Last week, I took myself off to the
local cinema complex to enjoy a good movie. I was nearly knocked over by the countless
number of young folk elbowing their way into two separate theatres to see the
latest offering in the blood and guts department. The favorite for the young people that week
was a movie featuring children hunting other children while adults looked on
and cheered. The concept made me
shudder. Talk about stepping backwards
into history and the days of Rome
and the gladiators.
These days it seems that people attend
movies not so much to be transported by their imaginations into beautiful
places or to enjoy a tender love story or amusing comedy, but to have their
ears bashed with extremely loud noise that passes for music, to have people
being shot, stabbed, dismembered or otherwise disposed of, and to watch scene
after scene of either car crashes, car chases or car explosions. This is entertainment for today’s youth.
And that of course, had me
remembering…
Prior to taking my granddaughter on a
long promised vacation to New York and Europe last year, I asked her to watch two movies with
me. I explained that, since we’d be
playing tourist while in New York and visiting
the Empire State Building,
I wanted her to see how it had been featured in so many great movies. I guess I wanted her to be impressed with
actually standing on the same spot as some famous people. The two movies were: An Affair to Remember
and Sleepless in Seattle.
Now, An Affair to Remember is one of
my all-time favorites. I’ve watched it
so many times I can practically mouth every line of dialogue along with the
stars. For me, it has all the elements a
terrific movie needs…wonderful actors, gorgeous scenery, brilliant writing,
tender love scenes and a good cry before the end. And since ‘Affair’ is delightfully referred
to in Sleepless in Seattle, and also features
the Empire State Building
as an important part of the movie, I thought it a perfect follow-up to
‘Affair.’
Tasha and the Empire State Building
So there we were in my daughter’s
living room, DVR remote on hand... Three generations of movie goers ready to be
swept off into celluloid heaven by the debonair charm of Cary Grant and the
subtle humor of the beautiful script. At
least that’s what I thought would happen.
I was stunned therefore, and
admittedly a little miffed, when, at a most poignant part in the film…a scene
where the two would be lovers are making plans to meet in six months time at
the top of the Empire State Building, my daughter sighed and said: ‘Can we fast
forward through this Mum? It’s kinda
boring.’
Huh?
One of the sweetest, most touching scenes in the whole movie was
considered boring? I was not
amused. And, although I insisted we
persevere with watching all the movie to the end, it did make me realize that
in this hurry, hurry, hurry world we live in today, there is no place for something
as gentle, as simple as a cinematic love story.
And that makes me very sad.
