The List of movies President Obama gave P.M. Brown

[jmowreader]

According to http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1159627/To-special-friend-Gordon-25-DVDs-Obama-gives-Brown-set-classic-movies-Lets-hope-likes-Wizard-Oz.html, these are the movies President Obama gave Prime Minister Gordon Brown:

Citizen Kane
The Godfather
Casablanca
Raging Bull
Singin' in the Rain
Gone with the Wind
Lawrence of Arabia
Schindler's List
Vertigo
The Wizard of Oz
City Lights
The Searchers
Star Wars: Episode IV
Psycho
2001: A Space Odyssey
Sunset Boulevard
The Graduate
The General
On the Waterfront
It's a Wonderful Life
Chinatown
Some Like it Hot
The Grapes of Wrath
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial
To Kill a Mockingbird

A nice tight collection of American cinema, and perfectly good for giving to a friendly leader.

[Captain Hilts]

1. The problem is, you can buy them on any corner in London. nt

[geckosfeet]

12. Ahh. Then that's the rub. Only the elite for the elite. Brown is an elitist.

[Captain Hilts]

17. What a stupid response. nt

[geckosfeet]

55. Right back at ya king kong.

[Captain Hilts]

58. Brown neither started this dust up nor is he participating in it. You're demonizing the wrong guy.

[LanternWaste]

60. It would appear the only ones who both began and are participating

It would appear the only ones who both began and are participating in this "dust-up" is the British media and some posters on DU & FR...

Has anyone been able to locate Brown's own person a reaction to the gift? As that would seem to be a salient point. A point so fundamental that I imagine any opinions about the gift without that knowledge are by definition, uninformed.

[geckosfeet]

61. An unfortunate characterization - I rephrase - he is made to appear as an elitist.

[Cha]

64. And just who the fuck are you "demonizing"?

mookie?

[Captain Hilts]

67. The State Dept's chief of protocol. Why the anger and use of vulgarity? nt

[Cha]

71. Because there's no reason to demonize anyone..

but, that's not stopping you.

[Captain Hilts]

72. I'm not. I'm not angry enough to put 'fuck' in a thread here either. nt

[Cha]

74. Fuck.

Fuck.

[geckosfeet]

75. What did he do - buy gifts that only an elitist could not appreciate?

I am starting to think that it's YOU who are offended by the elitist meme.

Is it you position to tell the chief of protocol how to do his job?

Frankly, I DO think that the gifts Brown gave Obama are elitist. The Churchill biography would be fun to read when I retire though.

Does that make me a bad person and stupid as you inferred up-thread?

[treestar]

47. So?

A gift is a gift. Someone gives you something. Of course you could buy it for yourself.

this flap is friggin' idiotic!

[Cha]

63. Your whining

is getting tacky. Sure you can buy them anywhere but these were thoughtful gifts from the Prez of the USA..not just anyone.

And not everyone looks the gift horse in the mouth..that's what's fucking tacky.

[Jennicut]

2. I want that box set! Most of my favorite movies are on there.

If Gordon Brown does not appreciate it then I would. LOL

Vertigo, Star Wars, Psycho, The Wizard of OZ, Citizen Kane. I love those movies. :)

[Kdillard]

4. Me too.

[treestar]

48. Me too!

who are these ungrateful assholes? I'm assuming Brown himself is not complaining?

[ellie]

3. The Searchers

is my all-time favorite movie.

[NYCGirl]

6. Wonderful choice. It's John Ford's best. NT

[mckara]

27. Really Good, But...

I thought his best were They Were Expendable, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and The Quiet Man.

[NYCGirl]

32. My favorite is LIBERTY VALANCE, but I think THE SEARCHERS is widely

acknowledged as Ford's best, FWIW.

[PurityOfEssence]

79. Love Liberty Valance; always thought Searchers was overblown

Don't much care for Vertigo, either, but it's meant as a representative list of American Movies, and it fills the bill for that.

Could use a little Preston Sturges, though...

[MADem]

5. I hope he gave him REGION FREE or PAL copies--otherwise, they're coasters. NT

[jmowreader]

8. He contracted this out to the American Film Institute...

I feel confident he let them know the recipient was going to watch them in England so they'd be sure to get DVDs that would work.

