Last Fourth of July, we offered five movie suggestions to help get you in the patriotic spirit. Now that Independence Day is upon us once again, celebrate with five more films that will surely leave you feeling proud to be an American!
1. 1776 (1972)It’s the summer of 1776 in Philadelphia, where the thirteen colonies are in the midst of constructing the hotly-debated Declaration of Independence. The film version of the Broadway musical comedy, 1776 offers a humorous yet educational depiction of our nation’s founding. This movie will have the whole family voting “yay” in favor of America’s freedom!
2. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
Who could be a better symbol of American patriotism than the beloved Forrest Gump? Tom Hanks plays this simple-minded yet sweet man who just happens to be present for some of America’s most famous moments in history. A decorated Vietnam War hero, Forrest Gump shamelessly approaches life with the sheer gumption and determination that every American aims to possess.
4. To Kill a Mockingbird (1963)
Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon star in Apollo 13, the true story of the astronauts aboard the infamous Apollo 13 space mission to the moon. Apollo 13 celebrates the pioneering spirit of the American space program, leaving you with a renewed sense of pride in America’s audacity to go where no man has gone before!
Angela Monaco is a Spanish and Communications student entering her senior year at the University of Pittsburgh, currently interning at the Bryn Mawr Film Insitute.
We are particularly impressed with Ms. Monaco's selection of the 4th of July classics that are always thoughtful fodder as to why we celebrate this day.
ReplyDeleteTwo are worth particular mention. "To Kill A Mockingbird" which we find an unusual, but brillant choice. Ms. Monaco has reached into the heart of the story and pulled out its essence. "Every man is created equal". The connection between this all important concept, on which our moral universe should be centered is an eloquent equivalent to the very reason that each of us should be focused on Independence Day.
"Born on the Fourth of July" is especially apt as it shows again and again the dark side of our
political choices. Vietnam has been no lesson to us. Otherwise today, we again wouldn't have to object to our political stance in so many places throughout the world, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, as just two examples. And again, at the very moment we write this, we watch a cadre of U.S. troops being sent into the Straits of Hormuz. Let's start to live what we speak.