn't even a real person. It's a collective of mediocre(at best) UK graffiti artists who paint very poor street art and everyone my age fawns over it because it's "woke". Artists like me weren't able to express ourselves at all in college due to fear of social shunning or violence. Everyone else was far more concerned about gender identities, communism, and white racism to actually concern themselves with making good art. Good art today is all about the social or political message. If it doesn't have one, no one cares. Actual good art is not about how much wealth a society has. Apart from music and film in America from 1950-1979, the art has been a bleak reflection of our culture as a whole. We haven't had any great painters or sculptors for over 100 years and we've gained plenty of wealth in that time. And it's because our culture is godless, shallow, self-absorbed, and requires instant gratification. The reason Spain had so many great artists like Goya and Salvador Dali was that they were devout Catholics and their art always had a deeper meaning. And one that expressed their struggles with faith, vice, sex, war, death, etc. When atheists control the arts, there is nothing left to explore. No amount of money is going to change the fact that modern art is atheist and pessimistic. The culture isn't conducive to creating great art because it wouldn't be accepted. Especially if it went against a progressive agenda or idea. I wouldn't even be allowed back into Columbia if they knew I was saying this. Even if they did, I'd have to endure standing in front of my whole graduating class and reciting my gender pronouns and apologizing for being straight and white all over again! They love to humiliate us.

[@dugonman8360]

@@liamc8729 I do like this comment a lot and I really dont want to quibble over it but I must since I think you took what I said out of context. Wealth doesn't guarentee good art is made, it just means art is allowed to be made. Its also like scientific acheivements, a country with little wealth doesn't have enough money to put it into such things as the arts or sciences because people are eating roots and toads by the masses. The point was mostly due to the example he gave about the stonework of ancient rome compared to the medieval wood carving. Good art though, that's up to the human soul and the human soul of the modern man has been tainted and throttled. Rousseaus been dead for over two hundred years but hundreds of men and women have endlessly and futilely tried to make his philosophy work. Its easier to be a whoring degenerate while believing that mankind will inevitably bring heaven on earth when we sunder everything that allowed our unique cultures to prosper than to struggle to be better in the eyes of god and man. Secular Humansims is the opiate of the rich and hedonistic. I do believe, though, that even though the high arts have been crippled, the middle and lower arts did florish, probably due to how secular humanism didn't target them specifically until the last 40 years or so and the lower arts have always been in the hands of the peasentry. Also, we should stop calling it 'woke' or 'sjw' or any of that and call it what it is: black worship. It is by all definitions black worship with a sprinkling of gay and woman acceptance. The idea that the nations of asia or the middle east were never respected by the west is laughable to its core.

[@johnduquette7023]

I can't get behind the claim that Star Wars is bad because it uses devices from other works. The notion that the wheel must be reinvented in order for a work to be good is completely backwards. Targeting a spot in the market where there is demand does not make any artistic product _less than._

[@marchess7420]

its bad because it's immature, pompous drivel. but the first two were better than the rest.

[@johnduquette7023]

​@@marchess7420 That's neither here nor there. Your opinion and my opinion on its quality are irrelevant. The argument being made was from the position of its use of derivative tools. It completely contradicts his use of the Venus deMilo as a positive example of good art, because it depicts a well-trod Classical theme.

[@LN-Lifer]

@@johnduquette7023 I agree. One could name many great movies/books inspired by Lord of the Rings or even containing obvious rip offs. Uniquity is to be admired, but that does not mean something that is not unique cannot be as well

[@aaronrichards19886]

@@marchess7420 Star Wars doesn't hold up as well as Indiana Jones. Still can't help but love those movies.

[@marchess7420]

@@johnduquette7023 - you rejected one argument why sw is bad. i offered others. you can disagree with me and claim that rather than immature and pompous, sw is deep and unaffected. good luck convincing folks of thst.

[@CSUnger]

Art is a reflection of the souls of those who move the culture.

[@playbackproductions1]

I like WAP

[@starrix4712]

@playbackproductions1 Then it says something about your spirit. You’re sexually forward, but not in the sexually forward way many ancient cultures were; it is a sexuality that has been defined and manipulated by forces around you. I won’t say that’s good or bad, but it is a sign of degradation. I’m actually the same as you in some ways so I’m not judging, as a modern and feminist-leaning woman in her early 20s.

[@johnreddick7650]

I find a certain irony in the fact that the Vénus de Milo was itself for a certain time considered an example of a relatively degraded period of art. Enlightenment and Victorian art criticism held that the Hellenistic period in which it was made had lost the dignity and idealism of the preceding Classical period, just as writers like Apollonius and Callimachus were held to be inferior to the Classical Æschylus and Sophocles. Come to think of it, there were those who believed that American popular song of the 1940s had declined from the days of Friml and Romberg and Victor Herbert. „Entartung“ in the arts is nearly always a tricky thing to claim.

[@earlsmith7428]

Wish I had your education sir.

[@johnreddick7650]

@@earlsmith7428 You are very kind, but, like the Syrophœnician woman in the Bible, I'm just a dog who has picked up the scraps that have fallen from the tables of my betters.

[@npc-lowlife6940]

@@johnreddick7650 😮

[@iforget6940]

How did you start learning these stuff.

[@carolinesa91]

Yes, the Hellenistic period is considered a period of decadence of Greek culture. However, it's still superior to medieval art and current art. Camille Paglia analyses works of art through history and these transitions from apogee to decline of culture in her book Sexual Personae. According to her analysis, decadent art during the Hellenistic period becomes more fluid, less defined compared with classical pieces.

[@hmmingbrds]

I do see the culture growing more and more degraded, but I see it much more in music than I do in movies. Also, I personally think Tarantino is one of the greatest filmmakers of our time, movies are allowed to be fantasy so I don't see anything wrong with Django. Also the Hateful Eight and Pulp Fiction not being mentioned is a shame lol.

[@hmmingbrds]

@Richard Fox No, I think he explains it pretty well in the video, although I disagree with his blanket statement about rap music.

[@piperian3962]

I love Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I’m on the fence about the violent ending, but the rest of it is pure bliss.

