My friend Lynne Billing sent me the following information:
A psychologist, Carla Marie Manly, watched the new Barbie movie and had this to say about cinematic therapy:
This form of ‘cinematic therapy’ I experienced watching Barbie is a legitimate concept. Films have the potential to improve our mental and emotional health.
When cinematic content inspires us to discover and become our best selves—to take the steps necessary to create the lives of our own dreams—the price of admission is exceedingly small. And even if a movie doesn’t propel to some amazing new level in real life, a two-hour dose of cinematic positivity is certainly good for the soul.
Although I admit the movie Barbie didn’t move my needle very much. But I was intrigued by the concept of “Cinematic Therapy” and so asked a few of my buddies what movies have inspired them and why. Below are some of their answers.
Jack: The Magnificent Seven was inspiring on several levels. The farmers and the hired guns faced overwhelming odds. The farmers stood up to the bandits that were taking advantage of their weakness. Rather than running from it, they were motivated and strengthened by it.
Fighting against the odds never dissuades me. Facing a problem head-on appeals to me. It’s how I react to adversity. I live by the maxim that “If you want to achieve what others don’t, you have to do what others won’t.”
Laurin: Any movie involving the Holocaust brings me to my knees. I am shocked, sad, humbled ……I strive to make up for those lost souls through my Judaica and Hebrew teachings and knowledge for the next generations to come!
Gingy: Movies of the 40s and 50s were my education. I learned from all–even the B movies. I grew up wanting a white telephone and a fluffy pink bed jacket and fancy house slippers with heels. I wanted the waiter to bring the telephone to my table. I wanted to wear make-up like Moira Shearer in The Red Shoes. I still do.
Anonymous: I love Inglorious Bastards – its alternate version of history feels so good.
Dianne: I was always mesmerized by Queen Elizabeth I… Magnificent women played Lizzie I; Bette Davis, Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Cate Blanchett…
The more I watched these adaptations, the more I saw how the icon was unpacked…I still marvel at Lizzie from her birth, to the impact of her mother dying, to her father’s rejection, to the many ‘foster’ people who were the chief-operating-officers of her youth, to only one of five other queen-step-mothers who embraced her with affection, to being imprisoned in the Tower, to having people who plotted to kill her, to her love and passions for a man being second to her priority of ruling for the good of her people, to misogyny of men who thought a woman unworthy of her being a ‘Prince’ (ruling queen). She prevailed to become one of the most significant, successful queens in history. (Without the drama of Cleopatra!) You take ‘just’ a woman~ all of us, and I say, “lesson learned.” All 4 of these movies reinforced my image of Queen Elizabeth I.
Lori: Funny Girl with Barbara Streisand is my choice. Fanny Brice’s ability to believe in herself and her ability to power through any heartbreak she encountered had a profound impact on me at a very young age.
Anonymous: I love Babette’s Feast. It’s beautifully simple and shows devotion, kindness, and features a most gorgeous elaborate French feast as a gesture of gratitude and appreciation. It is a quiet and lovely movie.
David: I would have to say that “To Kill A Mockingbird” is probably the one movie that has inspired me more than any others. Atticus Finch is a wonderful role model as an attorney, but also as a father and as a kind, decent person who gracefully dealt with very difficult times in the Deep South during segregation. I aspired to be like him when I went to law school and later as a Dean, Department Chair and Professor at Saint Leo University. I know he was a fictional character, but to me he is a great role model.
My all-time favorite that I watch every January – snuggling comfortably on my couch – is Dr. Zhivago.
I am besotted with the scenery, haunted by the music, moved by the superb script. The secrets we keep, the unavailable men we love, the political upheaval we can easily be swept up in and the tragedies resulting from revolutions and civil unrest all intrigue me.
And an interesting side note: Dr. Zhivago could not be filmed in Russia – where it takes place – because the book by Boris Pasternak was banned there. (Sound familiar?)
Happy Watching and Keep Preserving Your Bloom,
Iris Ruth Pastor
