And the countdown continues in my quest to watch and find something inspiring in every single one of Yahoo’s 100 Movies to See Before You Die.
Y’all, I’ve been doing this list so long I’m pretty sure the link the above paragraph is broken. Yahoo is even over this list.
Still, I trudge on …
Let me tell you what I went through to procure a copy of this film. First, it doesn’t exist on Netflix. Second, the DVD is obscure and outrageously priced. So I started asking around, and finally I found a colleague who owns the Apu Trilogy and agreed to lend it to me. I have been hoarding it for the past three months. I really should return it, but I haven’t gotten around to watching the other two movies (and I’m told I really ought to).
Back to the movie. A story about a would-be unemployed writer in Calcutta who goes to a friend’s cousin’s wedding on a whim. Before the ceremony, the bridegroom steps out and the writer’s friend somehow convinces him to step in and marry this beautiful woman. Against all odds they fall in love and get pregnant. His wife dies in childbirth and Apu is so devastated he wanders the earth for years, letting his parents-in-law raise his son in the meantime. I found his behavior deplorable. The only bit of sunshine arises at the end, when he returns to his son and they walk off together, Apu smiling like he hasn’t in years.
Sorry, did I give away the ending? Well, so does the photo above.
Anyway, I’m inspired to be a better parent than Apu. And if I ever think I’m not being a good enough mom, at least I could say I never abandoned my child!
Jim Stark: Nobody talks to children.
Judy: No, they just tell them.
I actually really like this movie. I can’t believe I haven’t seen it more than twice in my life. James Dean, Natalie Wood, teen angst. What’s not to like*?
There’s a chickie run that ends in a death. Jimmy tries to do the right thing and tell his parents, but they’re not listening. He tries to go to the police, but the thugs threaten him. So he does what anyone would do: go to an abandoned mansion with a pretty girl and hide out for awhile.
I’m pretty sure I had a little crush on Jimmy the first time I saw this movie (I was 17). What really appeals to me at this point in my life is to find my own abandoned mansion and pretend it’s mine for one night. I would prefer to avoid the chickie run beforehand, though.
*Something not to like: the fact that both Jimmy and Natalie ended up dying violent/bizarre deaths at a young age.
