Today is my father's 75th birthday and as a tribute to him (which he will likely know nothing about because I am not friends with him on Facebook) I thought I'd take a look back on the influence he's had on me as a filmgoer and film buff. Probably more than anyone, in my early, years, my Dad had an outsized influence on the movies I saw.
As I grew older, and developed my own taste, my Dad and I would frequently go to the movies together. He'd drive me nuts because he would almost always leave late and we'd arrive at the theater seemingly seconds before the trailers had begun (cutting it way too close for comfort for me). We had our share of bitter battles (like the time he dozed off during one of my favorite movies, The Royal Tenenbaums). But we usually were on the same page about most movies and had pretty eclectic taste (we were some of the only people to see the 2002 Solaris in the theater).
When I think about the movies he introduced me to, or at least put on my radar, here are a few titles that come to mind...
The original Star Wars trilogy - To this day, I have no idea what my father thinks of the Star Wars films, if anything he's probably indifferent. But when I was probably about 7 or 8 years old he had to right instinct to introduce me to the original trilogy on VHS and it's safe to say I was blown away from the start. I feel like there's nothing like experiencing this saga for the first time, especially when you're young. And although my Star Wars fandom went far beyond that first viewing and continues to this day, I'll always be grateful that we bonded over it.
Cool Hand Luke - This is probably my father's favorite movie and certainly his go-to film whenever he was basically forcing us to watch one of 'his' movies when we were growing up. Paul Newman has probably always been his favorite actor and as a minister I think he's always been drawn to the Christ-like figure he portrays here. It's a wonderful movie, that I came to appreciate far more when I got older. But as a kid I simply thought it was a bore -- except for the infamous egg scene of course.
Casablanca - "Not another. black and white movie!" -- this was a regular refrain when my father would come back from the video store with one of his picks. It was often a Humphrey Bogart. black and white classic, and I am sure one of them was this classic. I am sure I begrudgingly watched it many times, turned off by it's old timey-ness but also a little bit intrigued too. Clearly, I see the wisdom in him showing me this movie now.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - There was a period where my film interest was exploding and my Dad decided to intervene and insist that if there was a film I wanted to see where there was a book version that I'd have to read the book first before I'd get permission to see the movie. For some reason, this one stands out in this regard. I grumbled about having to read the book first but of course -- while it was different than the movie (far bleaker) -- reading it made the movie a more rewarding experience.
Dr. Strangelove/Being There - I went through a big Peter Sellers phase as a child, mostly because of the Pink Panther movies, which were so silly that I was endlessly tickled by them. It was my Dad who then turned me on to Sellers' two greatest films -- the deadpan Dr. Strangelove (which I completely didn't get at the time) and the brilliant, oddly moving Being There (which I did enjoy on first viewing). Both are among my 100 favorite films ever.
Caddyshack - I wanted to rent Caddyshack when I was a kid -- but it was rated R. I knew nothing about what it was about, but I was drawn to its cover with recognizable Chevy Chase and Bill Murray on it. My dad offered a compromise, he would watch it first and determine whether it was appropriate for me, I will never forget sneaking downstairs and hearing him howling with laughter, only to tell me the next day I couldn't see the movie.
Happy birthday dad.
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