I know I'm a couple of weeks late on this, but people are still talking about it (for some reason), so it's still bloggable.
I know a lot of people are ticked off about Obama's gift to Gordon Brown, but it seems like a pretty good list of films. Ok, so they are only viewable on Region One DVD players, but I'm pretty sure Gordon Brown can get his hands on one. And perhaps President Obama was trying to highlight the importance of regionless DVD technology?
Or not.
Honestly, people, stop reading so much into this. It doesn't prove Obama to be incompetent, nor should it be read as some deep social commentary (my favorite one is that he's trying to communicate the importance of returning to the gold standard through The Wizard of Oz).
Maybe our president just doesn't like shopping for gifts?
Or, hopefuly, he was busy with more important manners.
But how about you? What would you have added to the list of films? How many have you seen? What would you have given in lieu of DVDs? (The list is in the linked article)
My answers:
1) The Shawshank Redemption, WALL E, Hotel Rwanda, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and Stalag 17. Ok, so only one of mine is actually considered to be of any cultural significance, and even it is too recent to be considered a classic, but hey, at least WALL E would give PM Brown something to do with his kids.
2) I've seen eleven of the movies, and seven are on my to-see list.
3) The desk on which Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence. Ok, not really. A first-edition of To Kill a Mockingbird or The Federalist or...well, a first edition of any important book.
Edit: After a screening for my Judaism class, I'm adding Gentleman's Agreement to my list for #1.
Shalom
