Monday, May 12, 2008

Innocence Lost: My first memory of 'First Blood'

WHAT: One night special screening of "First Blood."
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday (May 15).
WHERE: Louisiana Boardwalk 14 and Tinseltown USA.
COST: $10. For tickets, visit theatre box offices or order online at http://www.fandango.com/.

One of my strongest early movie memories is "First Blood." Is it sad or a badge of pride? Allow me to transcribe the most memorable lines from memory:

Col. Trautman: "The mission is over, Rambo. Do you understand me? The mission is over! ..."
Rambo: "Nothing is over! Nothing! You don't just turn it off! It wasn't my war! You asked me, I didn't ask you! ..."

Ahh, the sweet recollections of a 7-year-old cinephile slouching in a dusty movie seat, his imagination swallowed whole by the dark recesses of a Mankato, Minn., campus theater.

As you might have guessed, my father was (fortunately) rather loose in his definition of the R rating. I think he read it as Recommended.

I saw absolutely everything he saw, and he just happened to have an affinity for the finest work of Sly, Arnold, Clint and, later, the inimitable Jean-Claude.

Yes, I saw "Commando" in theaters. And "Bloodsport." And "Tightrope." And I seem to remember Sly's cross-dressing scene in "Night Hawks." (I was 5 or 6 but assure you: I was very mature.)

My mother, on the other hand, had high cultural tastes. She took me to the opening night of "Amadeus" at the Cine 4. We laughed when Wolfy farted.

What's your strongest movie memory from childhood?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

First blood was one of my original favorites to. But, the one that I remember the most is Red Dawn. Nothing like sitting in the classroom trying to study and the russians drop in for a visit. Awesome.

Barry Ingram said...

Going with my father (a WW2 vet) to see Midway. Miss ya, Dad.