It shows how quickly that technology has evolved when several narratives of classic films would be significantly altered or made completely void, if these advancements had been around during the times these motion-pictures were set. Imagine how anti-climatic the climax of The Exorcist would be if, instead of hiring priest Damien Karras, the MacNeil’s simply searched ‘How To Perform An Exorcism’ on YouTube and give it a go themselves or how much less fantastical the opening to Marry Poppins would be if the magical nanny had simply stumbled across an out-dated advert on Craigslist. Technology may be a great aid to our everyday lives but in the movies these modern-day marvels often threaten to take the magic away. So, here are but three examples of film characters whose cinematic narratives may have taken a different turn, if they had access to certain apps.
Jan Brandel (Casablanca, 1943) – SuperCasino
Casablanca’s striking monotone visuals and polished dialogue has made it a firm favourite amongst fans of cinema’s classics. The movies strong lead performances, by old Hollywood stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, and heartbreaking ending of noble self-sacrifice, meaning that Michael Curtiz’s classy romantic drama will continue to be enjoyed for generations to come. However, it is neither Bogart nor Bergman who would benefit from a trip to the app-store but uncredited supporting player Helmut Dantine. It is Dantine’s Jan Brandel who should have downloaded SuperCasino. This online casino offers live roulette games, complete with helpful presenters, streamed directly to your phone. As fans of Casablanca will know, Jan is left in a dilemma when he and wife’s Annina safe passage to America is assured upon the condition that Annina performs some unsavoury acts upon the chief of police. Whilst Annina preoccupies herself begging Bogart’s kind-hearted protagonist Rick Blaine for help, Jan decides to risk it all on the roulette table and hoping his winnings will ensure their escape. Needless to say the influential Rick rigs the game to ensure Jan’s victory, however if Brandel had perhaps spent a bit of time practising online prior to this, he and his wife would not have had to bank on a Hollywood star to come to their rescue.
Sandy Olsson and Danny Zuko (Grease, 1978) – Facebook
Holiday lovers Sandy and Danny are slightly thrown of guard when they discover they are both attending the same high-school in their senior year. This coincidence would have been a delightful surprise if it wasn’t for bad boy Danny (John Travolta) having shown the innocent Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) some emotional vulnerability. A vulnerability that if discovered by his classmates would ruin his reputation. Thus, when Sandy is reunited with her holiday romance, she is shocked by the arrogant and rude persona that Danny puts on as the leader of Rydell High’s T-Birds. Whilst the film eventually resolves itself through Sandy embracing her inner-diva and Danny realising that his puffed-up persona isn’t so important, both could have saved themselves a lot of angsty teen-drama by checking each other out on Facebook. Sandy would have deducted how much of a hopeless rebel Danny was and Danny would not have dared risk such emotional exposure knowing every soppy status and cringey picture would be uploaded online for all his friends to see.
Like this article? Share with your friends!