Have I seen this lately?

As I was watching "Patton" for the 8th or 9th time the other day, I began to muse about why I watch some movies, or read some books, several times. To be honest, that came to mind last week when I watched "On The Beach" for the umpteenth time. I mean, I know how these movies turn out and I have seen them often enough to have caught all the little things that make the productions so great. I certainly am not surprised by the ending.

I have even watched The Sixth Sense more than twice. The first time with a completely virginal point of view. The second to find the hints that were there throughout the story. And the third? I have no idea. Well, that's not quite true. I believe I do have some idea.

Boredom.

No, just kidding. It's because of what makes a movie or book a classic. It is a great story, full of well played nuances with many that escape conscious recognition the first time around. With great movies, we are captivated by the cinematography and/or by the well played roles by actors we admire.

That doesn't explain why people return to watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show, does it? Fans of that flick might view it 30 times in a single year. But it is not for the great acting or fascinating story. They go to be part of the event. Different thing entirely from what I am trying to impart.

I grew up on movies, mostly black and white. I watched movies from the 20's, 30's, and 40's on TV. It being the 50's, I watched most of that decade's offerings at the theater. Some of the reason that I watch Turner Classic Movies is to recapture my youth; to travel back to my youth when I watched the oldies on a big ugly box with a rather small black and white screen. It wasn't until the late 50's that my family bought a color TV. Or one with a screen bigger than 19".

I have watched a lot of terrible movies. These are called "B" movies (though some I have watched are not even up to that level). Some of these I have watched more than a couple of times. They are what one might call classic "B" movies. Faye does not understand this. There are times I don't understand it myself. Most of the time, it is just to get an understanding of the time period during which the film was made. Especially movies made during the late 30's and early 40's. This is my favorite period of the 20th century.

Am I alone? Or are there other, more fascinating, periods that I should investigate?