Instilling family values

With boys now 4 and 6, I decided it was time for them to watch The Great Race. We reviewed it over two nights, stopping at Intermission the first night, and pausing at times for explanation and discussion. A few general remarks:

• I had always regarded the thing as a glorious mess, but this is not exactly right. Blake Edwards dedicated the movie to Laurel & Hardy, and deliberately recreated silent scenes throughout. Moreover, it is tightly structured at both the macro and micro level. Is is, therefore, a highly referential tightly structured and relentlessly self conscious glorious mess.
• The movie is loosely based on an actual New York-Paris race that was run in 1908.
  
• Billy Wilder once said "Lemmon, I would describe him as a ham, a fine ham..." That was before The Great Race, in which Lemmon played not one, but two over-the-top maniacs, each with a distintive laugh.
• In one scene, Lemmon appears upset that Natalie Wood has kissed him. Now that's acting! Lemmon's son regards The Great Race as his father's finest performance.
• Peter Falk was the unqualified hit with the kids. They are still running around shouting "push the button, Max!" Falk was also in the Muppet movie we watched Sunday night, and, of course, played a crucial role in The Princess Bride. I nominate him for Best Supporting Actor in Movies Your Kids Need to See.
• Many amusing lines, of course, but this exchange between Max and Fate got a good reception:

[Max has sabotaged the cars and is doing running commentary as their wheels fall off, etc.]
Fate: "Genius, Max, positive genius! What's next?"
Max: "Car number 5, the engine falls out!"
Fate: "Car number 5, hah hah hah hah!"
Fate: "Uh... Max ...we're number 5."
[Engine falls out]

• Three beautifully choreographed fight scenes: cowboy brawl, sword duel (Ross Martin!), pie fight. This cannot be improved upon.
• Keenan Wynn, under torture: "not...the mustache..."
  
• The Leslie Special, loosely based on the 1907 Thomas Flyer that won the actual race, currently resides at the Tupelo Auto Museum.
• Music by Henry Mancini, not bad at all.
• Whither Blake Edwards? Was he good or bad? This essay tries to make sense of the man and his work, with varying degrees of success. "It would be easy to dismiss Blake Edwards as a director of light entertainment..." Yes, yes it would. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

With this important rite of passage behind us, I now feel comfortable that I have completed my minimum obligations as a father.