[@hmmingbrds]

@@piperian3962 The Hateful Eight has probably the most gruesome that I've seen (I have yet to see a few of his movies). The violence is pretty much expected but he always surprises you with how the violence is portrayed

[@hmmingbrds]

@Richard Fox do you just log on to argue with people or what

[@hmmingbrds]

@Richard Fox In my lifetime I have seen number one songs go from actual romantic lyrics that are well written to WAP. I have seen hip hop music go from poets telling their story to mumble rappers lying about wealth and wearing rainbow grills. When it comes to movies, there is a rating system that can gatekeep younger people from seeing films, music doesn't have that kind of system. The radio only censors curse words, not erotic phrases, and most people these days stream music which doesn't censor it at all. Its one of the most accessible things out there, and especially the newer generation growing up with this kind of music being something they they take in, that will affect them for years if not their life. In a world where media needs shock factor to stand out, it will only become more and more shocking until nothing can shock anyone, and that is degrading to a culture. Movies and music over the last 100 years have grown more and more degrading to humanity, its clear to see if you look at the big picture.

[@thomasdailey7242]

I watched a young woman with her young child stealing something from my neighbor's yard this morning. Teaching her 5-6-year-old daughter how to steal. Wish I hadn't seen it.

[@nmr6988]

Yeah, that's depressing.

[@mjef3695]

Ugh. Sad. It’s as if honesty and goodness no longer exist if a parent exposes a child to this behavior.

[@catherinelw9365]

Millstone around the neck time...

[@hussienbintalal91]

A movie about that would be interesting

[@mjef3695]

@@hussienbintalal91 Want a movie. Just check out your evening news.

[@dirtymontana]

Sadly, I have to say I'm afraid we have not yet reached the depths of decadence & degeneracy of which we are "capable."

[@LN-Lifer]

Amen. Each generation thinks they are the ones that have learned the most from past mistakes. The problem is they fail to see the triumphs of those that came before them

[@javaally1203]

No one gave a crap about Flash Gordon when they came out during their time, unlike when Star Wars came out... there are other unique and groundbreaking qualities about Star Wars other than it's reflection to the past...

[@javaally1203]

This coming from OP who says the horrors movies from the 50s were classics, but ignores horror movies from the 70s and 80s.

[@johnduquette7023]

It's an unreasonable demand to reinvent the wheel every time you produce a work of art in order for it to be good. Owens's position negates Klavan's example of the Venus deMilo, which is a magnificent rendition of a classical theme, the Triumph of Love over War. The Venus deMilo actually stands out because it was a classical theme reproduced after the Peloponnesian Wars, after popular Greek culture had become disillusioned with its own Classical thinking and themes. Klavan is speaking at cross-purposes here, this whole thing is half-baked.

[@bighands69]

@Java Ally You missed the point of what he was talking about. Star Wars was not original by any account.

[@javaally1203]

@@bighands69 you missed what I said

[@johnduquette7023]

@@bighands69 Neither was the Venus deMilo.

[@Galloway17]

Shakespeare is almost certainly the greatest writer in the history of the English language. But out of his 38 plays, only 3 were original ideas. To say that art being inspired by other art is the degradation of culture is patently ludicrous in its oversimplification.

[@kevinaldrich5480]

You have not understood what Klavan said.

[@Galloway17]

@@kevinaldrich5480 Then he did not explain himself particularly well, because that's more or less exactly what he DID say.

[@TheChuckfuc]

King Solomon even said that there's nothing new under the sun. People have been thinking about the same things forever.

[@rolandowagner7775]

Klavan said that all artists are inspired by the art that came before them, which I have said myself. It's a matter of how the new art is executed and the creativity involved. In recent decades all we see is copying with little creativity and art gets degraded rather than being inspired by the past and creating something new and brilliant.

[@STho205]

Rolando and others are right. Klavan's criticism is when the art is just art about the art, by artists that want to use the past art to convince you they are one with the art, but only people on the arts will understand their art is great because it is an artistic reflection of art. That's purposefully circular. The Tarantino examples are good to describe that. The play "Noises Off" or "Love Letters" are examples of self derivative. Think modern Star Trek CBS,,,which are a series of Easter egg references to old Star Treks, but when the new story is f i n a l l y finished after 9 weeks or more... you wonder why they even bothered and you forgot what the new plot was even about. Repeat next year with more meaningless Easter eggs.

[@heidibee501]

The BEATLES did some clever work like Eleanor Rigby, The Fool on the Hill, Nowhere Man, and Yesterday, among others. And JOHN LENNON'S "IMAGINE" has become the Anthem of the Progressive/Socialist/ Communist crowd.

[@bighands69]

It is not a patch on 1950s or 1960s popular music. The Beatles make fun pop music.

[@elaineteut1249]

It is "reimagine" to them.

[@heidibee501]

@@elaineteut1249 Exactly.

[@theactionman8403]

George Harrison was great far better than the wife beater

[@johanponken]

Hasn't Klavan done a takedown on 'Imagine'?

[@fredthomson2384]

Yeah, but the Beatles did not degrade over their career, they expanded from yeah, yeah, yeah to Elenor Rigby, Nowhere Man, A Day in the Life, to Penny Lane which stacks up just as good as describing urban life as much as Autumn in New York and in then came Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, surely Andrew you have listened to Dark Side of the Moon? How is that a degradation? It became degraded because it was about money not art.

[@flintfredstone228]

I think the Beatles definitely did degrade over their career, overall. Rubber Soul is probably the last great album, though that is a wildly unpopular opinion. Even though their early lyricism is very simple, when it's paired with a great melody it cannot be beat.

[@flintfredstone228]

​@Jeremiah Willey OK I'll do it and get back to you

[@calebadams690]

Thank you for bringing up Dark Side of the Moon, because I feel like that alone disproves his ideas

[@calebadams690]

@Richard Fox lol

[@arathergrumpyturtle]

As much as I agree with the general sentiment of Klavan's take, I could really do without his commentaries on medieval sculpture. There is a whole world of reasons why those two sculptures differ more than just a rejection of the classical form and degeneration of skill over time. I'd be more inclined to say that medieval artists had a better understanding of what constituted the "classical form" than the actual Greeks and Romans. They just applied it more towards other arts like architecture, metalwork, calligraphy, illumination etc. Since free-standing sculpture was just less popular. Partly in due to an association with idols, but mostly as a result of a declining population and a breakdown of the infrastructure and demand that would enable the great classical workshops to continue churning out masterpieces. But by the high middle ages, we have people studying the classical tradition once again. Like Nicola and Giovanni Pisano. Parallel to the developing tradition of gothic sculpture.

[@TheGreatGonzales777]

Star Wars is the heroes’ journey when the culture needed it most, and a darn entertaining version of it at that.

[@edwardelliott5756]

I have to agree. Most of new movies seem to be obsessed with sex & violence. Perhaps they never thought to invest in a storyline that deals with pain, suffering, love or mercy. I’d rather watch Casablanca than anything made after the 70’s.

