When I was a kid–maybe 25-30 years ago–I saw some fragment of a show with this scene:
A man is in a desolate, desert looking area, but has found a pool of water. He goes to drink or perhaps splash water on his face, kneeling at the edge, and somehow falls in. However, when he tries to get out, he finds that the surface of the water is like a one-way membrane: he could fall in, but now is trapped beneath. He pounds on the bottom surface but to no avail.
I don’t remember anything else. It might be a movie or a TV show. It might be a conflation of more than one thing. It might have simply been a nightmare of mine (the thought still creeps me out). But I’m pretty sure I saw it on TV. Any ideas?
Incidentally, what made me think of this again was this story. It contains this comment: The story centered on a knight who falls into a river while returning from the Holy Wars. He’s drowning, struggling with his helmet as it pulls him under. He eventually surfaces in this strange world, where his maiden is trapped by an evil knight (called The Black Angel).
It sounds like it could almost fit, and the timing is *almost *right–but not quite. I was like two years old 33 years ago. And I don’t recall it being a river, and I’m not sure about the setting, given the title screen. But it’s remotely possible that I’m remembering the scene from my parents taking me to see The Empire Strikes Back.
Huh. That’s not too far off, and it’s possible that I’ve conflated that scene with some other. But I don’t recall anyone else being around, nor do I remember there being any ice. In my memory, the surroundings are something like the American Southwest. The feeling was that the pool was some kind of magical trap.
I can distinctly recall a similar scene, but alas cannot offer a title.
The body of water was natural, a pond or lake because there were plants and debris. The protag was dressed strangely, definitely not a modern day setting. He entered assuming it was just water until he made the realization, he didn’t drown to death he was allowed out. I get the feeling it was some kind of magic which was then lifted.
The movie Legend 1985 features a scene where a ring is thrown into a lake, the character played by Tom Cruise dives in to retrieve it and then finds the surface of the lake frozen when he tries to exit.
I remember a movie in the 80s called Ghost Warrior. However it was an ancient samurai that fell into the water, was frozen, then revived in modern times.
Good find! Here’s the clip. The natural setting is a lot closer to what I remember, as is the character. And it pretty much has to be a mid-80’s fantasy movie that I’m thinking of. It’s still not quite right–too much stuff going on outside, and too lush–but I don’t give too much credit to my childhood memory. This could easily be it.
That’s it! Incredible. You know–I had the faintest recollection that it was somehow Star Wars related. That’s part of why the article in the OP made me think of it. But I didn’t mention it because–how could it? I’ve seen all the movies; I haven’t read the books (so no conflation there); I’ve even seen the Star Wars Holiday Special. I never knew that there was another made-for-TV special, let alone that I had watched at least part.
There’s actually two of them - Caravan of Courage, and a sequel; Ewoks, the Battle for Endor. I watched them like crazy when I was young and had no taste. My young self thinks they are awesome, but I don’t remember a scene with a frozen lake. I do remember the witch and the goblin-creatures she had out in the desert mountain.
I don’t remember a witch or anything, but I’ll watch the whole movie this weekend and maybe something else will come back. I don’t know why the pond scene stuck with me so well–I guess it probably gave me nightmares at the time.