[MADem]

15. AFI, the baaastids. They've got some archival films I want and that they refuse to release.

I don't know what they're waiting for....Christmas?

The best AFI will come up with is REGION FREE, I suspect.

Good thing he did contract it out to AFI, though, the frigging Library of Congress charges EXTRA to give you a digital copy of anything, and FIRST you have to buy the "VHS"--no, I am not kidding. Primitive!!!!!

[asphalt.jungle]

26. I guess you never heard of region free dvd players

I'm sure he has one, they are quite cheap (10 pounds) so if he spent any sort of money on his entertainment system his dvd player should be region free.

[MADem]

78. That only works if your TV is digital. If you have a PAL TV and your

disc is NTSC, or you have an NTSC TV with a PAL disc, even with a region-free player, you're still screwed. I suppose the PM might have a digital television system at this stage, but you never know. Some people are frugal and use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

I have a houseful of dual voltage appliances, and a couple of mulitsystem tvs and DVD/tape players, having lived on both sides of the Atlantic, the middle east/SWA, and Asia. It's still a pain in the ass if you move around and you don't have the latest/greatest, or you have to buy and hook up, no matter how cheap, yet another device to enable your DVD to play.

[Sydnie]

7. He should have included Network and Full Metal Jacket

just to round it out.

[NYCGirl]

10. I think there should've been some film noirs and Preston Sturges films,

but it's not my call.

[geckosfeet]

14. Apocalypse now would have been more appropriate than Full Metal Jacket.

Redux of course.

[Sydnie]

21. I must admit, I wrestled with the choice between those two myself

so he should have included both then.

[geckosfeet]

54. Yes. Perhaps. Then what about Saving Private Ryan?

[sandnsea]

9. I hope they explain it

Because I don't get it. Maybe it's a generational thing.

[WeDidIt]

11. When PResident Obama visits the UK, the gift will be better

It's in poor taste to give a better gift to a visitor than that visitor brings you.

[jefferson_dem]

13. A nice set, one I would like to have but tacky as a gift to a head of state.

I'm not sure if this was an intentional "snub" or a "staff fuck up." Either way, it ain't right, in my opinion.

[Kdillard]

20. I don't understand this attitude. So people think it is tacky to give as a gift

some of the best in American Cinema, which is a huge industry, to a Head of State of a foreign country. PM Brown was visitng Obama not the other way around. I felt the gifts exchanged were appropriate and I am sure that when Obama visits England at the end of the month if gifts are exchanged he will have something appropriate then too. It is amusing how big a deal is being made of this when the recipient of the gift hasn't even complained in public or private as far as I can tell.

[hileeopnyn8d]

30. I agree

The other thing is, Brown apparently doesn't keep his gifts. He has not exercised his option to purchase any of the gifts given to him, no matter how great they are.

He didn't keep, wear, or even participate in a photo op wearing that goofy jacket Bush gave him.

[jmowreader]

62. Would you have?

[Cha]

65. Personally, I think it's Cool that the Prez and

the First L are into movies, films, what have you. When Prez went to Canada.."Michelle had a girl's night in, inviting secretaries and policy makers alike for :popcorn: :popcorn: and a screening of "He's Just Not That Into You":D

[xenussister]

80. I love information like that! Where did you read it?

About Michelle's night in at the movies. I love these little tidbits but don't get too many of them. As a movie buff I'm especially interested in what movies are watched at the White House. Until your post, I'd only heard of Bolt and High School Musical being watched there, by the girls on Inauguration night.

Regarding the gift, that's a great list of movies. I'd consider it a wonderful gift.

[treestar]

49. What the F did they want?

What would be appropriate? And why should much be spent during this economic crisis?

I don't see why they need gifts at all, to tell you the truth. Stupid custom left over from medieval times.

[Cha]

66. I disagree..I think it's tacky

to complain about a gift.

[Buns_of_Fire]

76. It could have been worse. They might have picked me to choose the films to include.

Had that happened, PM Brown might be enjoying Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster even as we speak.:-)

[brianna69]

16. I think it is a great gift

It is American movie classics. I can't believe people are so shallow to be whining about a gift of classic movies when we are in the midst of a global crisis we haven't seen since the great depression. How shallow are we as people to be obssessing over this crap.