[@danielmacdonald9287]

There are tons of movies made after the 70s that are miles better than Casablanca. Not everything is just sex and violence. What a silly thing to think.

[@edwardelliott5756]

@@danielmacdonald9287 Like what? Especially in the last 10 years?

[@Meyer-gp7nq]

It seems today that all you see is violence in movies and sex on tv

[@crobeastness]

There are so many different kinds of art and even more difficult kind of artists. It's not a monolith of ideas even if it sometimes may seem that way because the art that is being promoted the most seem the same.

[@nco_gets_it]

but that is where you are incorrect. It seems the same because it is the same. In modern art, there is only one actual idea on display and motivating the art. Nihilism and immature worship of form. The substance that differentiated the Dutch Masters from the French masters of the same era is unknown today. Because behind the art are artists with no actual humanity. Just imitators attempting to be more shocking than the last imitator. The current artist is unable to find a spark that inspires, only a flame that consumes.

[@crobeastness]

@@nco_gets_it how much are have you actually consumed in this new decade. In 2020 and 2021 how many books have you read and/or exhibits have you visited and/or movies have you seen and/or TV series have you seen and/or video games have you played, etcetera? If not that many or if many, but only what has been highly promoted by legacy media, your opinion is invalid. How many foreign language movies have you seen or anime or indie films that don't see any kind of box office success?

[@geridannels1701]

@@nco_gets_it Amen.

[@fishing1310]

I completely agree. I would add that I think it is quite arrogant to say that certain art is good or bad, as it assumes that art has a single specific purpose. Art is not made to reach some arbitrary standard of beauty and goodness, nor should it only be interpreted by a single set of standards. In many cases, art is an economic venture, and if it succeeds in that realm, doesn't that make it good art? If it perfectly encapsulates the current zeitgeist, or innovates in some way, who is to say that the creation is lesser than something that came before it? Just my opinion though, lol

[@emmapeel8163]

there's many styles of Art for sure. they even have a better chance at being seen cuz of internet. but it's still a select few groups that promote & exalt Artwork $$ Gatekeepers. plus we now have Celebrity Art: Hunter Biden, Jim Carey, etc .. imo Art is still subjective & a *real* artist is ahead of the human curve. Andy Warhol comes to mind when i think of a clever way to copy culture & call it Art.

[@justineddy5306]

Vernon Duke was 31 when he wrote "Autumn in New York" while Lennon and McCartney were in their early twenties when they wrote "She Loves You". You'd have to look at the lyrics from their later tunes or early solo work to create a more fair comparison, and I'd argue that the best Beatles' lyrics can hold their own against most composers regardless of era or style. You also have to keep in mind that Duke's audience was older. Early Rock N Roll was the first large wave of teen music dominating the charts and taking over pop culture. The Beatles didn't invent that (credit goes to Buddy Holly, Check Berry, Little Richard, Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, etc) but were one of the best at it from the very beginning. Considering their young age and relative inexperience as songwriters and the very young age of their initial audience, the early Beatles tunes are remarkably sophisticated for their time.

[@AGirlofYesterday]

Agree. Citing "She Loves You" as an example of cultural decline compared to "Autumn in New York" is not fair, because the Beatles were younger, less experienced songwriters back then. But also because "Autumn" had exceptionally poetic lyrics, not shared by all songs in the 30s-40s. A big hit of 1931 was this: You can feed me bread and water Or a great big bale of hay But don't take my boop-oop-a-doop away! You can say my voice is awful Or my songs are too risqué. Oh, but don't take my boop-oop-a-doop away! This was over 30 years before "She Loves You" but the lyrics are just as silly and simplistic, even more so. That being said, I do agree we are in a major culture & arts decline, and it breaks my heart. But it's not a straight downward plunge; it ebbs and flows and may rise again soon.

[@justineddy5306]

@@AGirlofYesterday Great point- the camparison is unfair on so many levels. "She Loves You" also demonstrates lyrical maturity in a different way- its a teenage love song told from the perspective of a third party that manages to feel engaging and personal. Most of the silly love songs (pun intended) from that era (early 60s) are straightforward and involve two main characters- the singer and their love interest. The lyrics are almost always either an emotional outpouring of love and affection ("everything is perfect, I'm so in love") or a sad story of heartache ("she left me and is never coming back"). I don't want to overstate the case- "She Loves You" is certainly not the first love song written in the third person, but the comparitively passive voice given in the lyrics makes the execution that much more impressive. 60 years later and the track still explodes with excitement and energy (the chorus kicking off the tune full blast is another unusual choice) and the nuggets of wisdom offered ("pride can hurt you too / apologize to her") convey a remarkable level of nuance for a three minute pop tune and establish the friendship between the singer and listener as a focal point of the song just as much as the relationship between the listener and the titular "she". I think we concede too much when we say "She Loves You" is inferior to "Autumn Leaves".

[@AGirlofYesterday]

@@justineddy5306 I agree, She Loves You is a good song, probably underrated. though I am more inclined to concede that Autumn is much more sophisticated lyrically. I wonder if we would rate SLY so highly if we were unaware of the later songwriting brilliance of the Beatles? Does knowing that they would later pen Revolution, Eleanor Rigby, Let It Be etc color our assessment of their simple early songs, or are we really seeing latent genius?

[@justineddy5306]

@@AGirlofYesterday Fair point. Its impossible to view She Loves You outside of the context of The Beatles' complete body of work. I'd still argue that compared to other music for that same target audience (12-16 year olds), She Loves You is in a class all its own.

[@starrix4712]

I think that’s part of the problem. Only very young people started being the main drive in music. In the past, that wasn’t the case. I’d like to say it’s getting better and lot of artists aren’t too young now, funny enough, so maybe it will get better again.

[@stormhawk31]

Here's the problem, Andrew: in all of those other cases, there were places in the world where cultures WEREN'T rotten. In this time, though, ALL cultures EVERYWHERE are degraded, and getting worse. The rot is global. Furthermore, ALL the means of communication are in the hands of those who benefit from the rot, and whose power could be challenged by good art. It's why communist countries always make sure to control art. Look at what passed for art in the Soviet Union. We're in the same place today.

[@carolinesa91]

At least in Soviet Union they produced a lot of good movies, like "Go and See" (Иди и смотри), "Moscow does not believe in tears" (Москва слезам не верит) and "Ivan's childhood" (Иваново детство).

[@hermajesty52]

Spot on stormhawk31. !!!

[@themysteriousnavi6850]

Even in the Middle East? Because I think the Middle East is more culturally conservative than it was a few decades ago!

