Due to the snowstorm that hit the East Coast right around the holidays, my parents were unable to fly to the Midwest to spend time with us and the kids. The result was lots of unexpected, unstructured family time for us. We found ourselves watching more movies as a family than ever before.
This was a pretty big deal for our seven year old, as we collectively realized it was time to move from G to PG as our predominant guide to which movies to watch. And first on the list, after a loooong time of talking about it was Star Wars.
Now, tell this to any guy under the age of 50 and their first response is "Did you start with the original 3 movies, or did you do them in chronological order?" Wives and mothers, you may not know it, but this is a big philosophical deal. Go ask your husband. They've discussed it with their friends.
We started with the original, from 1977. Luke, Princess Leia, Han Solo. Brings back memories. I hadn't seen it years and it was great. Our son thought it was great. Nonetheless, I had to keep stopping it to explain what was going on. Explain, that is, to my wife.
She probably hadn't seen any of the Star Wars movies in 20 years. The problem was, in her memory, all three movies (Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi) blended together. I love her dearly but she may have eliminated a critical rite of passage for our son when she asked as the credits rolled, "Wait a second, when does Luke find out Darth Vader is his father?" (In case you don't remember, that's at the end of Empire Strikes Back.)
Knowing that the primary audience of this blog are women, if you just shared this story with the men in your life, they just shook their head and sadly laughed at my predicament. I told my wife that for now on if she is to watch old movies with us she has to submit her questions in writing!
Fortunately, we had a whole week to recover from this calamity, and that meant a whole week's worth of movies. I think the highlight for our son was The Princess Bride, which really was a fun movie to watch with a seven-year old boy. He loved the sword fights and chase scenes and hated the romance. Big surprise. But watching a very young Fred Savage mirror his response was a delight.
Now that we've opened up to our son the world of our childhood movies (think 1980s) I decided to start a list of movies that we're going to need to watch together. The Goonies come to mind. ET. Raiders of the Lost Ark (though maybe when he's a little older). Roger Rabbit. Anybody have any other recommendations?
(photo credit: http://blastr.com/2009/05/couple-celebrates-star-wa.php)
I dressed as Princess Leia for Halloween several years in a row (as a child) so I feel your pain at the inadvertent spoiler. My 6-year old daughter is very into Star Wars stories and the characters and accessories (lego!) but so far has been too scared to sit through the entire movie. We probably introduced it too early when it really was too scary for her.
I would also recommend: Mary Poppins and the Sound of Music, which we just introduced and everyone loved.
Posted by: Katherine | Friday, January 07, 2011 at 09:22 AM
Nice post. I love it. Waiting your new posts. Thank you...
Posted by: Devremülk | Friday, January 07, 2011 at 09:34 AM
Wife response - hey, at least I didn't ask out loud when Luke and Leia would find out they are siblings, when Han Solo gets frozen (can't wait to "remember" why that happens!), and when do Leia and Han kiss (that would have grossed out the son!)
We've watched Mary Poppins - he loved it - and watching Annie with him was also a big delight for me a while back. :)
Posted by: Wife | Friday, January 07, 2011 at 10:14 AM
We just started Star Wars (in the order they were released) two days ago. We watch about 30 minutes a night and then answer all questions. This weekend we will finish the first one - my son is four and loves the Star Wars legos so we thought the movie would be a great addition. Princess Bride is also a big hit at our house. Nanny McPhee (the first one) is a fun one to watch.
Posted by: Wendy Wright, IBCLC | Friday, January 07, 2011 at 12:57 PM
We just began Celebrity Conflicts (in the transaction they were released) two times ago. We observe about Half an hour a evening and then response all concerns. This few times we will complete the first one - my son is four and likes the Celebrity Conflicts legos so we believed the film would be a welcome boost. Queen Bride-to-be is also a big hit at our home. Babysitter McPhee (the first one) is a fun one to look at.
Posted by: Best man Speech Tips | Wednesday, August 29, 2012 at 06:05 AM