Always Entertained
Since I was a wee little toddler, I have been fascinated by movies. As a child, maybe I just liked to look at the glowing screen and its flashing pictures. But as a teenager, I knew my love for film would develop into a love for filmmaking.
For some reason, I loved watching movies that I had seen enough times that I could predict not just the next scene, but the next shot or action in the movie. I've also experienced this with my niece and her love for watching the same movie over and over (hers being Mickey Mouse's Playhouse). I think growing up with these movies playing have made my generation a generation of narcissists.
For this page, I will remember a scene from the movie The Fugitive, a mainstay in the entertainment of my youth. As my family was big of movie watching, I was regularly exposed to it until I knew most of it by heart.
This account of the beginning of the movie is my punctum memory, a recount of what "stings" me about the scene.
Punctum - The Fugitive (1993)
(If you need to get caught up, or have never seen this movie)
"I can remember that the movie started out with the
overhead shot of Chicago, I believe, that always
reminded me of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie
(don't know why). Harrison Ford's character, Dr.
Richard Kimble, is driving home from a gala of sorts
and tries to call his wife."
"At his home, I remember that his wife sprinkled rose
pedals along the staircase. That was a strong image
in my head. A man concealed in the shadows attacked
Dr. Kimble's wife as she is getting ready for bed. I
can remember how scared that scene left me when I was
a kid, always fearful of the dreaded "One-Armed Man".
It's capitalized for a reason!"
"After a struggle, the wife gets knocked in the head
as she tries to call Richard. Then he arrives home
thinking his wife is waiting for him in bed. The One-Armed
Man tackles Richard Kimble on the stairs, creating
a terrifying shot of Harrison Ford falling down to
reveal the prosthetic arm. Ahhh!"
"That image has since stuck with me, a "sting" (Barthes)
of sorts. The One-Armed Man found his way into my
nightmares as a robotic villain, half-human and half machine."
"Damn, that was some scary stuff... Late nights lying
in my darkened room hopefully that fool doesn't bust
in with his robot arm. Even when the movie finally
revealed the killer as nothing more than a lowlife
murderer, it still didn't remedy the image of him attacking
helpless victims in the dark of night."
The Movie Now
When I watched the scene again, it was interesting to see the most violent scene of the movie play out in front of my eyes.
****"I DIDN'T KILL MY WIFE"****
A HERO'S Quest
Dr. Richard Kimble is the hero of the story, making his Mystery narrative fit in Stuart Voytilla's map of the hero narrative.
Movies
In both my family discourse page and my career discourse page, movies are directly referenced throughout. My appreciation and love for film and movies are always growing, and movies have shaped the way I look at certain aspects of the world. Any of my close friends will tell you (especially ex-girlfriends) that I quote movie lines in situations a lot. I also find that it is easier to me to associate with people who have a taste for the same movies and music, which is another reason I like RTF at UT. With rapid changes happening with the technology, it is becoming increasingly easier from start to finish to produce a movie. This allows kids like your truly to express themselves through movie making and video sharing communities like youtube.
My Movie Images
Take a journey through the various movie images movie images that have left impressions on me.
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