First Cinematic Experience

[vin_petrol]

On Bank Holiday Monday afternoon I did watch some of Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I have a soft spot for this film, as it was the first ever film I saw at the cinema. My dad took me to see it when I was about 5 years old. I have vague recollections of the experience: the huge expanse of the darkened cinema, the vastness of the screen, the swirls of cigarette smoke (hey, it was the 70s) curling in the projected light and not being able to see that well 'cos I was tiny :-)

Older readers, even if they haven't seen the film, will recall the cartoon soccer match in it being a staple of Bank Holiday Disney Time for many years.

So, what was the first film you saw at the cinema?

Comments

[sheepthief.livejournal.com]

So, what was the first film you saw at the cinema?

Bedknobs and Broomsticks. =:-)

But the skellingtons sewn from the teeth of dragons in Jason & the Argonauts left more of an impression. Or was that the Golden fleece? I don't know - skellingtons, harpies, it was all a bit horrible.

[adamw]

First film I saw? Not sure.

The first I remember seeing at the cinema was A View To A Kill, back in 1985. When I was 7...

[vin_petrol]

But the skellingtons sewn from the teeth of dragons in Jason & the Argonauts left more of an impression.

Oooh yes, I remember that too. I first saw that on television. Those skellingtons were pretty scary. I'm pretty sure it was in the Easter holidays when I was about 6. I seem to recall annoying my parents a lot by continually going "which one's Jason?" for the first half hour :-)

[vin_petrol]

Thinking about it, I haven't actually seen many Bond films at the cinema. In an odd way, in my head they're a 'television' film, so be seen on Christmas Day or a Bank Holiday afternoon. For my birthday treat on my 10th birthday (1977) I was able to take a car full of friends to see The Spy Who Loved Me. I'll never forget the ski-jump off the cliff to Union flag parachute sequence near the start - that was well whizzy for 1977! :-)

[tomb-bat.livejournal.com]

First film, hummm.....
....well I think it could have been Flash Gordon.
Some years later I dated Tim Dalton's (y'know prince something in flash) little brother Mark (003 & a half), who it has to be said was better looking than Tim. Never did get to meet Tim tho. ;)

[childeric.livejournal.com]

Can't remember, but possibly Bugsy Malone? When did that come out? 1976 or so? Actually, probably it was something else if that's when it came out. I can't really recall. It will have been at Richmond Odeon or Kingston Granada though. I do recall seeing Star Wars seven times at the cinema in its first year of release, which would be, what, 1977?

[childeric.livejournal.com]

Yes, Bugsy Malone was 1976. I was five. Wow, that's such a long time ago...

[everild.livejournal.com]

Jason & the Argonauts left more of an impression. Or was that the Golden fleece?

The film's actually known as both Jason & the Argonauts and Jason & the Golden Fleece - but this is definitely the one with the skeleton army, created by the legendary Ray Harryhausen. In an earlier film 7th Voyage of Sinbad he had created just one skeleon for Sinbad to fight against - doing a whole army must have been far more complicated!! I'm a huge Harryhausen fan and actually got to hear him give a lecture several years ago, at which I was able to hold the model of the Medusa from another of his films, Clash of the Titans - a very exciting moment!

[everild.livejournal.com]

My first film at the cinema was Mary Poppins, but as I wasn't born when it was originally released (early to mid 1960s I think) it must have been a re-release, or a special showing or something. Anyway, I would have been about 3-4 (so we're talking around 1974) because I remember that my sister was still pretty much a baby at the time.

[sarcaustik.livejournal.com]

There were several re-releases of it around Christmas. I remember seeing it at the cinema when I was about eight, so in the early 80s.

[sarcaustik.livejournal.com]

I think the first film I saw at the cinema was a Disney cartoon - possibly a re-release of 'Cinderella' when I was about five. Whatever it was, it had cartoons and the Disney animal feature thing before hand.

