Flipping through
the channels this weekend I found myself in a rare situation. Rather than the usual schedule of
reruns or overplayed movies, my family and I were torn between two incredible
films: To Kill a Mockingbird or One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Ultimately, we were unable to commit to
just one, and ended up watching bits and pieces of each. Realistically, most of what I saw was
probably just commercials.
The uncommon
occurrence of having quality films on basic cable started a rather interesting
conversation between my parents and I.
It started with Mom and Dad reminiscing about the first time they saw
each of these monumental movies, but moved to the topic of when I first saw
these movies. More specifically,
we discussed the decision behind first showing me these films. Almost every film that has ever had a
significant meaning to me was introduced to me by my parents. So I asked them, do parents have a
responsibility of bringing important movies into their children’s lives?
The short answer,
of course, is yes. But the long
answer… that took some time for my parents to articulate. So I broke the question down for
them. I turned to the first movie
I ever remember seeing as a child, The
Wizard of Oz. After much
discussion I was able to discover that my parents had made a conscious decision
to sit me down and make me watch this film as a child. When I asked why, Dad revealed that he
wanted The Wizard of Oz to be a movie
that always gave me comfort in life.
“Movies are feelings,” Dad said.
“I wanted you to be associate certain movies with different stages and
feelings in your life. The Wizard of Oz has always been able to
console me, and I wanted that for you too.”
Aside from being
incredibly sappy and slightly embarrassing in that moment, I understood the
point that my father was trying to make.
Movies can shape a person’s life and as a parent, he is partly
responsible for that. And I also
understand the emotions that he was using movies to instill in me as a
child. Each time I Dorothy
encounters the Scarecrow on the Yellow Brick Road or the Wicked Witch throws a
fireball at the Tin Man, I feel at home.
I feel comforted by a scene, a memory that has been with me my entire
life.
Now,
as a look to my future, I wonder what films I will deem as “important” for my children. Will I follow in my parents’ footsteps
and introduce my kids to the same movies, hoping that the same messages and
values will come through? Will
they understand that the final scene of One
Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is meant to express a small glimmer of hope, or
that Dog Day Afternoon should teach
us to fight social injustices? Or,
will I make the wrong decisions and show them the most unimportant movies of
our times? The future is certainly
unknown, but maybe this is something that every potential future parent should
put some thought into.
