I have a theory that films that you see when you’re very young can have a special impact on you. Between the ages of say, 4 to 7 years, you are discovering what the world is like, and movies can give you that feeling of child-like wonder. For me, this time period was the early and mid-1960’s, seeing recent releases and re-releases at the drive-in with my parents.
Films that seemed to have a profound impact on me: Hatari (I fantasized about having my own baby elephants) The Pink Panther (Capucine instantly became my ideal woman) A Shot in the Dark (I loved those karate fights) Dr. Strangelove (Is this how the world works?!?) The World of Suzie Wong (Exotic Hong Kong and sexy oriental women!) The World of Henry Orient (Girls are weird.) Camelot (So that’s what they mean by love triangle) Charade (How to have fun in Paris.) Operation Petticoat (WWII wasn’t all bad) Father Goose (Girls are still weird, but they’re also kind of cute.) The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming The Sound of Music (inspired my Grandma to MAKE ME take piano lessons.) The Glass Bottom Boat (Doris Day!) How to Steal a Million (More questionable role models.)
Obviously, my parents weren’t taking me to Disney flicks. Probably just as well, I got see some really great stuff.
I’m very nostalgic about this time period. Admittedly, some films that I loved when I was a kid now seem really stupid: How to Murder you Wife What’s up Pussycat? Topkapi Donovan’s Reef (it now seems appallingly sexist)
Films have gotten a lot more cynical and blatantly sexual since then. Kids now have cable, VHS and DVD, so they are probably exposed to a much wider time frame for feature films. Hopefully parents are more selective than mine were. I think the quality of kid’s films is highly variable. E.T. was wonderful, but Cats and Dogs was crap. There have been some superior animated flicks: The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Shrek, Lilo and Stitch. So I don’t think it’s so much when the films were made, as when in your life you saw them.
SFX asside Star wars 4 5 and 6 I remember as MUCH better films than 1 and 2.
It saddens me that such an amazing advancement as CGI is being wasted on crap films. Same goes for computer games.
Oh, yeah… anything with Danny Kaye in it (Thanks grandma!). Inspector General and the other one where he’s mistaken for Robin Hood (I think) always made me laugh. Yes, I know he was gay but I think he had a great voice and danced amazingly well. I’d watch these Danny Kaye flicks with my grandmother all the time when I was a kid. She liked John Wayne movies, too, but I just could NOT get into those, pil-grim.
I just watched Mrs. Frisbee & the Rats of NIMH for the first time last week.
It was kinda stupid. They took out all the best elements of the story* in order to make room for the stupid crow sidekick that wasn’t funny at all. I was truly disppointed as it was one of my favorite books as a child.
*We were in the lab and they gave us shots we learned to read and escaped. – the best part of the book condensed into a 2 minute exposition! AG!
i will never forget a movie called Krull… it was about a man whos land is under attack by some really lame aliens. and he must gather a ragtag army of men…and some women i think…to fight the aliens and win his love back. oh…and he sticks his hand in flowing lava to get a wicked looking throwing star for use on the “big boss”.
and remember Ice Pirates? it was the story of interstellar pirates who travel the galaxy causing mischief…there is a funny scene involving a “black” robot who knows kung foo…oh and it had cool time shifts near the end. everyone got really old in a matter of minutes…then they became young again…i think.
A pair of cursed lovers - she is cursed to be a hawk during the day, while he is curse to be a wolf at night. Only during a moment at sunrise and sundown can the be together.
Good fantasy starring a very young Matthew Broderick and Michelle Pfeiffer.
These are all movies I was taken with as a kid (anywhere from age 8 to 15, I think). I watched them all so many times that I’m sure they must have had a significant impact on me.
Flash Gordon
Clash of the Titans
Oh, God!
All That Jazz
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
The Breakfast Club
Sid and Nancy