There is so much sadness and turmoil in the world lately that it is sometimes hard not to despair. No matter how much we try, the enormity of the state of the globe can be scary and downright depressing. Watching the global mess on TV only adds to the sense of helplessness. When I am feeling overwhelmed by the man-made mess of the world, I always run for comfort food and comfort film. Here are a few that get me through the darkest times:
Food: Mac and Cheese
Film: Gone With the Wind
It’s the classic with cheese. Yes, at times the Mammy and Prissy scenes get painful to watch, but, hey, it is Scarlett and Rhett and it is beautiful and heartbreaking and somehow I never tire of it.
Kiss me, Scarlett, kiss me…. Once…..
Food: Meat Loaf
Film: Double Indemnity
It is filling, it is substantial and it makes you strong! While Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray are the star killers, it is Edward G. Robinson’s Barton Keyes that fills my cinematic tummy. I am with him all of the way, and his support of that dog Walter throughout the film only makes me like him all the more.
The Little Man is never wrong.
Food: Coconut Cake
Film: City Lights
It is rare and sweet and deceptively simple. But if you have ever tried to make a good coconut cake, you know that it can be tricky. Chaplin’s story of the Tramp and a blind girl is paper thin, but the heart and emotion and love that flows from this film is shattering.
I always have a good, cathartic cry at the end – and I always cry when I am down to the last piece of coconut cake.
Food: Chicken Soup
Film: Hannah and Her Sisters
While I have a special place in my heart for Manhattan, I think this is my favorite Woody Allen film (and that’s saying a lot). It is warm, it is healing and it contains one of my favorite scenes of all time, as a despondent Mickey (Allen) wanders into a movie theater where another kind of soup is on the menu:
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Woody tells us that film can heal and help and restore. When it comes to that, he and I are forever on the same page.
Food: Mashed Potatoes
Film: Singin’ in the Rain
Ah, when mashed potatoes are done right, there’s nothing like it, and when musicals are done right, they can’t be beat. Oh, it was a tough choice – Astaire or Kelly? Gigi? Love Me Tonight? Show Boat?
Love them all, but only one film has Lina Lamont, and for that reason alone Singin’ in the Rain gives me about as much pleasure as I can staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad.
The great thing about comfort films is that they are not high in carbs or sugar (but may contribute to an enlarged butt if you spend too much time on the couch).
Send positive wishes out to the universe, pray or just think good thoughts for this poor old planet whose human residents insist upon making a mess of things too often.
Marsha Collock has been an avid fan – not scholar – of classic films since she saw the first flicker of black and white on the TV screen. Her muse is Norma Desmond, to whom she has dedicated her blog, A Person in the Dark, a site designed for all of the wonderful people out there in the dark who have an unabashed passion for silents, early talkies, all stars and all films. You can also visit her Facebook group, FlickChick’s Movie Playground.