[@stormhawk31]

@@themysteriousnavi6850 Yes, even there. It's not just about politics.

[@JGSmith82]

Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, James Taylor, Kris Kristofferson.....all brilliant singer-songwriters whose lyrics more than match anything written in the 40s

[@WatchMeDrown]

The opening crawl from Star Wars was never meant to be something new and since it’s inception Lucas has always admitted he used it in reference to the old Flash Gordon serials. What makes Star Wars a cultural icon is it serves as the definitive post Vietnam American take on the traditional Western mythology and motifs, which is why the first film can literally be summed up in - farm boy meets wizard to become a knight and rescue a princess from an evil sorcerer. It’s not “bad” because it is self referential to the Western fantasy mythos, it’s good because in spite of it being the most basic and traditional story their is it executes it in a way that is captivating.

[@shamrockballs1066]

The real reason it was used was because Brian DePalma didn't know what was going on and he told Lucas to put in a crawl explaining it before the movie started so audiences were not as confused as he was.

[@elementaltamago1297]

Our degraded culture is reflected in its inability to spell Klavan

[@neighborhoodwatch470]

Hey, it's Calvin 😉

[@elementaltamago1297]

@@neighborhoodwatch470 I always have to start with e'Keleeveene and then work back from there.

[@dayzeereyes128]

I think tarantino did a good job portraying the maternal love/instincts in the bride in kill bill.

[@Sketch_XR]

I'm really hungry to hear Klavan's explanation for why Spielberg's movies are so stupid or silly. The man's creativity is a huge testament to the limitless nature of the film making medium, and to which we owe a lot of appreciation.

[@sportsmediaamerica]

Me too. Hungry.

[@Galloway17]

Schindler’s List stands up to any of the amazing movies of 1939 (and was popular like them as well). I agree with Andrew on his overall principle here, but the some of the examples he chose undercut that argument.

[@lieutenantflyboy]

E.T., Indiana Jones, Close Encounters, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, Munich, Schindler’s List, Lincoln, etc. So many great filmmakers today owe their success to what Spielberg brought.

[@CornerTalker]

go back and listen again... 14:14 silly films as well as classics. Among the silly might be Ready Player One, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the Temple of Doom, and Twilight Zone: The Movie. He also produced such turds as Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Halo, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, and Super 8.

[@markallen2984]

@@CornerTalker Don't forget "Hook" 👎

[@thaasianguyj5568]

Once upon a time in Hollywood is one of my favorite movies ever. Glad I’m not the only who seems to like it.

[@thirdhandlv4231]

@Richard Fox Pulp Fiction is much better.

[@christiansoldier77]

That movie was straight trash

[@sandramiller1988]

No, that movie was about trash. And it was brilliant.

[@christiansoldier77]

@@sandramiller1988 No the movie was trash

[@sandramiller1988]

@@christiansoldier77 The movie was brilliant. It just wasn’t your taste.

[@acenzi]

For me as an artist, it is a shame, to not say a disgrace.

[@SimonSezSo]

I get what you're saying. I see the degradation in films. Seems like every movie being made has woman acting like men, an interracial romance just for the sake of that racist principle called 'diversity', or sexual perversion being treated as if it were normal. Makes a cinephile cry. 😪

[@kathleenhensley5951]

Same here. I cry when I see what films have become.

[@SimonSezSo]

@Rando Yaguchi Have been for several decades now. That's why I recognize the current perversion of cinema.

[@SimonSezSo]

Yes, they are. It is a perversion of womanhood to have her behave like a man. It is a perversion of MLK's "Dream" to encourage Diversity. And it is most definitely a perversion of nature to be sexually attracted to your own gender.

[@catherinelw9365]

@Rando Yaguchi You need to take a course in logic.

[@SimonSezSo]

@Rando Yaguchi Deviant, pervert. I'm OK with either term.

[@nmr6988]

I've sung a lot of Vernon Duke. Always made me feel that life was worth living.

[@teamrecon2685]

Andrew, you obviously missed the halftime show at this year's Superbowl. Art of the highest caliber.

[@douca1]

Fashion, art, music it all reflects our modern society culture and values. Lord have mercy.

[@damiantirado9616]

Not true tho. Back in the 50s artists where oppressed. Now they’re more free.

[@TallisKeeton]

One of the most crazy things I've noticed recently is that most ppl on the global medias (broadcasters and commentators alike) believe that "going with the times" = "being progressive" = "wisdom". While what I realy think about the question "where wisdom lays?" is actualy in the sedimentations of culture - for example in 30 centuries of works of European lore :)

[@jay-day]

The Beatles were about the sound, not necessarily the lyrics.

[@gwenboland7678]

I don’t believe you can separate the change in the arts post-50s from the rise of youth culture. Catering to those disposable $$ has dumbed down culture in many ways.

[@starrix4712]

Exactly. Rock and roll is a huge example of that, funny enough. I also believe a lot of the songs were more manufactured (though good within their own genre) than we think. I know young men, and even the geniuses can only be so talented.

[@owenmcmillan5734]

OUR Degraded culture is seen in our LAWS!!!!

[@eriklucasmusic]

Andrew remains my favorite person from the daily wire. This video is absolutely phenomenal.

[@ArtbyAP]

And here I am, the biggest Jurassic Park fan, sweating, thinking he's gonna trash it and make me sad, lol.

[@bighands69]

You can like something and be entertained by it without it being the greatest film of all time. The first Jurassic park movie was great as was the original Star Wars movies but they pale in signigicance to the likes of Gone With the Wind.

[@98pointseven]

Pop music didn't die in the early 60s. It died in the late 1980s---when "rap" came along. And you're right about the hatefulness and stupidity of "rap." But in the "rock" years you had lots of yah-yah electric guitar stuff that was just as good as the sweet piano and violins of the American Songbook era. The difference isn't so much artistic standards as it is changing social ideas about the meaning of love and sex. Great songs from the "rock" years include: Bruce Springsteen: "Hungry Heart" Rollling Stones: "Beast of Burden" Johnny Cash: "Ring of Fire" B.B. King: "The Thrill is Gone" Dire Straits: "Money for Nothing" Led Zeppelin: "Dazed and Confused" J.J. Cale: "Call Me the Breeze" Bob Marley: "I Shot the Sheriff" Janis Joplin: "Piece of My Heart" Grateful Dead: "Friend of the Devil" Bob Dylan: "Tangled Up in Blue" Bob Dylan: "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" Bob Dylan: "Just Like a Woman" Bob Dylan: "Dignity" Dob Dylan: "Idiot Wind" Bob Dylan: "Don't Thnk Twice, It's All Right" In fact, pretty much ANYTHING by Dylan.

