Title Creator Date Era City Country Emotional Sum (Sense of Life or emotional World View) Theme
3 Idiots Screenwriter: Chopra Vidhu Vinod 2009 1991-2010 United States Life can be fun and productive and exciting. As is true in some other Bollywood features, this story and the ideas behind it about pursuing the good life, has an honesty and clarity and benevolence that is not part of the U.S. movie scene.

Be what you want to be; follow your passion in life

A Few Good Men Director: Reiner, Rob 1992 1991-2010 United States Justice should be fought for, needs to be fought for and can be fragile.

Commitment to a moral code is central to a good man's life.

American President Director: Reiner, Rob 1995 1991-2010 Romance is fun, funny and important.
Anthem Rand, Ayn 1938, revised 1946 1900 - 1950 United States

The book starts out psychologically dark and disorienting because of the protagonist struggling with the radically collectivist world he was born into.  But what shows even in the early pages, and grows to the climax is the triumphant struggle of a rare few who break free of the yoke of total mind control and become free to live a life as a conceptual human and rediscover what it means to be an individual.  Thrilling and emotionally satisfying (unless the reader is a committed determinist.)

Ego and using one's individual mind is the core of being human.

Ardabil Carpet Classical Persian School 16th century CE sumptuous eye candy.
Are You Lonesome Tonight? Composer: Handman, Lou 1926 1900s United States Sensuality and bitterness

The remembrance of past love.

Atlas Shrugged Author: Rand, Ayn 1957 1951 - 2000 Life can be good; Men are competent to live happily; The world can be a shining, happy place to exist, if one is free. But novel also presents a dark, dystopian world to help make real that positive view.

The crucial value of the human mind.

Attila (live performance) Composer: Verdi, Giuseppe 2010 03 03 1851-1900 Life is a mix of strength, heroism, romantic passion.

The work is a long complex opera, so it has many other lyrical emotions as part of it, but this covers the basic sense of life.

Loving a heroic woman leads to death

Billy Elliot Director: Daldry, Stephen 2000 1991-2010 Life is dirty but one can clean up.

Go after what you love.

Biviel Shoe BV2773 Biviel Design 2010 2000s Feeling: texture and line create a sense of elegance and beauty.
Black Stallion Director: Ballard, Carroll 1979 Everything is possible between boy and beast, between an innocent human and mother nature.

Man and nature in harmony.
At least this is the theme of the first half of the movie. See "Description" and "Context" info below for more on this comment.

Blue Phoenix Painter: Koyo Omura 1921 1900s A pleasing and lush, possibly claustrophobic, world.
Blue Steps of Naumkeag Landscape Designer: Steele, Fletcher 1937-39 1900 - 1950 elegance and grace

The man-made enhances nature -- it is what makes nature beautiful

Bolero Dancers: Torvill and Dean 1994 1990-2009 Harmony, grace exist.

Two people as one.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams Composer: Warren and Dubin 1933-34 1900s Weariness & Sadness

Life is loss of dreams and sadness

Brass Bowl, The Vance, Louis Joseph 1907 1900 - 1950 The world is a delightful place. Good things happen to the deserving.

Life as a gay, lighthearted adventure.

Brief Encounter Screenwriter: Coward, Noel 1945 1931-1950 United Kingdom Passionate love. Tragic choices.

High romance is possible. Such love is unlikely to survive.
This film manages to embrace two contradictory themes, leading to a major bittersweet outcome.

Burgos Cathedral Crossing Architect: Unknown 1569 circa 1500s God is order and reason and light.

The spirit of god is rational, uplifting and rich in detail

Burn Notice Creator: Nix, Matt 2007 Anything can be done if you are smart and motivated enough.
Camelot Composer: Lerner and Loewe 1960 1951-2000 One must attempt to live by values, even though virtue is powerless and hopeless.

Camelot: a medieval place of goodness and justice, and its inevitable failure.

Chariot of Apollo Sculptor: Tuby, Jean Baptiste (1630-1700) 1668-1670 1600s The world has thrilling powerful men of action.  There are no limits to what can be achieved.

Elegant, physical power.&nbsp; The fantasy ability to fly through water and air with grace and ease.<br>

Chariots of Fire Director: Hudson, Hugh 1981 1971-1990 A complete feeling of openness of the world to greatness of your own choosing.

Life is achievement.

Chocolat Director: Hallstrom, Lasse 2000 Pleasure is good; religion and conventional thinking is bad.

Follow your dream and disregard convention.

Chocolate Pitcher and Butter Dish Villeroy & Boch 1930 United States Friendly warmth (arising from the simple graceful lines, and the unadorned simplicity of the colors without ornament)
City Island De Felitta, Raymond 2009 1991-2010 United States Anxiety and pain from all the lies and mistaken motives. Catharsis from the climax, leading to feelings of wanting to be truthful in life!

Lying is not the way to live.