Post Older-movie watching depression... (1 Viewer)

[Tom Rags]

I know this is a crazy topic, but I feel the need to see if there are others out there like me.

I finally watched "Willow" tonight on DVD. I hadn't watched it since I saw it in theaters (3 times?) when I was ten years old. I've owned the DVD since release day last year, but I've never been able to bring myself to watch it. For some reason, I was waiting for the right moment. Perhaps I was afraid of getting let down. Back in the day, I would play the soundtrack to Willow (on LP) over and over and over. I remember getting the soundtrack for my 10th birthday and feeling like it was the best present I had ever received. I remember reading the special "Willow" magazine with behind the scenes articles that summer. I guess, given that I was the right age at the time, Willow was my "Star Wars" as a kid.

After watching the movie, I couldn't help but get depressed. Sure, the movie wasn't as good as I remembered, but it was still fun. There were jokes that I had forgotten, and the special effects (though dated) held up in a believable way. I remember having the BIGGEST crush on Joanne Whalley (who played Sorsha) when I was a kid. It kind of depressed me when I went to IMDB and realized that Sorsha (forever 23 in my mind) is now a less than attractive 40 year old woman. I was also depressed in a few ways because it made me long for the days when I was ten and had no cares in the world. I guess watching the movie really brought back lots of memories and made me realize how fast life really goes.

I'm 25 now (and I know that I am still a kid in the big scheme of things), but for some reason, watching this movie has really put me in my place. Has anyone else ever experienced a similar situation?

 

[Kevin Porter]

Though not movie related everytime I finish watching Alias (which I love) I can't help but feel dead inside. Maybe it reminds me of a life I would like to have. Not the whole spy thing but the relationships with people like Syd's relationship with Vaughn and such.

 

[Vickie_M]

It kind of depressed me when I went to IMDB and realized that Sorsha (forever 23 in my mind) is now a less than attractive 40 year old woman.

Oh please. Did you stop to realize that that photo was her as a character in a movie? I think you should take a look at the rest of the photos in that series, from the movie Run the Wild Fields.

Because THIS picture is from the same movie, and if you think she's "less than attractive" in it, you've got far more problems than just growing up. (This is from 2000)










Sorry if I'm sounding snippy, but my god. Less than attractive? Yeesh! I'd love to be half as less than attractive as that!

 

[Tom Rags]

Yup, she looks great in that picture. Nope, she didn't in the pictures from a premier (not a movie) that I saw. Either way, why do you feel the need to criticise a trivial point? This really has nothing to do with my original post. The point was that she is much older now than my memory of her and how that translated into my feelings of how quickly it seems we grow up (and how watching a movie elicited such a feeling).

Because THIS picture is from the same movie, and if you think she's "less than attractive" in it, you've got far more problems than just growing up.

Seriously, is this necessary to the discussion?

 

[Claire Panke]

Thank you, Vicki...amen!!!!

Lol, Tom, post a pic of yourself in 15 years, when you turn 40, and we'll see how well *you're* holding up.

You're right about one thing however: you're way to young to be pining for your lost youth.

Cheer up, some of films we adored as youngsters will not hold up or pass the test of time. Some will, and those are classics we can enjoy and revisit throughout our lives. It would be sad indeed if you are not a more sophisticated movie watcher today than you were as a ten year old!

You never know, you might fall in love with Willow all over again in 5 or 10 years time.

 

[Ricardo C]

You're right about one thing however: you're way to young to be pining for your lost youth.

I'm 26, do I qualify? I just found my first four gray hairs this week :b

 

[Vickie_M]

Well Tom, it was your phrasing ("less than attractive") that set me off. She's beautiful. Even in this picture, which is the one I'm assuming you meant. She's older, I understand that your realization of that fact caused you lots of squirmy angst. But in no way is she "less than attractive" now. She's just older, and looks different.

I do find your pining for your youth (apt phrase Claire) at the age of 25 a bit laughable, but if you hadn't brought Joanne's looks into it, I never would have said a word.

 

[Holadem]

Tom, I totally see your point about a movie reminding you of a time when you had no care in the world. Strangely enough, old video game music does that to me. Go figure.

Vickie, you really don't have to jump into every thread and start making a big deal out of some insignificant remark - which seems to be an unfortunate habit of yours.

--
Holadem

 

[Matt Stone]

Jeez...a guy tries to post a thread about being depressed and you guys jump down his throat. First thing, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so if Tom think's she is "less than attractive" today then he thinks she's "less than attractive." There's no real argument against someone's opinion. Secondly...I didn't realize that there was a qualified age before you could start "pining for your youth." I'm only 21, so the next time I get depressed and miss high school I'll make sure to scold myself for not being old enough to miss it. :rolleyes

 

[Dave_Brown]

Wow, this topic sure did stray from its intended course.

It's funny you mention movies from our youth that seem so different now. I came across one last night on showtime that I loved as a kid and found myself thinking "why in the hell did I like this movie so much???" as I was sitting on the couch.

Ok, it wasn't a great movie but when I was 12 I thought it was the best movie off all time. That movie was Revenge of the Ninja and I couldn't get enough of it. Heck, I even wrote a 5 page paper in 8th grade about why it was such a great movie for my english class assignment!

I watched it last night to bring back that ol' feeling of youth again and think I spent more time laughing at myself for being so silly about it.

 

[Al.Anderson]

Okay, I chuckled at first too when I read Tom was 25 years old. But after thinking about it a minute, there's a big difference between 10 and any other age. There's an open-eyed innocence at 10 that gets lost quickly. To make this movie related, think Stand By Me. (Okay they were about 12, but you get the idea.) And if you partied through college, 25 is the age when it first hits you that this life/work thing is for real.