[@mussman717word]

A-bloody-MEN! If anything, the decline was with early rock and roll. I like Elvis, but he was silly compared to Miles Davis, his contemporary. The Beatles and Bob Dylan, on the other hand, lifted rock and roll to its peak years (1964-1973). This guy has it all wrong. I see the point he's trying to make, but it was a terrible example.

[@Geronimo_Jehoshaphat]

There's no such thing as art which doesn't imitate or build upon or subvert as a reflection or reaction of prior art. That's what art is. It's not just an expression of life, it's an expression of the impressions which already exist as expressions of existing. If it weren't, it wouldn't be art.

[@blueyedevil1531]

It would still be art, but it would be a restart of the foundation. Art is creating a representation through a medium guided by your perception of an idea to display what you wish. Without adaptation or imitation is would just be reestablishing the foundation, starting anew. To be from your point of view the first artist, before that point is nature / god. But it's still art without imitation. It's just perception guided representation

[@Geronimo_Jehoshaphat]

@@blueyedevil1531 The first thing wouldn't even be art. The art would be in extrapolating something from the first thing and then reiterating it.

[@kyleoden3015]

Who did Picasso emulate? Lol

[@Geronimo_Jehoshaphat]

@@kyleoden3015 Picasso emulated a masticated and regurgitated bowel movement.

[@kyleoden3015]

@@Geronimo_Jehoshaphat lol. We've now come to the point nft "art" sells for absurd prices.

[@bigphilly7345]

I usually agree with Klavan, but odd that he’s essentially a paperback crime writer himself but somehow he’s upset about a degraded culture. Seems an odd bit of self-hatred.

[@Aircalibur]

The best coaches are always mediocre players and the best critics are mediocre producers. I doubt Klavan considers himself some great artist. This culture doesn't really even allow artists to be popular; only entertainers can be widely known and liked, and Klavan is an entertainer in the medium of something just above pulp (and on the screen - any honest marketer would tell you that political shows like all the Daily Wire shows are really about entertainment first and foremost). He is a product of the culture he critiques. You can recognize that a culture is in decline while recognizing your own inadequacy and having a truthful image of your place in the world.

[@damiantirado9616]

Conservatives are full of self hatred.

[@carolinel2530]

Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Judy Garland, George Michael are tragic figures, but talented artists. I guess I see your point, Klavan.

[@williamwalker8107]

Star Wars was just a fun movie to watch. Does all entertainment need to be high art, meaningful, deep, inspiring and soulful?

[@geridannels1701]

Today my our view of life change our culture and influence of the arts. Klavan your spot on. There isn't a movie made today that isn't a re-make from twent to thirty years ago. I grew up with my parents owning three theaters. Movies we're everything back when I was a kid I got my friends in for free. We had great films back then and great actors, not so much anymore.

[@connielindquist924]

The best part of old movies is that scenes cut and you are left to your own imagination, you interact with the film and become part of it 🤗 and people had actual dialog!

[@DayTripperrr]

Lives in a dream Waits at the window Wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door - Paul McCartney

[@chrisbreytenbach8660]

The West is lost Andrew, thank goodness for people like you trying to keep us on the conservative way!

[@seanhawthorne65]

Andrew: It’s impossible for art to not imitate other art before it. Also Andrew: Star Wars sucks because it’s too much like Flash Gordon/ other Sci-Fi.

[@elfascisto6549]

Wqsn't candace the one that said star wars was bad ?

[@seanhawthorne65]

@@elfascisto6549 He was agreeing with her.

[@JackDSquat]

I do agree that the Star Wars films from 1-6 aren’t that deep on the surface, but once you look at the story from a third person perspective and add in details from the extended material, the story can be very poetic. If the saga wasn’t told through its cheesy medium and instead came about through some form of literature or play, then I’m sure it’s more meaningful elements would’ve been more apparent.

[@seanmoran2743]

It’s a B cowboy movie at best As long as that’s recognised then that ok If a person thinks Star Wars is the pinnacle of western culture then that person is a child

[@lausdeo4944]

@@seanmoran2743 No, that's not what the commenter above was saying. He said (correctly) that the Star Wars saga (1-6) was much deeper than met the eye.

[@lausdeo4944]

@Rando Yaguchi You don't need to cite "extended material" to make the case. I'll just give you one example: Obi Wan Kenobi fights Darth Maul, Count Dooku, and General Grievous throughout the 1--3. Darth Maul is an extremely talented saber-fighter; Dooku is a powerful force user; and Grievous has the advantage of robotic strength. These opponents were preparing Obi Wan throughout his life to face Anakin as Darth Vader, who was, in effect, a combination of all three. He was a master saber-fighter, a powerful force user, and had robotic enhancement (his arm). And to tie it all together: Darth Vader's death echoed the ways all three villains had died. His legs were cut off (same as Maul); his arms were cut off (same as Dooku); and he was set on fire (same as Grievous). See, a brilliant set of foreshadowing placed right under our noses. Not to mention the Anakin Skywalker/Palpatine story being one of the best incarnations of the "chosen one" trope ever produced in mass media.

[@clone3_7]

@@lausdeo4944 Yet the examples are flawed. Maul was cut in half at the torso, he lost more, than his legs. Count Dooku is also a talented saber-fighter, but otherwise Obi-Wan in the movies lost all of his fights against Dooku. Not only, that but the main source of power for Obi-Wan is his wisdom. Which he had always maintained. He did not become wiser during the films. He defeats Anakin, because he is wiser, not because he is more prepared to face him. The prequel trilogy is a bit deeper, because it shows the tragedy of Anakin and Palpatine's plot. However I only find deep meaning in this, because I saw the prequel trilogy as a kid as an adult, I do not find too many deep parts in Star Wars. Maybe Anakin's redemption can be considered a deep part, but ...

[@justineddy5306]

Interesting that you make an exception for De Palma's The Untouchables and call it a great film when so much of it (like all of De Palma's work) is a carbon copy of other films. Lucas may have borrowed heavily from the archetypes of Greek mythology and the style of Japanese samurai films when he made Star Wars, but at least he didn't recreate complete sequences in other people's films (as far as I know). The baby carriage rolling down the steps of the courthouse sequence in The Untouchables is lifted directly from Battleship Potemkin.

[@LawHawk-pu3is]

The claim that Art in the medieval era was primitive, small, or degraded is absurd on its face. I would recommend you visit a gothic cathedral and reassess your viewpoint.

