A lot has been said about Damien Chazelle in relation to his age. At 29, he wrote and directed his first feature film, Whiplash, which went on to be nominated for five academy awards. At 32, in 2016, he became the youngest director to ever win an Oscar—for La La Land (and the youngest to win a Golden Globe for the same title). At 33, he released his third film, First Man, which followed the years leading up to the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon in 1969, through the iconic real life story of Neil Armstrong—while also digging into the complexities of fatherhood in a way that was as honest as it was heartbreaking. Now at 35, Chazelle is a first-time dad himself. We asked the lifelong movie lover for the films he can’t wait to share with his son.
“As father to a one-year-old, I have been eagerly awaiting the start of my son’s movie education. Technically, his education began when he was two weeks old and we started watching Taxi Driver together. But after my wife walked in on us, she wisely persuaded me it was better to introduce our infant to masterpieces like this when he was a touch older.
So, while I’m most certainly not qualified to say when to show movies to one’s children, below is a list of films I’m personally excited to share with mine.”
Beauty and the Beast (Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise, 1991)
“Depending on how it goes, maybe the Jean Cocteau version to follow.”
The Kid (Charlie Chaplin, 1921)
Sherlock Jr. (Buster Keaton, 1924)
Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton, 1990)
Sleeping Beauty (Clyde Geronimi, 1959)
The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925)
Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)
Bambi (David Hand, 1942)
Fantasia (Joe Grant, Dick Huemer, Ben Sharpsteen, 1940)
The Red Balloon (Albert Lamorisse, 1956)
White Mane (Albert Lamorisse, 1952)
Meet Me In St. Louis (Vincente Minnelli, 1944)
