3 Dec 2009

Movie Magic: One Night At The Movies Long Ago

So there's little Blog-A-Thon going on today (we write) / tomorrow (we all get linked up to) organised by the Kid In the Front Row, and I thought it might be fun to join in! The idea is to all "share a memory from a memorable time we had at the movies, from some time in our past".

My only problem has been choosing just the one!



 Should it be the time I went with my mom and sisters to see Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? When my mom was all excited because I actually recognised "the Canyon of the Crescent Moon" and "The Temple" (Petra, Jordan) and told her "I've been there, right? I remember those places. We rode horseback through that canyon and there was a camel sitting in front of the temple and Gabby and I got to ride on it and we had to be very careful not to fall off forwards or backwards when it got up or got back down". And she was happy because at least some of all that crazy travelling we did once upon a time was still registered somewhere in my memory banks (it had been 6 years before the film). Oh, and that Temple isn't nearly as impressive on the inside as it is in the movie! :p
(image from Virginmedia.com)

Or should I choose the magical evening in a cinema in Mexico City when I went with a group of friends to see Willow and one of the guys and I gave in to our curiousity and discreetly peeked into an open door in the theatre. Who said curiosity killed the cat? We got treated to a delightful and for us magical introduction into how the movies we loved watching ended up being projected on that big screen in front of us! A wizened old man was running the projectors and he showed us the works! We got to see the reels, got see him put them up on the projector, have him explain to us how he cut one reel into another so we wouldn't notice a break in the middle of the film... Willow seemed all the more magical after that!

And what about the moment I realised I was an even bigger Star Wars fan that I thought? When the "restored" versions of the classic trilogy were re-released in '97 (?) I was in my second year of University in Alicante. I headed downtown to see the first one ("A New Hope") asap in the best theatre available at the time (they had just upgraded their sound system to THX), simultaneously thrilled to finally see one of my favourite movies on the big screen, and frustrated 'cause it was going to be dubbed in Spanish! Halfway through the movie I realised my brain was automatically replaying all the original dialogue in my head and I wasn't really hearing the dubbed dialogue at all! Nope I was hearing the real voices of Luke, Leia and Han! All the while identifying and counting every single teeny-tiny detail that had been modified! Which I then spent a long time discussing (during an very expensive call to the States) on the phone with my sister in DC... :p

Nope, still can't choose! Too many memories (walking out of Braveheart speaking with a Scottish accent, seeing The Lion King five times in the cinema despite not having been all that interested in it to start with, the intensity of La Reine Margot or Schindler's List, laughing at my sister's grasping my arm in fear during Jurassic Park even though she had already seen it... twice!, seeing the huge grin on my dad's face when we walked out of Mamma Mia! even though I kind of had to use some "emotional blackmail" to get him to go see it with me... and so on, and so forth), and am looking forward to those that are yet to be made! :o)

6 comments:

  1. What a great idea and I love all your memories, but especially the one with your dad and Momma Mia. I don't get out to the movies, but I purchased this one recently and watched it with my sis. I thought she would hate it, but like your dad, she had a big smile at the end.

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  2. WOW! thank you!
    smiles.

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  3. I've got it narrowed down to four...

    When I took my daughter to see E.T. The part where ET 'dies'... She was holding my hand, and I suddenly felt her squeeze it. I looked over to see her quivering lip... Oh great... here come the tears!

    Jim Carey's Grinch, with grand #2 when she was a preschooler. We had to sit in the front row. She stood through the whole thing, starring wide-eyed straight up at the screen.

    Passion of the Christ and Philadelphia... There is nothing more stirring than an entire theater of people experiencing the same deep emotion.

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  4. You're so right Lily!

    That's got to be the main reason I'll never give up on the cinema in favour of dvds/internet etc: the intensity that can be the group experience! Even Twilight: New Moon, which I saw in a packed theatre 2 weeks ago, was a lot more fun because of the swooning and giggling girls behind me! :p

    Unfortunately a crowded cinema also means unpleasant people... so most of the time I choose to go to sessions I know won't be too crowded. Well, at least I do in Alicante. The movie theatre I go to here in Liege doesn't seem to have that problem (perhaps because it doesn't sell popcorn and etc?)

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  5. Talking of movies I am really keen to see Avatar and also Nine. Somethings to keep the family entertained over christmas!

    Thanks a lot for your tips on Seville etc. I think I am pretty much all booked now to go in the last week of March - I'm doing the white villages and then taking in the first couple of days of holy week in Seville. It's all very exciting!

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  6. Avatar, oh yeah! I just wish it had come out a tad bit sooner, I'm going to be stuck watching it in Spanish! :p

    Good news for Seville! I'm glad my info came in handy. I can't wait to hear about your adventures there! ;o)

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Hey there! Yes you! The quiet one in the back... I'd love it if you hung out for a bit and shared your thoughts!

I might stop by your place with an answer, but I'm more likely to reply right here so click on "email follow up comments" if you'd like to see what I and others have to say and come continue the conversation! ;o)