[@berachtdorian6191]

Good point. The medieval period is underrated. Much of what was accomplished during that epoch was accomplished along the lines of research and development, but it did also have some actual production.

[@sanniepstein4835]

The painting does look primitive, because high realism was considered idolatrous.

[@KarrieDreammind5]

You purposely picked the simplest Beatles song as an example. Why not compare it to a song like Across the Universe for example? Or While My Guitar Gently Weeps?

[@MarcO-qg6jh]

Modern films relay too much on intertextual referencing which is quite boring and unexciting after a time.

[@writerofworlds9882]

I agree with Andrew on most of this, but I think there is a place for things like Star Wars. They're for children to enjoy, and I think that is great. Same as how there are great novels for adults to enjoy, and books which confer lessons and purely imaginative stories and worlds to younger audiences.

[@Prebound_]

"life imitates art and art imitates life."

[@throckmorton3705]

a great deal of what you’re talking about is the rise of popular culture and mass media, the advent of the “teen,” a 20th century invention. music, literature and art fir children.

[@bevie29]

$. Ka-ching $

[@z33thr33]

Klavan: rap is horrible Tom Macdonald: tops 9 Billboard charts

[@mrlegkick91]

Its still bad.

[@adamgates1142]

Rap is great. Tom Macdonald is horrible. The billboard charts mean absolutely nothing in terms of quality.

[@z33thr33]

@@adamgates1142 and what exactly gives you that deeply culturally ignorant opinion?

[@adamgates1142]

@@z33thr33 The history of rap speaks for itself as do the the extremely low standards of the billboards charts. Music for the lowest common denominator, especially nowadays. Only dull culture warriors who spend all day on twitter like Tom Macdonald and it's not for his music oh no it's because he's sticking it to those sjws. There is not a cultured person alive who seriously listens to Tom Macdonald.

[@sanniepstein4835]

@@adamgates1142 Rap is boring. Tom MacDonald is great.

[@Hard_Boiled_Entertainment]

Overlord, I'll see you "She Loves You Yeah Yeah Yeah," and I'll raise you "Let It Be," or "Here, There, And Everywhere," or "Yesterday." But then, good to hear you acknowledge at last that there are Beatles songs you do like and appreciate.

[@Geronimo_Jehoshaphat]

The Beatles are stupidly overrated.

[@Hard_Boiled_Entertainment]

@@Geronimo_Jehoshaphat Whatever you say.

[@Geronimo_Jehoshaphat]

@@Hard_Boiled_Entertainment It's always been my definitive word. Good of you to admit that.

[@Sam_T2000]

I do think the Beatles are a bit overrated, but there’s more to music than lyrics. their music is timeless, and can make anyone smile and nod their head at any given time.

[@Galloway17]

@@Geronimo_Jehoshaphat There is absolutely nothing overrated about the Beatles.

[@WesternOutpostDonVonFilms]

Conservatives need to get behind art and give artists their due. Art is very important.

[@Noname19992]

There is a fine line between artistic expertise and pretentiousness and I genuinely do believe that he crossed the line. 🤣🤣

[@larryzink8978]

hahaha oy

[@benjaminread5287]

I have never watched a De Palma film but I cannot believe Tarantino could consider him greater than Hitchcock. Vertigo is literally one of the best films of all time. And yes Hitchcock may have refrained from too much graphicness but that's exactly it. He refrained from too much. Each shot was carefully considered with its content. Hitchcock believed in communicating as much information as possible purely by visuals (pure cinema). So if he refrained from certain things, it was on purpose.

[@justjennie7394]

One of the most romantic songs ever written is 1939’s Moonlight Serenade. Music by Glenn Miller and lyrics by Mitchell Parish. I was just 25 when I asked a jazz band to play it for me and my husband to dance to on a dinner cruise- the bandleader looked at me as if a young girl in the year 2000 couldn’t possibly know Glenn Miller but I did. The band played it and I still dance with my husband to it every year on our anniversary- we’ll celebrate our 25th anniversary next year. Sometimes the “old” stuff is the best❤️

[@elliottobelliotnwaobi4779]

I like to hear Klavan's opinion even though we definitely have polar opposite taste - I love Hip-Hop and Star wars but I do agree with the concept of culture affecting the kind of art we produce. Speaking from experience, I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. As a kid, it was animals and cartoons and superheroes and aesop's fables - as a teenager, it was girls in skimpy clothing (I would keep these to myself) Once i got to college, with all the indoctrination and the propostmodernism of the curriculum and extra-curriculum - my art became very activist - it was all slogans. I've since began regaining my identity as an artist not an activist- since being exposed to people like Thomas Sowell and Jordan Peterson, Kanye West and the Holy Bible - which has always been in my life.

[@estherforlong2670]

Yep relate heaps. It's hard being an artist when the art world feels one-sided. It can feel really isolating. But keep going, have faith, you are doing good.

[@Baywire]

I know it's cliché to call "boomer" on this stuff. I don't disagree with him to some extent (like there is bad music and there are bad movies), but the "the only good movies are the ones like singing in the rain" attitude is just inaccurate. And the idea that every new piece of art has to reinvent the wheel is moronic at best.

[@catherinelw9365]

Yeah, right. Especially all those remakes, where nothing out of Hollywood is original anymore. Your comment is moronic at best.

[@RachelNichols-writer]

How about Luddite folk arts? A big problem with a degraded culture is that few people even desire, let alone possess the ability to discern, truth or beauty or goodness in the arts.

[@markusfreund6961]

The original Star Wars trilogy (along with The Lord of the Rings) is the 20th century's definitive rendition of the Hero's Journey as researched and described exhaustively by Joseph Campbell in his opus magnum "The Hero With A Thousand Faces". These movies aren't derivative but archetypic, and they don't copy but re-tell and pay homage. Surely you are well familiar with countless other examples from all ages and cultures, like the stories of Sigfrid or Cú Chulaínn, the Gilgamesh epic, the Kalevala, the Odyssy, Parzival, the Divine Comedy or, last but surely not least, the New Testament. George Lucas was a huge fan of previous space operas like Flash Gordon, and the crawl is a style element he chose out of passion. It has also become one of the defining, iconic, style elements of Star Wars movies. While I'll even agree that the Star Wars movies may not be cinematographical masterpieces, they don't have to be. They tap into our collective subconscious and tell the archetypical story that Joseph Campbell called the "monomyth" in a way that pleases and satisfies the human soul on the most primal of levels. Thinking of the decline of Star Wars, if the decline starts with art becoming self-referential, then the degeneration peaks with art aiming to "subvert" the "expectations" of connoisseurs.

