Which book/movie affected you the most?

[jazzzbaby]

Kate Chopin's "The Awakening"

 

[towndrunk]

Letters From Earth by Mark Twain.
A series of letters exchanged between Satan and his friend Michael the Archangel.

 

[WH1]

Battlecry by Leon Uris, read when I was 12, led me to become a Marine

About Face by David Hackworth, one of the great modern examinations of the development of a warrior and his role and responsibilities in the society he defends.

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Hemingway

The Forgotten Soldier, by Guy Sajer, one of the greatest books about man in war. Should be required reading for anyone who romanticizes combat.

Movies
Chariots of Fire, amazing exploration of mans motivation to succeed.

Look Whos Coming to Dinner, great look at prejudice, still applicable after 40 years, but what I love is Spencer Tracy's monologue about his love for his wife. Always have believed he was speaking directly about his feelings for Katherine Hepburn as he knew he was dying.

Gross Pointe Blank, great movie and great soundtrack for those of us who came of age in the 80's

 

[Harp]

About Face by David Hackworth, one of the great modern examinations of the development of a warrior and his role and responsibilities in the society he defends.

The Forgotten Soldier, by Guy Sajer, one of the greatest books about man in war. Should be required reading for anyone who romanticizes combat.

Hackworth was in a class by himself.
I read Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun long before I saw action,
and ironically found it inside a field hospital tent. I found I couldn't read this
again, but would recommend it for those who seem fascinated by warfare
and weaponry.
Will look for Sajer's book.

 

[WH1]

Hackworth was in a class by himself.
I read Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun long before I saw action,
and ironically found it inside a field hospital tent. I found I couldn't read this
again, but would recommend it for those who seem fascinated by warfare
and weaponry.
Will look for Sajer's book.

haven't read trumbo's book will get it for the upcoming trip across the pond. thanks for the recce. Sajer is one of the classic WWII books from the axis side. Most interesting as he was actually a french alsatian in the Gross Deuschtland Division. A hard man in a hard conflict. Makes any war the US fought in seem like the B team, and I am not undercutting any individuals time in combat.

 

[zaika]

Movie: Dancer in the Dark affected me so profoundly. I've only seen it twice...but both times it felt like i was able to cry for all the things I've never been able to cry for in the past. It's good therapy!

Book: Christ the Eternal Tao. I was able to make peace with my troubled faith after reading this book.

 

[Ian Dundrillon]

I just completed a re-read of "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World " by Harry Browne and "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. Both espouse a philosophy of life similar to mine and I gained new insights due to the rather long interval between readings. Am I maturing, aging, or merely festering? I found their viewpoints rather compatible despite his being a Libertarian and her an Objectivist. It is my understanding that while she was one of the founders of American libertarianism, she rejected Libertarianism and the Libertarian movement.

 

[sweetfrancaise]

I've been affected by different books, depending on what time I caught the page. Who could forget The Jolly Barnyard, a book that my parents can still recite twenty years past the first time they read it? lol

I read Jane Eyre when I was 11, which had a profound effect on what I read and how I read (no more Louis Sachar or Karen Cushman--it was time for adult books!). The Great Gatsby was the first time I grasped the concept of symbolism, and my second reading of Beowulf (while I was in college; I first had to read it in 11th, and that went over like a ton of feathers) was my gateway into great literature, and better essays .

As for movies...Fievel was a big one, depressed me like no other! I wanted to be Belle desperately in Beauty and the Beast, but I think that Moulin Rouge! has had the greatest impact on the way I watch films now. I was almost out of high school, and not interested in movies as an artform yet. Luhrmann opened my eyes, in more ways than one!

 

[Ian Dundrillon]

Speaking of "Lolita"

Dear LolitaHaze,
I saw a recent photo of Sue Lyon who had the title role in Stanley Kubrick's 1962 film version. Ghastly. She had a grotesque, sort of "Picture of Dorian Gray" quality. In short, the years had not been kind to her. Maybe her five husbands had something to do with it. She referred to the movie as "the film that caused my destruction as a person". How's that for life changing?

Ian

"How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young."

Oscar Wilde