I remember going to see 'Star Wars' and 'The Empire Strikes Back' back to back when Empire came out in 1980. I fell asleep not long after the start of the second film, insisted on going home and didn't see any of the Star Wars films again until they were reissued in 1997. My dad and brother never forgave me. ;-)

[miss-dark.livejournal.com]

The first flim I saw at the cinema was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and I was sooo scared I buried my face in my mum's lap and wouldn't come out *eek*

...decided to look up what year it was (as I think I was probably about four years old).. and it was made in 1937!!! *gulp* I didn't think I was that old!!! *grin*

[vin_petrol]

Bugsy Malone

I didn't want to see Bugsy Malone. My (amateur) thespian activities meant that when I was a sprog I had something of a dislike for watching other children acting. Partly this was because so many of them were rubbish at it! Believe me, half the child actors you watched when you were small were cack, and I could have done a better job myself.

To be fair to Bugsy Malone, having seen it since, all the sprogs in that are pretty good. However, a lot of the BBC costume dramas of the 70s featured less-than-overwhelming performances by their child actors.

Not that I'm bitter or anything :-)

[vin_petrol]

IIRC, back in those pre-video/DVD days, Disney re-released all their classic animated films every 7 years(?), so that there was a new audience for them. I went to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs when it was re-released in about 1987. I can safely say I didn't bury my face in my mum's lap due to fear, what with being about 20 years old...

Snap

[angelic-angie.livejournal.com]

Except I wouldn't stop crying at the evil queen as she scared me, this of course is according to my father as I don't remember it that well as I was 4 and this was in 1971.

Nowadays I think the evil queen looks cool and can't understand what possessed me to cry at such a kewl looking lady and like that dip Snow White.

[nim.livejournal.com]

care bears the movie.

[vin_petrol]

Mary Poppins

You know, I've never actually seen this film all the way through...

I have seen Alan Shearer play though. Does that count? :-)

[vin_petrol]

care bears

Ah - I'm so much older than you that the Care Bears mean almost nothing to me. Was it a good film?

[steer.livejournal.com]

I can't remember which book I have which defines "Harryhausen" as "To move in a jerky and unconvincing fashion" e.g. "I drunkenly Harryhausened across the room and scared the cat."

[vin_petrol]

Whatever it was, it had cartoons and the Disney animal feature thing before hand.

Disney films seem to be *very* common. D'ya think they've found a niche here? :-)

I fell asleep not long after the start of the second film, insisted on going home and didn't see any of the Star Wars films again until they were reissued in 1997.

But did anyone tell you who Luke's father was in the meantime?

[steer.livejournal.com]

Apparently I had to be removed from "Tales of Beatrix Potter" for being a disruptive influence -- but really, ballet dancing hedgehogs, who wants that shit in their head at an impressionable age. And Wayne Sleep as a giant squirrel -- that would give you nightmares. The film was released in 1971 so I guess this was a reshowing. The first films I can remember are "The Rescuers" and "Star Wars" (both 1977). I particularly remember that we were late for the start of "Star Wars" and I never found out how come they were on Tatooine for years.

I can also remember seeing Mary Poppins and coming in part way through and sitting round again until "this si where we came in" which we used to do sometimes. Weird when you think of it -- I think this is why a generation of modern authors produce modern novels with fractured narrative and why I enjoy reading that.

I also used to get taken to a lot of tremendously worthy wildlife films with names like Brock the Badger and Tarka the Otter. Never did go to the pictures much though.

[everild.livejournal.com]

Heh! Although it's a bit unfair - in context his work was the pinnacle of special effects, and the skeleton army is very well done indeed. I still find the buggers scary and pretty convincing, but perhaps that's because I'm a weed.

[everild.livejournal.com]

Don't spout Fat Freddyisms at me - it's not the time! ;-p

[everild.livejournal.com]

worthy wildlife films with names like Brock the Badger and Tarka the Otter

I wouldn't put Tarka quite into the worthy wildlife film bracket - it's quite horrible and frightening in places. My grandmother took me and lady_strange to see it when we were quite young, and then let slip afterwards that she used to go on otter hunts in her youth, which made the whole thing even more traumatic.

[steer.livejournal.com]

*Grin* Yeah -- I used to love those "The Magic of Ray Harryhausen" compilations and the skeletons were pretty damn good.

I loved greek legend stuff when I was little, I had a real thing for it. It always frustrated me that Argonauts was shown on boxing day and we went to my nice aunties for boxing day lunch and hence missed vital parts of it.