Movies and I

Movies and I      28/10/2013

        Yesterday I watched a very interesting movie called “The Kid”  by Charlie Chaplin and the little boy made /shot in 1921 over Youtube.  This is the second movie by Charlie Chaplin I watched this year.   Ya, I seldom watch movies unless it is really appealing. 

        The silent movie “The Kid” which I watched 40 over years ago at a movie house.  It was so impressive that I recalled often / had a flash back.  I did not know I could watch this movie over Youtube until my S3 sister told me to watch the documentary “DSM: The Marketing of Madness”.  

 Last Monday,  ya, I spent about an hour / so  watching  “The Circus” and some parts of the Chocolate Factory by Charlie Chaplin.  The movie “The Circus”  is impressive,too but “The Kid” is still the best and most touching.   I searched for this movie “The Kid” yesterday and was willing to spare an hour plus to watch it again. 

        Yes, I enjoyed movies when I was small.  My parents especially my mother brought us to see the movies at the movie house.  I should say I saw quite a few of the Chinese movies depicting the legendary figures in folklores like “Liang San Bo & Zu Yin Tai”, “Wang Bao Chuang” and the like in old costumes.  I also watched the Kungfu movies in which the heroes and heroines had the power to fly about.  They were fascinating to me. 

        But for the movie “The Kid”, I went with my younger siblings without my parents’ knowledge.  It was a frightening adventure, I should say.  I only had 2 tickets for 4 persons/ 1 ticket for 3.  I can't remember what tricks I played to bring in all.  But I held the fear of being driven out halfway.  That was the only Charlie Chaplin’s movie I watched so far until I watched “The Circus”.   I must say I missed the movie “The Kid” so much.  Thus I watched again yesterday.

        When I was in Transition, Form 1 and Form 2, I watched a lot of Bollywood films with my gang of 5.   We even skipped Art classes to go out to see movies.  I remember once when I was cycling to see Bollywood films with my friends, the wind was blowing really hard.  The front wheel of my bicycle just swayed to one side but I persisted to go to see the movie.   Another time, I missed the whole family photographing time to so much anger of my father.  He had the full explosion.  He tore his new shirt and said angry words. 

        Form F3 onwards, I seldom watch /see movies and I do not watch Bollywood films anymore.  Of the all the movies I haven seen/ watched, only the really impressive ones that I can remember.  To recall, the movies/ films I can namely now are:

        The Sounds of Music

        Gone with the Wind

        My Fair Lady

        Ba She Zhuan

          Liu San Jie

        They are good movies but I don’t think I will spend time watching again.  I don’t think I can afford to spend 1 or 2 hours watching them again.  

        When I was studying  in Taiwan in 1980s, ya, I also watched some movies / TV series there.  I enjoyed the TV series “Chu Liu Xiang” then in the lounge with those in the hostel when I was a student.  There were so many cramming there that I often chose to sit cross-legged on the big table to watch like a wild lady.

        In the early 1990s, I watched a few Musical Operas by Yang Li Hua mostly when my mother-in-law was playing video tapes.  Some animated cartoons with my son, Adou.  I enjoyed Disney Mickey cartoons especially Mouse cartoons a lot.  The animated films “Beauty and the Beast”, “Pocahontas”, “Pinochio” and “Snow White and the 7 dwarfs” were appealing that I watched.   

        In the early 2000s, I also watched 2 -3 Korean TV series.  Then no more because I was so busy.  I would rather read newspapers as we had subscribed 2 versions of newspapers.  I had the thirst for knowledge all the time.  From 2005 onwards, I started compiling grammar books, the English phonetics  the Chinese phonetics and phonics for publication. 

        In 2013, I have watched 2 movies and 1 documentary so far.  When I can, I will watch all the movies by Charlie Chaplin.  I just love his movies, “The Kid” and “The Circus” and one day I hope I will write the reasons why I like his movies so much.   Wait until I have watched his movies and I shall find out why I like his movies.