You want to be depressed Tom -- it gets worse -- wait til you try 45. And I'll bet the 65 yr olds are now scoffing.

Now go out and pick up a 39 year old and forget about it! (She'll be so depressed you're bound to feel up by comparison.)

And I do know what you mean about an old movie not being as you remember it. I've brought home some "classics" to watch with my kids with the idea that they'd be as thrilled as I was -- and they were really bad. I've forgotten the titles, but I remember the kids looking at me with their "yeah, right dad" eyes.

 

[BrettB]

I recently rented WestWorld which I had seen as a youngster. It wasn't nearly as good as I remembered it. Also, I could have sworn when I saw it as a youngster that I saw more of the lady of ill repute. :b

 

[Jack Briggs]

The problem is here:



It's not a trivial point when someone in his or her forties reads this and "learns" here that being in that age range disqualifies one as possibly being "attractive."

Pretend you're in a large room filled with a diverse group of people and post accordingly. And, truth is, you are in a large room occupied by people of many different age ranges.

Regardless of the thread originator's issues, let's focus this thread on the apparent topic: films that lose their lustre (for you) when you revisit them years or decades later.

(Btw, even when I was in my twenties, I found women to be at their most attractive starting in their forties. I feel that way more than ever now.)

 

[Tom Rags]

Thanks for getting this thread back on course guys, I was beginning to feel sorry that I ever said anything :frowning: Regarding the previous discussion, all I'll say is that you took me WAYYYYY out of context but that is probably more my fault than yours.

Listen, I know that I'm still very young, but I've had to grow up in a hurry the past year. Let me be a little more clear. I graduated with a Masters Degree in Engineering last May, and I was working on a contracting basis through January. My contract expired, and I've been unable to find a job since. I want to stay within a couple hundred miles of home (as my parents are getting much older and all 7 of my bros and sis' are all in that area), but the only interviews I have are over 1000 miles away. My girlfriend, after 3.5 years (and discussing marriage) has decided to move to Florida. I've been having some serious health issues as of late.

Let's just say I didn't have to deal with that stuff when I was ten. Watching that movie last night (especially since I hadn't seen it since then) really took me back in a way that a movie never has before. However, the outcome was more negative than positive (which is rare for a movie to have such an effect on me). It was a depressing thought that the girl in the movie (with the wild red hair who was very young), whom I always had pictured this way, in fact has aged the appropriate amount of time and doesn't have red hair at all (when I was ten, it didn't occur to me that the hair was so unnatural in color). It made me think about being in my back yard with my plastic sword, pretending I was "Madmartigan" and that I was the greatest swordsmen that ever lived.

My point is that one would think that these memories would make me nostalgic (in a positive way), but in fact, it has made me realize how quickly time flies.

Is my original point making more sense now?

 

[Jason Seaver]

It's not a trivial point when someone in his or her forties reads this and "learns" here that being in that age range disqualifies one as possibly being "attractive."

True enough, though I don't think that's what the original post was getting at.

That said, it's not fun to walk out of Breakfast at Tiffany's and have someone remind you that Audrey Hepburn would be old and gray even if she were still alive. Folks who do that are bad, bad people.

 

[Tom Rags]

Jason, EXACTLY my point regarding that issue. Thank you. The point is that if that is all that you see of the person, they stay the same age forever. It can be a real downer when you realize that the movie is a frozen reality (or in the case of Willow, "Frozen Un-reality").

 

[Walter Kittel]

Certainly our memories of actors and actresses as they looked then vs. the reality of now conflict. Harrison Ford is a good example. My mental image of him is Raiders of the Lost Ark, not K-19. And while the reminder of the passage of time can be depressing ( You are only in your twenties - you ain't seen nothing yet. ), the good news is that the screen images that we love and cherish are still there to enjoy for what they do offer.

Films can act as mood shifters and one of the great pleasures of film is re-experiencing old favorites. Rather than dwelling on the changes wrought by time, try to recapture some of the memories and feelings you've invested in those films. Let yourself get caught up in the film and re-experience the enjoyment you first derived. And when the film is over try not to dwell on just how long ago it all happened. Savor the memories.

- Walter.

 

[Michael Reuben]

The point is that if that is all that you see of the person, they stay the same age forever. It can be a real downer when you realize that the movie is a frozen reality (or in the case of Willow, "Frozen Un-reality").

You don't need to go to the movies for that sensation. Just look at some photographs of your parents (or siblings or other relatives) from when you were little. Now look at those same people today.

Tom, you have my sympathies, but I'm sorry to tell you that the most disconcerting variant of this experience still lies ahead of you. It's when you start catching unexpected glimpses of yourself in mirrors or other reflective surfaces, and the person you see bears little or no resemblance to the image of yourself that's frozen in your memory. Everyone here over 40 will know what I'm talking about.

M.

 

[Chauncey_G]

Tom, I totally hear what you're saying. I had an eye-opening moment watching a film that was near-and-dear to my heart as a child as well.

When I was a kid, I was absolutely blown away by Disney's The Black Hole. As far as I was concerned at the time, it was a flawless film! However, I was terribly saddened when I watched it recently and discovered that...well, I'll just say it wasn't what I remembered it being (though I still think the Cygnus is a cool-looking ship and Maximillian is a cool-looking robot).

 

[Ricardo C]

I gotta stop reading this thread.

Michael, you really know how to paint a pretty picture of the next 15 years

*signs up at the gym*

*wonders if a guy can start using Rogaine even if he doesn't actually need it*