[CTyankee]

51. Absolutely. Since when is a gift of art not a "good enough" gift?

And so what if it is the "peoples art"? It reminds me of an Independent Study I did in grad school on the artist Caravaggio. He used as models the people of the street in Rome when he received commissions from the church to paint scenes in the lives of saints and Christ. The church fathers were sometimes furious, but the people looking at the art in the churches around Rome were appreciative. Some of these masterpieces are still in the churches where they were first installed over 400 years ago!

[Aloha Spirit]

18. What the Daily Telegraph didn't report is that Obama and Brown are Netflix buddies.

lol

[DevonRex]

46. Are they really?

[Aloha Spirit]

59. hah I doubt it, but it's possible.

I was demonstrating that this kerfluffle is ridic because we don't know anything about their relationship or why the gifts were chosen.

[Cha]

68. You are so

funny:D

[panader0]

19. No movies about the American Revolution? Nyuk nyuk

[Exilednight]

22. I am kind of disappointed that Dr. Zhivago is not on that list. n/t

[TahitiNut]

37. Dr. Zhivago is #39 ... and only 25 were given.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI%27s_100_Years..._100_Movies_(10th_Anniversary_Edition)#The_List

[verges]

85. Lawrence of Arabia is though.

How many David Lean epics need there be?

[Paladin]

23. First-Rate Batch Of Movies

I would have included "Red River" in place of "The Searchers" for the Western, but that's just a personal preference.....

[Peace Patriot]

24. Should have included "Independence Day," also the Star Trek 1st generation movies.

Those were fabulous. Especially the whale one.

And "Independence Day"? Well, I'm a hoke for that movie. I think it's wonderful, idiotic flag-waving and all. And if he wanted to insult Gordan Brown, what better way?

Can someone tell me who said this was a tacky gift? Maybe Brown ASKED for movies?

Oh, and also, "Treasure of Sierra Madre," cuz jeez, that's where we're at. Insane seeking of the gold, then it all just poofs away on the wind. Ha-ha. Very appropriate for the leaders of the "First World" at this point. And probably the greatest movie ever made.

[Cha]

69. I'll tell you said it was "tacky"..a bunch

corporatemedia rags and some complainers on this site.

I think it's tacky to complain about a gift.

[Captain Hilts]

73. When the King of Jordan visits, those would be PERFECT. He's a serious Trekker. nt

[Retired AF Dem]

25. Hopefully a NTSC to PAL

converter was included.

[cherokeeprogressive]

28. The only pertinent question to be asked here is: Are they Blu-Ray?

[AyanEva]

29. I think it's a great gift!

I don't understand the fuss. There are some good movies in there with poignant messages. It's not like he gave him Killer Clowns From Outer Space and The Adventures of Pluto Nash. Although I would have substituted The Wiz for The Wizard of Oz and I'm still disappointed that there's no Bill & Ted. There's no greater message than "Be excellent to each other and party on, dude!" :)

[rasputin1952]

31. I like many of those movies, and some are tru Classics....

You'd not find me complaining if I got a collection like that.

My favorites from the list:

The Grapes of Wrath
To Kill a Mockingbird
The General
Casablanca...(#1)
Schindler's List

[GarbagemanLB]

33. Say what you want, but it is classless. Look at what Brown gave to Obama, then look at that list.

Are people on here just going to defend him at all costs?

Yeah, it isn't a big deal, but jesus can't we be somewhat objective?

[Frank Booth]

34. Objectively speaking, this is a much better gift than a crappy pen holder,

no matter what the pen holder is made of.

Honestly, I see nothing wrong with giving a gift that actually has the potential of providing some enjoyment. Even if Brown's a big-time fan of useless knick-knacks, he should be able to get more use out of the DVD set.

[GarbagemanLB]

35. Actually, what the pen holder is made of is sort of important.

[Frank Booth]

38. Yeah, but it's still a pen holder.

I can pick up an equally functional one at Walgreen's for 50 cents.

