Old Films Cause New Perspectives. Discuss...

It feels wrong to open this week's ramble with the words, 'One of the upsides to COVID has been...' so I won't. COVID has been an absolute fucker. There. I used a proper swear word and everything. It's caused pain and fear, grief and uncertainty. And it's still here. People are still in intensive care. Families are still dealing with huge loss and having to adapt to their specific version of the new normal. It's been no force for good. Not at any point. 

It's important to say that from the start because I'm about to get flippant. Look, I won't be referring to anything as a COVID upside. No way. But it's also fair to say that some positive things wouldn't have happened without an enforced lockdown and the need to rethink the world.

The non-upside, but seemingly-new phenomenon I'm talking about today is the cinema. And more specifically, the screening of beloved classics from my youth. I bloody LOVE it.

You heard. The 25th anniversary. 
And that was in 2010!

Every so often, pre-2020, there'd have been the odd special screening. I remember watching Back to the Future for its 25th anniversary in St. Helens Cineworld, but that wasn't standard. Not that I knew of, anyway. Special screenings seemed sporadic and for mega-hits or obscure cult-films only. But throw in a year of often-closed cinemas, the need for the industry to reboot, and the multiple delays of blockbuster release dates, and something has to give. Cinemas have to get fans back to the screens. There's only so many times they can tease audiences with the new Bond trailer and hope they'll stay engaged. We need more. And so someone somewhere's had a think, and realised old releases are the way to go.

Local Hero was *chef's kiss*.
And when the theme kicked in? Argh!
I can't handle the perfection. 

I can't begin to explain how happy this makes me. In the past few months, I've seen some absolute belters. Films that I know well from my telly, take on a new lease of life when amplified and enlarged. In the brief lockdown hiatus last winter, I saw the Muppets Christmas Carol and Elf. Utter joy. Then, when we re-emerged once again, there was Dirty Dancing, Back to the Future (you can never see it too many times), Local Hero, Trainspotting, and this week, Baz Lurhrman's Romeo + Juliet. Swoon. Like I'm a Leonardo-loving teen again.* 

Still a great scene. 

First of all, it's great to see some decent films. Having no interest in Marvel or DC, there are times when the latest listings provide slim pickings. Where are the wittily-scripted, beautifully shot, indie offerings when you need them? Pushed out by all CGI nonsense, that's where. But let me find the point I just lost. Having the choice of watching brilliant stuff from the past is right up my street. So, there's that. Simple enjoyment for a couple of hours in the week. But I think it goes deeper.

Hello 18 year old me.
I'm still you! 
How marvellous.

There's an emotional impact from revisiting films from your formative years. And one that forces its way into your head when you commit to them communally; in the dark, without scrolling on phones or pausing for tea. The past week has seen me feel upbeat and chilled out. Dare I say it... relaxed? It could be to do with the September-ness of everything. The fact I've started wearing Autumn clothes could be why I'm feeling tip-top. Or that we're nearing my book publication date and I feel useful and productive at the moment. But more likely it's because, after watching Romeo + Juliet, I've been reminded of who I was twenty-five years ago. I've been taken back to my thoughts, experiences, and hopes for the future. I feel optimistic and at one with the world, having revisited a time when everything was a good laugh and easy peasy. All that because I watched something from 1996. The power of cinema is mad.

You should. It's great!

I suppose if I were into creepy horrors, I might not feel the same way. If I liked dark, satanic thrillers, I might be less inclined to walk around with a spring in my step just because I'd rewatched an old fave. But look, I'm not going to argue. I'm going to enjoy feeling marvellous for as long as it lasts. And when it starts to wane, I know exactly what to do. Badger my local Odeon to show When Harry Met Sally, Shirley Valentine, Before Sunrise, or Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing. Definitely worth a letter-writing campaign, I reckon. 

Have a lovely week, folks. 

*Disclaimer: I was never a Leonardo-loving teen. Too clean-cut and boyish for my tastes. But in 1996, I did love the soundtrack, the cinematography, the religious iconography, and the feel of the whole thing. So it still counts.