Movies

I have watched tons of movies in my lifetime. Many of them good, some not-so-good, and a few of them great! Three movies have made enough of an impact on me to call them favorites.

All the kids in my neighborhood saw “Mary Poppins” when it made its movie theater  debut. We acted out our favorite parts and sang all the songs. Between all of us we recreated the entire movie without the need of a VCR. What I liked best was Julie Andrews’ motherly nature and her beautiful voice. She was always positively positive and practically  perfect (in fact she said so), brimming with wisdom for children and adults alike. In one of  my favorite scenes Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, and the kids jumped into a sidewalk chalk picture. They then transcended to a fantasy land and a carousel ride. The horses jumped from their stations with their riders and continued into a horse race with Mary Poppins taking the prize.

Another favorite of mine is “The Music Man.” It is a musical full of wonderfully simple songs. I love all the singing, it makes me feel happy, and I smile. A barber shop quartet appears in scenes throughout, and a word or two always sets them off singing a made-up-on-the-spot new song. In my favorite scene Shirley Jones, playing a beautiful young single woman, sits at a place by the lane to meet her new found love. With the voice of a gilded dove, she sings “There Were Bells on a Hill” a song to satiate the most hopeless romantic.

Finally there’s “Fiddler on the Roof.” This movie is not as lighthearted as the other two, but invokes powerful feelings of a simpler life. It has its share of sadness and real tears rooted in religious and political strife. Devotion to God, family, and a closeness of community are the cornerstones of this film. A richness and fullness of life are added to the movie watcher’s experience. In my favorite scene the lead character sings and acts out “If I were a rich man” portraying  a simple, honest, God-fearing man.

These-three-movies have now become classics and will be enjoyed by generations to come. I will never tire of watching them. The joy is fresh with every viewing, and the memories they invoke will always be cherished in my heart.