28th Hall of Fame
Young Man With a Horn (1950) -
I initially had a couple issues with this film, but it sat quite well for me upon reflection. One could say the film takes too long to get going, but I enjoyed how both halves of the film represented the right and wrong paths which Rick took. In the first half, it was implied that Jo was into Rick and they would eventually fall in love. Since Jo had similar interests as Rick and since her close friends were people in the same profession as him, you definitely got the sense that a relationship between the two of them would be healthy. In the second half though, Rick ultimately fell in love with Amy, Jo's friend. Amy was uninterested in Rick's music, spent little time around him, and they argued constantly, resulting in Rick neglecting his music and his friends (his rejection of Art stuck out as especially heartbreaking). Not only was the second half emotionally powerful, but it also twisted my expectations on the direction I thought the film was going to go in. I definitely couldn't imagine the second half being as impactful as it was without the first half which fleshed out the various characters. Fortunately, both halves of the film were given enough breathing room without them overstaying their welcome. Also, given that the film was released in 1950, bonus points to it for having positive African American representation. I did feel that the final couple minutes were rushed, but that's my only knock against the film.
Young Man With a Horn (1950) -
I initially had a couple issues with this film, but it sat quite well for me upon reflection. One could say the film takes too long to get going, but I enjoyed how both halves of the film represented the right and wrong paths which Rick took. In the first half, it was implied that Jo was into Rick and they would eventually fall in love. Since Jo had similar interests as Rick and since her close friends were people in the same profession as him, you definitely got the sense that a relationship between the two of them would be healthy. In the second half though, Rick ultimately fell in love with Amy, Jo's friend. Amy was uninterested in Rick's music, spent little time around him, and they argued constantly, resulting in Rick neglecting his music and his friends (his rejection of Art stuck out as especially heartbreaking). Not only was the second half emotionally powerful, but it also twisted my expectations on the direction I thought the film was going to go in. I definitely couldn't imagine the second half being as impactful as it was without the first half which fleshed out the various characters. Fortunately, both halves of the film were given enough breathing room without them overstaying their welcome. Also, given that the film was released in 1950, bonus points to it for having positive African American representation. I did feel that the final couple minutes were rushed, but that's my only knock against the film.