In the past week, I've had the good fortune to witness - as opposed to participate in - not one but two car accidents. Both were fender-benders of the common rear-end varietal and everyone involved was able to walk away uninjured. Still, the few unexpected seconds when life shifts from mundane to the bump and crunch of metal collision has a way of altering perception.
Although only a passive observer, I found myself not only driving with a bit more care but also considering how a car collision is a great metaphor for life in our automobile age. Evidently, I'm not alone, because automobile accidents have loomed large over the cinematic landscape for almost as long as there have been movies - and cars. Here are a few favorites:
THE BLUES BROTHERS (1980): Extravagant and perhaps a little indulgent, the finale of this comedy about a pair of musical "brothers" features the destruction of no fewer than a dozen specially constructed "Bluesmobiles" and nearly three times as many police and civilian cars, including a Ford Pinto dropped from a crane.
FEARLESS (1993): A criminally overlooked film, Fearless features Jeff Bridges as an air crash survivor whose brush with death causes him to readjust his view of the world. In a pivotal scene, he intentionally wrecks a car so his unwilling passenger can share his experience. Of course, there was little risk of injury: His chosen ride was a Volvo.
THE GREAT GATSBY (1974): The third and best-known adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's enduring work, Gatsby stars Robert Redford as a hollow Long Island aristocrat who takes the blame for the hit-and-run of an acquaintance's mistress. Beautifully shot and acted, this film becomes more essential with each passing year.
INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN (1957): When a couple of canoodling kids run over an unsuspecting alien (it could happen), the unearthly visitor's detached hand sprouts an eye and begins to stalk the reckless drivers. Perhaps not the finest movie ever made, but certainly an entertaining way to blow a couple of hours.
IN THIS OUR LIFE (1942): Director John Huston's follow-up to the masterful Maltese Falcon, Life features Bette Davis as a morally corrupt society girl who attempts to cover up her hit-and-run incident by blaming the entire affair on a black youth. Needless to say, there's karmic retribution to be paid.
Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.
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