One recurring theme in modern leftist writing is despair. In the film "Save the Tiger", the well known Marxist actor, Jack Gilford, plays the despairing accountant with moral scruples, whereas Jack Lemmon is the evil, greedy oppressor, who "must live in Beverly Hills instead of Santa Monica". The only hero of the film is the teenage hippie hitchhiker who is an unapologetic doper who beds down with anyone that suits her fancy. Ah despair! What a productive way to trudge through life!I haven't seen that one. I view very few films. I tend to read more. Hollywood pumps out a lot of "maird." (I don't know if the French spelling is correct.)
However, when films come out based on Shakespeare - - I'm there. Roman Polanki's adaptation of Macbeth, produced by Hugh Hefner, is a masterpiece.
Another film that represents the despair theme you speak of is American Beauty, which is analagous to Death of a Salesman in a sense (I'm not convinced it didn't come from there to begin with).
I could list about one hundred films I really like both modern and classic - - takes too much time...
"However, when films come out based on Shakespeare - - I'm there. Roman Polanki's adaptation of Macbeth, produced by Hugh Hefner, is a masterpiece"
Polanski was a favorite at the Hefner mansion, and Hef fronted all the money for the production. Thus the "executive producer" credits for Playboy. If ever there was a statistical aberration, it was Hefner's financing of this excellent film.
I could only name about 10 films made since 83 which I believe are worth watching. I could name several hundred between 1930-1960. I am speaking of American films only. Many British productions have been excellent.