[GarbagemanLB]

39. I am going to guess you give horrible gifts if you can't tell the difference.

[Frank Booth]

45. Yeah, I am really bad at giving gifts, but that's irrelevant.

I'd still say I'd rather have almost any DVD over any pen holder (assuming I can't re-sell the pen holder on EBay).

[Occam Bandage]

42. The pen holder is one of the more impressive gifts I've heard of, actually. nt

[Retired AF Dem]

43. Do you have a fucking clue

to where the wood came from to make that pen set? And no you cannot buy this set at Walgreens for 50 cents.

[Frank Booth]

44. Yep.

"I can pick up an equally functional one at Walgreen's for 50 cents."

[Occam Bandage]

57. And you could pick up a pebble that was equally as functional as the Hope Diamond off the street,

but one would clearly be a more impressive gift than the other.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

41. Classless??

Are we a bunch of snobs here now? I would much prefer a collection of films I can actually use and enjoy than some useless pen holders or whatever people want Obama to give Brown.

[Cha]

70. It's obviously in the eye of the beholder

and just because some don't think it's tacky doesn't mean they defend the Prez at all costs.

Nice try at making sure your point is the only valid one. NOT.

[TahitiNut]

36. That selection of movies is taken right out of the American Film Institute's list of 100 movies.

I'm a bit disappointed in DU that it's not obvious. :shrug:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI%27s_100_Years..._100_Movies_(10th_Anniversary_Edition)#The_List

[Sultana]

40. If Brown doesn't want the gift then I'll happily take it

I'm about 2 hours away from London :D

[mulsh]

50. the US helps to maintain UK relevance on the world stage

isn't that enough of a gift?

[Lars39]

52. Could it be that staff asked around and Brown really likes to watch movies?

If that's the case, the gift was personally tailored and one that he would want to keep. :)

[tagimaucia]

81. Well..

Anyone in their middle age who "really likes to watch movies" has probably seen nearly all of those. It's the most canonical bunch of movies imaginable. That said, this is an idiotic controversy.

[saltpoint]

53. Strikingly, CRAZY MAMA is not on the list.

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3317926400/tt0072829

Neither is BONNIE'S KIDS. The promo for that one ran:

"Bonnie's kids. Thank God she only had two."

[vaberella]

56. The Wizard of Oz? Dorothy was a serial killer. n/t

[Juche]

77. I would've gone with 25 copies of debbie does dallas nt

[Rockholm]

82. Why is the reich wing so upset by this?

I am just starting to read about this and really don't get what the big deal is. Explain please.

[sofa king]

83. Wow. That's a great list.

Several of them, including the Buster Keaton classic, are among my very favorites.

The list seems to be an "auteurist" list, and if one were to write out that list we'd see Welles, Coppola, Scorcese, Chaplin, Keaton, Kubrick, Lean, Wilder, Spielberg, Huston and Kazan. I'm sure I'm wrong, but the only director I see listed twice is Billy Wilder, who certainly deserves that honor.

[lynne]

84. Great movies but thoughtless gift for a man blind in one eye and vision problems in the other

- The movies indicate a lack of knowledge about Prime Minister Brown. He is blind in one eye and has severe vision problems in the other eye. Hopefully better research will be done before future gift giving.

Would anyone consider roller skates to be an appropriate gift for FDR? This is the equivalent.

[symbolman]

86. Without

"Cool Hand Luke" or "Clockwerk Orange" the list is useless :)

[acmavm]

87. Oh who the hell cares. It was the thought that counted, right?

[spanone]

88. it's time to stop the asinine 'gift' crap. these are grown men running large nations

[RememberWellstone]

89. Oh boy

Not gonna get into what is wrong with this...if we don't know already.

Freshman mistake..time to move on.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

90. Perhaps Obama and his team....

know something about Brown that we don't? Perhaps. that he is an avid film lover who would have greatly appreciated this impressive collection?

These gifts don't just happen out of the blue -- they are well thought out.

[LisaM]

91. I think it's a nice present - BUT

It makes me realize how many of the so-called classics are movies starring men (not all, but most). And a glaring omission is that there are no Fred and Ginger movies - no 30s screwball comedies (my favorites) at all. What's up with that?

I'd also include "Field of Dreams" - the only sports movie is "Raging Bull".

But those are just questions of personal taste. I think it is a nice present.