“These films are in the Bible to me”: The movies Brad Pitt compares to religious texts
Cinema’s established classics aren’t going to have that position taken away from them because they’ve earned it for a multitude of very good reasons, but Brad Pitt is concerned that the relentless advent of modernity is going to render them increasingly obsolete to the younger generations.
It’s been a common worry for plenty of actors and filmmakers, with Steven Spielberg lamenting decades ago that the youngsters he encountered who harboured dreams of making it in the industry had a knowledge of older films that could generously be described as threadbare.
The legendary director’s concerns have only become more pronounced in recent years, too, with the combination of social media and streaming creating an increased desire for both instant gratification and newness. Attention spans are getting shorter, the quantity has outstripped the quality in many respects, and there’s a dwindling lack of enthusiasm towards the must-see movies that shaped the art form.
Although Pitt voiced his alarm at the all-time greats the youth of today have never even seen, he’s been in the business long enough to know it’s a double-edged sword. “I see something else happening with the younger generations,” he mused to Esquire. “I was dismayed at how many 20-year-olds have never seen Godfather, Cuckoo’s Nest, All the President’s Men; these films that are in the Bible to me. And they may not even get to see them.”
While he does hope everyone will get around to catching them eventually, he is far from willing to accept it as an obligation. “I’ve always believed every good film finds its eyes, inevitably,” he continued. “But there’s a shift in attention span. I’ve been hearing from newer generations that they’re used to something shorter, quicker, big jump, and get out.”
The slow-burning crime drama of The Godfather, the intoxicating psychological stylings of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and the riveting political thrills of All the President’s Men had such a profound impact on Pitt that he’s openly comparing them to religious texts, and as much as he thinks every aspiring cinephile should watch them as soon as humanly possible, he’s a little mystified that they haven’t.
What initially drew him to cinema was “letting something slowly unfold, and to luxuriate in that story and watch and see where it goes”. He doesn’t exactly sound convinced that’s applicable to those more interested in a quick fix of entertainment that doesn’t require the brain to be engaged, but as mentioned above, he’s far from alone in sharing that very sentiment.
Nobody wants to put on their pretentious hat and demand everybody with a passing interest in celluloid makes a point of seeing The Godfather, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and All the President’s Men, but when it’s Pitt saying it, then maybe it would make arms easier to twist.
