The beginning of this summer has brought plentiful rain. Plentiful enough to make the days feel slow. The garden planting isn’t in a rush, the pull to accomplish outdoor chores has eased, and the quiet light that filters through the curtains is just conducive to light a candle and sit down and enjoy it.

All this to say, the appreciation of a slow pace that opens your eyes to details you may not have noticed before has been showing up in the old movies we have watched. If you haven’t broken the chain of typical film; loaded with special effects and 21^st century jargon, please do. The subtle humor, of “The Lilies of the Field”, the methodical slow painting of personality in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, the beauty and redemption amid the Dutch song of “Babette’s Feast”. These are an art that our families need to know.

I confess that the ease of a bright, shiny, new movie is tempting, and the temptation to forgo the effort it may take to see beyond the subdued gray-scale of classic film is easy to fall into. Not all that is old is good, and not all that is new is bad, or inartistic, but this summer, amid the busyness of gardens and trips and extra math practice, embrace the rain, and give your family the gift of experiencing an old movie.