Oldies, Goodies and the Rest Is History

Burt Lancaster starred in a riveting movie in 1968, where he portrayed a delusional, self- absorbed middle-aged guy who tried proving something for himself. If you are middle-aged, you are allowed to be confused about your self, what you want or rather, what you still want out of your life. But somehow, the realization of what you want is not actually what you get. And that’s “The Swimmer” in a nutshell.

Now, the thought of the movie “The Swimmer” brought back my memories to other movies that I love to see over and over. My all time favourite, among many, would be Forrest Gump, which starred Tom Hanks and Sally Field. It’s funny because when I was younger, I used to confuse Linda Blair with Sally Field. It was only later in life that I realized that Sally Field was not on “The Exorcist” but it was Linda Blair.

Sally Field is now one of the leading stars of “Brothers and Sisters” which I follow. Yes, I follow “Brothers and Sisters” but not only because of Sally Field.

Anyway, from my collection of movies, there lies also “The Godfather” (complete volume, thank you), “Love Affair”, and “Gone With The Wind.”

In “Gone With The Wind” Clarke Gable played the role of Rhett Butler, a man in love with a woman who was in constant denial of her love for him. How can I not love this movie with Clarke Gable saying lines with a deep baritone like “With enough courage, you can do without a reputation,” or “No, I don’t think I will kiss you, although you need kissing, badly. That’s what’s wrong with you. You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how.”

And since I am in hot pursuit of old movies, how to forget John Wayne who is perpetually symbolized as ruggedly masculine and handsome? John Wayne is my mother’s favourite actually, and me? Well, I only remember John Wayne playing as the Roman Centurion in “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” Actually, I don’t remember John Wayne there; I just saw his name on the credits.