[@victoriakleber1397]

What is new is our shortened attention spans. It does not allow for depth. Character development, thought-provoking lyrics, art that takes years to produce…. Things that don’t fit into a digital reality.

[@michaeljay4816]

Sir, we need more of this type of commentary. Perhaps a dedicated series to critique the cultural elements of movies, music, and other pop art?

[@justicewokeisutterbs8641]

"I'll Be Seeing You" 1938 Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal I'll be seeing you in all the old familiar places that this heart of mine embraces all day through. In that small cafe, the park across the way, the children"s carousel, the chestnut trees, the wishing well. I'll be seeing you in every lovely summer's day, in everything that's light and gay, I'll always think of you that way. I'll see you in the morning sun, and when the night is new, I'll be looking at the moon, but I'll be seeing you. The melody is great, too.

[@shamrockballs1066]

Literally watching Taxi Driver and a Scorcese interview and he actually says that his generation, De Palma, Himself, Coppola were reinventing genres, bringing them back and updating them for a new generation. He says 'Spielberg and Lucas were the most successful at it.' De Palma and Scorcese are heavily influenced by Hitchcock, so is Tarantino among other previous Directors. But I'd also say any director that came along during and after Hitchcock was heavily influenced by his movies. Movie making as an art form was basically in its infancy in thr 1960s and 70s. Hitchcock was a pioneer. He was always pushing the boundaries and trying new things. He would have been in his element in the 1980s and 90s. He would have made DePalma, Scorcese and Tarantino look like alter boys. However I do believe Steven Spielberg is a genuine genuis. Ps The real reason the crawl was used in Star Wars (despite Lucas making the film as a homage / knock off to Flash Gordan) was because Brian DePalma didn't know what was going on after watching a rough cut. He told Lucas to put in a crawl at the start explaining before the movie started so audiences were not as confused as he was. Pss Dressed to Kill is the biggest Psycho rip off I've ever seen and Scarface is literally a remake of a 1930s gangster film of the same name. However another brilliant DePalma film is Causalities of War. But I suppose you Americans don't want to talk about that lol. Psss I don't think Once Upon a time in hollywood is Tarantino's best movie, I just think it's been his best since Jackie Brown

[@sprezzatura8755]

I am a fan Mr Klavan, but I am not so quick to judge. I would like to add that Paul McCartney's all time favorite song is God Only Knows by The Beach Boys. many of The Beatles songs were very deliberately high quality pop tunes, but there are a handful that are truly in the Pantheon, including Something, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Here Comes the Sun and a good number of others. All of U2's music is imbued with their devout Catholicism. Listen to Led Zeppelin's The Rain Song and then argue that this is not art. Atlantic Records used some of the Zeppelin revenues to fund Coltrane's seminal recordings. Black artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Bill Withers and a host of others that set the world on fire. Diversity happened organically. So for all the misguided behaviors that grabbed attention in the 60s and 70s there were still diamonds in that haystack. It was The Medici that greatly funded The Renaissance. they were wise enough to surround them selves with exquisite taste makers. Today it seems like the people calling the shots have real no real depth of knowledge regarding music and art in general. it appears to be grotesquely money-driven. Elon Musk seems to be acutely interested in our cultural climate. It remains to be seen what he and others of his ilk can do to steer us to a more enlightened path. I remain optimistic that we may soon emerge from these dark ages and once more embrace the Good, the True and the Beautiful. Beauty will save the world.

[@FromGregaWithLove]

I disagree with Klavan about Brian De Palma. De Palma had 4 great films: Carrie, Blow-Out, Scarface, and The Untouchables.

[@blueyedevil1531]

It's a bit egocentric. Not all Rap is trash. A lot is elegant and beautiful, a lot is about sex and drugs.. just like rock and roll. Also... having candace owens as your proof that star wars sucks... her palet isn't the same as someone in the 70s, she's spoiled if she's never seen it then she's judging it next to all the masterpieces since. It's not the best movie but it's got the necessary archetypes and fun action and amazing graphics for it's time, brain candy is brain candy

[@RA10H56]

American art reflects the ease of our lives now. Medieval art reflected how brutal the times were. Roman art reflects how easy their lives were, being Roman Citizens. I'm not a scholor, or anything like that,, I just know people.. Most artists in America are pampered, and only focus on wants. For all needs are met through others

[@bender6261]

I think Quentin Tarantino actually DOES explore characters' humanity but it's much more subtle and you have to look for it. (Spoilers:) In OUATIHollywood, Rick is about ready to give up on himself. He's a washed-up has-been and he knows it. He feels useless and old. At the end of the movie his simply existing ended up saving the lives of beloved Sharon Tate and her friends. "Right place, right time". It was a brilliant example of how even when we feel at our lowest, our lives have intrinsic value and purpose. Using a real historic event was a brilliant move in that we KNOW exactly what the outcome would have been if Rick hadn't been where he was. It's a truly great film!

[@jeperstone]

I'm afraid you really can't compare 'Autumn in New York' with The Beatles' 'She Loves You'. The latter was aimed at a preteen audience and the former wasn't. Why not reference 'Across the Universe' or others? Was 1929's 'Tip Toe through the Tulips' an example of great art? There are countless examples of popular, but pitiful, examples of music from the 20's, 30's and beyond unless of course you consider 'You're a pink toothbrush' to be Shakespearean in it's lyrical sophistication. May I also remind you that the music your employs on the outro is Rock music. Ironic don't you think?

[@elfascisto6549]

What the hell does his outro music have to do with anything ?

[@JDLeonard74]

Ian McCullough of Echo and the Bunnymen has also became quite the Christian. Jesus protects.

[@nwkitesurfer]

That's awesome I didn't know that.

[@JDLeonard74]

@@nwkitesurfer I enjoyed the moment I found that out too. You're welcome windrider. 🤜🤛

[@christopherk222]

So. . . films from the Golden Age of Hollywood. . . would have been much better without the Hays Code ??

[@Irisphotojournal]

The title is so true, what worries me though is just how low will we go.

[@rashone2879]

Excellent presentation. One of my favorite books which I read many years ago but never forgot was/is Theodore Dreiser’s American Tragedy. When Hollywood got a hold of it years after it was written they produced a dreary, shallow boiled down version. Nowadays, that’s almost all Hollywood does, take books or a previously good movies and rework and ruin them. There is no creativity, no originality left.

[@JHarder1000]

Are you saying that A Place In The Sun Is hasty and shallow?

