Tuesday, February 14, 2012

"Appalling movies for dates"

In keeping with today’s significance, the above headline was appropriated from the London Telegraph in a piece by Mark Monahan and Florence Waters listing fifteen movies to avoid if you want a romantic evening.  I am reminded that one of the first movies I took my wife-to-be to see was The Company of Wolves, an over-the-top adaptation of a story by Angela Carter that basically turned “Little Red Riding Hood” into the fever dream of a girl (Sarah Patterson) on the brink of puberty.  I had first learned about this movie while on a business trip to London, where the line of people waiting to get into the movie house was as long as any I had seen for Star Wars.  A few months later I was on a business trip to Paris and got to see it without worrying about any lines.

It was, to say the least, pretty heavy stuff.  It was also far more sophisticated than anyone had a right to expect a movie to be, particularly one based on a fairy tale.  Also, it was my first contact with the work of Neil Jordan.

By the time it finally made it to the United States, I was certain everyone would want to see it.  So, on its opening weekend when we were staying at my place in Stamford, Connecticut, I dragged my wife-to-be down to the movie theatre.  The guy who tore our tickets said, “I can’t imagine why anyone would want to see this movie!”  Sure enough, we were part of a handful of people in the house.  Fortunately, my wife-to-be shared my enthusiasm for the film, which may have something to do with why we are now happily married!

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