Secondhand Lions & The Teaching of Manhood. There are many movies that are not well known, and in my opinion badly underrated. I am especially fond of shoot-em-ups, and really enjoyed “The Long Kiss Goodnight” and “True Lies,” movies that were badly panned by the critics. Neither of those movies really has a message, they are just fun to watch action movies
But I have always liked a good movie with a message too. One of the best, and yet underrated movies that I have ever watched is called “Secondhand Lions.” I have discussed it a few times on my personal Facebook account and discovered that almost anyone who has taken the time to see the movie has really enjoyed it.
It is truly a classic. The movie is about a boy, Walter, (the kid is how the uncles refer to him) who was given up by his mother to be raised by a pair of irascible bachelor great uncles. The time period is the 1960s, or perhaps the 1950s. Of all the coming-of-age movies I have seen, it is perhaps the best. Along the way the boy adopts a lion as a pet and learns what it means to become a man. In one scene, Hub McCann (played by Robert DuVall) has been accosted by couple of young (probably about 17 years old) bullies outside of a bar. Hub says to them,
“I’m Hub McCann. I’ve fought in two World Wars and countless smaller ones on three continents. I led thousands of men into battle with everything from horses and swords to artillery and TANKS! I’ve seen the headwaters of the Nile, and tribes of natives no white man had ever seen before. I’ve won and lost a dozen fortunes, KILLED MANY MEN! And loved only one woman, with a passion a FLEA like you could never begin to understand. That’s who I am. NOW, GO HOME.”
The young men did not go home, and Hub proceeds to give them a brief lesson in hand-to-hand combat. Brief because it quickly becomes apparent that rather than beating the snot out of them, Hub could have killed them without mussing his hair.
Later in the movie, Hub gives what is probably the most quoted monologue of the movie, and a timeless piece of wisdom:
“Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things that a man needs to believe in the most: that people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; and I want you to remember this, that love, true love, never dies. You remember that, Boy. You remember that. No matter if they’re true or not, a man should believe in those things because those are the things worth believing in.”
As the boy is raised (the brothers call him boy) the uncles tell him stories about their life. The boy of course does not believe many of them, but as the movie proceeds we discover that stories they tell are true. If you haven’t seen the movie, you should.
But what is so moving about this story? Perhaps most moving is the timeless values it represents. In this age of cynicism it says you can be cynical, but there are important things to believe in. Things that built our society and allowed it to become the beacon of freedom it is today. Even if they aren’t 100% true, they are true enough that they should be believed and preached. And I do admit, I am old fashioned enough to think that the values that may be important to a man may not be the same as those that are important to a woman.
In the movie, a bad guy (Stan) in cahoots with Walter’s mother attempts to rob the uncles of their money, which we discover was substantial. In order to make Walter reveal where the money is hidden, Stan starts beating Walter. The pet lion attacks the thief who is beating his Cub (Walter). The lion dies of a heart attack after seriously injuring Stan. Walter of course is inconsolable. In a bit of premonition, the Uncles comfort Walter by pointing out that the lion died “with his boots on defending him [Walter], which is not a bad way to go”.
Now, I have always contended to my wife, that men are much more romantic than women. Women are practical at the core when it comes to the important things, but men cannot live without the romanticism. For them, that belief in larger things is critical Men actually believe that
“To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods”
That’s why we got to war. That’s why we are willing to stand on the line and say this far, and no farther. And these beliefs are important, even critical, to civilization. Its this belief in things that are bigger than yourself. That belief is important, even critical to the building of a civilization. Women may believe this, but are usually too practical to put everything on the line for the principle. They will be sneaky about it, and end up stabbing the bad guy in the back. But a man will stand right up and not pull any punches, even if it is suicidal. Those beliefs are important, and teaching them to young men at a young age is how they are learned and taken to heart.
So, when you have a chance, see the movie. “Secondhand Lions.” Don’t worry, I didn’t spoil it for you. These are just the minor highlights, there is a lot more to the movie.
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It is a great scene from a great movie.
As an aside, there’s a character in the 1990s comedy “PCU” whose college thesis is that any time, a movie can be found on TV featuring either Gene Hackman or Michael Caine (the great intersection occurs in “A Bridge Too Far”, in which both appear). While perhaps true in the 1990s, a better thesis would have used Robert Duvall instead of Hackman, and this movie would be where both plant the flag.
I’ll have to watch that. Michael Caine and Robert Duvall in the same movie, and one with a good message, has to be great. Those are two great actors. I don’t know how I missed that one.