If you are not familiar with movie history, then you do not know that thousands of films have been lost over time, from the silent era onwards. And many of these movies were landmarks, because they so perfectly captured a unique time or place, or because of technical achievements or great acting. Some lost movies were even blockbusters in their time but then began to seem dated and were quickly forgotten. Reuben, Reuben is an example of a relatively modern movie that is getting that age old treatment.
Tom Conti gives a brilliant performance in this movie, and the supporting cast is great. The screenplay and direction are brilliant. And the subject matter is meaty, something adults can think on and discuss seriously. So, why is this movie virtually unheard of now?
Reuben, Reuben is of its time - the early eighties - just before excessive style, slickness, and silly 50s-style moralism and hokeyness took hold. A number of brilliant movies were release in 1983 alone - Educating Rita, Local Hero, The Big Chill, Terms of Endearment. This was a period when story telling was paramount, and movies unfolded gently, with a respect for both real and theatrical time.
I have come to believe that many of these great movies are slowly being forgotten on some conscious level; we the viewing public does not want to remember the best, as it will make us realize the amount of dreck that is now released, and make us maudlin and mournful. This pleases the movie industry no end - it would prefer to have us come back again and again for sugary confections rather than supply us with something nutritious into which we can sink our teeth.
Hopefully, the Internet and sites like IMDb will help to promote near-forgotten gems like Reuben, Reuben, encouraging young movie fans to seek them out and then spread the word of their excellence. And, possibly, with growing recognition of really good cinema, the movie industry will not be so careless and neglectful.
