They're Playing Our Movie

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

I have often heard the expression, "They're playing our song."  Of course meaning that a particular song is invoking a memory that two people share.  There are a few songs that invoke a memory of a person place or event for me, but not many.  Instead I have movies.

My parents often took us to movies as children.  I remember seeing a Disney double feature of Charlie and the Angel and Cinderella.  I do not recall how old I was but I remember the experience.  It was at the old movie palace downtown.  It had a cloud moving ceiling and statues that stared down at you.  Just going to that cinema was exciting, no matter what movie you were watching.

My dad was a big influence on my movie taste.  I watched Monty Python And The Holy Grail with him.  I was so young that I didn't get the jokes and took the movie very seriously.  Hey, that is one vicious rabbit to a young kid. Later I became a Monty Python fan and learned to completely enjoy their sense of humor.

I remember seeing Diamonds are Forever at a drive-in.  I remember the scene where Sean Connery as James Bond, walks up to a bikini clad girl, rips off her top and then proceeds to strangle her with it until she tells him something.  Drive-ins were affordable movies for us.  We had a family of 7 so it was a lot cheaper than going to an actual theater.  One time we watched a horror film called Ssssss.  It scared the crap out of me at the time, and probably contributed to my on going fear of snakes.  I saw part of that movie a few years ago and laughed at how stupid it now looked to me.

Movies bring back memories of things in our life, good and bad.  My aunt is a Barbra Streisand fan, however she once said to me that she can't stand the movie A Star Is Born.  Not because she doesn't like it, but because her boyfriend at the time broke up with her shortly after they saw it.

For Your Eyes Only holds a special place in my heart for a couple of reasons.  Besides being one of the better James Bond movies, It was one of the last movies I ever saw with my Dad before he left my mother.

Also it was the first time I ever laid eyes on Sheena Easton.  She instantly became the object of my teenage lust.

When I was in the Navy living overseas a shipmate loaned me a VCR.  My best friend and I went on base to rent a couple of videos. We each picked one out that we wanted the other to see.  My friend is a big Sinatra fan so I rented High Society.  We had recently come back from Monaco where we saw Grace Kelly's grave.  He was eager to watch it, and he enjoyed it very much.  Now I always think of him when I see it.

Pretty Woman

My wife and I saw lots of movies when we were dating.  The first one we ever saw together was Uncle Buck.  Watching it again, it is only an okay film, but it holds a special place in my heart for obvious reasons.

Pretty Woman  was also one of the first movies we saw.  It is the perfect date movie and I will always think of it as "our" movie.

My oldest son's first movie was Jingle All The Way.  Which is now a perennial Christmas favorite for us.  My youngest sons first movie was Disney's Tarzan.  However he was a little uncomfortable at the theater.  The moment the lights went out and the screen lit up he bolted for the exit.  The first third of that movie I watched standing up, holding him next to the door.  It was uncomfortable at the time but now is just a cute memory.

I am sure everyone has memories that a particular movie recalls.  Whether it is a good one or a bad one, it is special because it is yours alone.  Unless of course you choose to share it.