[@camillac.s.279]

I so agree with you !!! 👌🏻👏🏻 I understand the free time but this society is becoming totally un-vertebrated 🤨

[@miguestopholes1]

I agree on many fronts here but you definitely do come off as a finger wagging out-of-touch geezer in the sheer certainty of many of your critiques, valid as some of them may be. Self referential art and art that explores the human experience is not mutually exclusive. And as far as hip hop goes, it has its merits: “Stern firm and young with a laid-back tongue, the aim is to succeed and achieve at 21. Just like Ringling brothers, I’ll daze and astound. Captivate the mass ‘cause the prose is profound. Do it for the strong, do it for the meek. Boom it in your boom it in your boom it in your Jeep or your Honda or your Beamer or your Legend or your Benz. The rave of the town to your foes and your friends-“

[@MrMicronano]

Many of us see the decline and are profoundly saddened

[@johnraecheston]

I'm not sure I agree with everything you said, but you really gave me food for thought. That's why you got my subscription as well. Cheers, keep on with good stuff.

[@hussienbintalal91]

I may not agree with you on some part of the video, but you're criticism of Tarantino (a man who only knows movies and make movies about movies) was excellent and i immediately subscribed after that

[@spencertherren6806]

The music that came out of the late sixties and early seventies was profound, groundbreaking, and absolutely beautiful. 👌🇺🇸

[@jvillar1992]

Regarding the Tarantino clip, I do think there is very good evidence to suggest that Hitchcock would indeed have moved in a more violent direction in the mid-60s if Universal had allowed him to shoot a movie called Kaleidoscope. There’s actually some fascinating test footage you can find online which really shows what Hitch was going for with this project, and if the studio hadn’t ultimately cancelled it, he probably would have ended up going more in the direction of someone like DePalma in the 70s, which is the point Quentin is making.

[@bighands69]

That is not even close to being true. Hitchcock wanted to make dark movies but that is not to say he wanted every one of his movies to be dark and twisted. Hitchcock's Psycho was nowhere near as good as Vertigo.

[@jvillar1992]

@@bighands69 Look it up and you’ll see. I just finished listening to a whole podcast about Hitchcock’s career and when it came to the part about Kaleidoscope, it mentioned that even Francois Truffaut was concerned about all of the sex and violence when Hitchcock showed him the script. I’m not saying it would have been better than Hitchcock’s peak years of 1953-1963, but I do know that there is good evidence he would have gone in a more violent direction if Universal had allowed him to make Kaleidoscope.

[@marlonmoncrieffe0728]

@@bighands69 'Vertigo' is one of the most overrated movies ever made.

[@bighands69]

@@marlonmoncrieffe0728 It is a mature film and is not for everybody.

[@jvillar1992]

@@marlonmoncrieffe0728 Honestly, I do think Vertigo deserves its high status, since it’s probably Hitchcock’s greatest and most revealing work. If anything, Psycho is the overrated one. It’s obviously an important film historically, but I don’t think it demonstrates the full scope of the Hitchcockian style like his masterpieces of the 50s do, such as Rear Window or North by Northwest, both of which are truly Hitchcockian, whereas Psycho is more of a deliberate and blunt contrast to that style.

[@johnnybmean74]

You are so Unfair, Andrew. You chose an Early Simplistic song by John & Paul. I would put the lyrics in Across The Universe by John Lennon (The Beatles) up against Anything Cole Porter or Irving Berlin Ever wrote.

[@bucmastimedo]

Klavan is spot on describing Tarantino. Tarantino makes movies mostly about movie characters based on other movies and other movie characters. His inner life is strictly movies and many of those movies are not good. Tarantino would never be interested in Dostoevsky. He would be, however, very interested in some obscure Japanese martial arts movie. Klavan is correct to point out that his movies re-write history, but its done in a way that came from a the thinking of an adolescent. Hitler gets killed by his enemies instead of his own hand, Sharon Tate is not murdered but her real-life murderers are murdered. in addition to that, Tarantino thinks it’s better for the audience to see a woman being literally eviscerated in a movie than not seeing that horrific act. A real filmmaker, a real artist understands that his audience is smart enough to know what is happening without showing it. I used to think that maybe Tarantino would actually make a great film someday but now I think he doesn’t have it in him.

[@amerbur]

The song by the Beatles, Yesterday, is a wonderful song.

[@dannakessler1327]

But aren't there always bad artists of any genre? There's ALWAYS trash and there are ALWAYS masterpieces. To a degree you're correct, but that's because what you're saying could be said at any point in time. Just my opinion, I know, but much of this simply seems wildly oversimplified.

[@acenzi]

Today everybody has talent, everybody is an artist. BS. There's more between the skies and the earth.

[@larryzink8978]

If everyone's an artist, then no one's an artist.

[@gingerdurbin2726]

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We have an Article of Faith that states: “….If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”

[@anthonywalton3264]

Nah he’s wrong on this one

[@sportsmediaamerica]

The Beatles brought a needed exuberance to pop music, especially on the heels of the JFK assassination. Their early works made no pretense to depth in the lyrics, but the music itself was a reinvigorated amalgam of pop and rock styles, and of course McCartney's later contributions included music hall and jazz influences, with John and George heading into experimental modes. Plus the band had a brilliant producer, George Martin, who was older and wiser to the ways of orchestral music, a situation that resulted in a revolution in pop recording. So picking on the Beatles here -- by way of contrasting their output with the lyrical content of the old-timey Tin Pan Alley masters -- is misguided.

[@Geronimo_Jehoshaphat]

Frenzy would confirm Tarantino's thesis on Hitchcock.

[@jeansarquis8851]

I have never listened to something with which I disagree so much and enjoyed it as much as I did this time. Man, you have a great opinion and are a great communicator.

[@jackhackett80]

Why are we showing thumbs of Tarantino? Is it because he recycles other works? Ask me, and I would say he is one of the last great artists in Hollywood that sees the writing on the wall as to where Hollywood is heading. I mean, physically go to Hollywood and there are transients and human shit everywhere.

[@OpenMawProductions]

@Andrew Klaven would you offer up a list of your favorite films from the 1940s? What are the greatest films that, perhaps, more young people need to see? Particularly those of us who want to be better artists, who want to broaden our horizons?

[@tsurumichan]

Relevant points, however one important aspect missed. The post WW2 youth were the first teenagers, preteens, that had disposable income, therefore, a new consumer class. This begins with 1960~. Much of the degraded art is promoted to this group of people. (this also shows how rich and spoiled the USA has been for several decades, all of the USA.)