Luke Blackall: Curtis tips an unlikely hat to Animal House
Man About Town: The film might not have been the first of its kind, but its success made a big impression
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The question "what's your favourite film?" is an awful one. Try it as an ice-breaker, and it can have the opposite effect, paralysing conversation as one scrambles around for a single, definitive answer.
Indeed if you're a film-lover, how can one piece stand above the rest? And you can't necessarily give the same answer every time. On a date, you might want to convey your sensitive, intelligent side. To a film buff you might to show off your esoteric knowledge of films. If you're a man on a blokes' night out, you'll pick a gangster classic rather than admitting that you "really love You've Got Mail". Or you might pick an Oscar-winner, safe in the knowledge that you have that to fall back on should your answer be questioned.
Richard Curtis, a film director who will surely soon be the bearer of the title "National Treasure", was asked to do something similar this week. To celebrate Universal Pictures' 100th birthday, he was asked to pick his favourite film from the studio's extensive back catalogue. Earlier this week he introduced that film to an audience at the Electric Cinema in, appropriately, Notting Hill.
He could have chosen an Oscar-winner such as All Quiet on the Western Front, opted for one of the Hitchcock thrillers, or a classic such as Jaws or Scarface. Instead, he went for the 1978 comedy Animal House. For those unfamiliar with the film, it tells the story of a fraternity house in a US college, who challenge authority through a combination of pranks and parties.
The film might not have been the first of its kind, but its success made a big impression. Indeed its importance can be seen with this week's release of American Reunion, the fourth big-screen instalment of the American Pie series, which owes much to Animal House.
While Animal House might have helped spawn the "gross-out" genre beloved of boys everywhere, it was also called "culturally significant" and selected for the National Film Registry by the US Library of Congress. Curtis said that by choosing it, he was standing up for the "sketch comedies" and those unsung heroes that aren't elevated to "classic" status often enough.
These might not be the award winners, and they might not be challenging in the traditional sense, but they're often the ones that bring us the most joy. And we should probably admit to their being our favourites more often.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments