When Harry Met a Rebel Without a Princess Bride

Someone asked me what my favourite videos were yesterday.

Before I could even think of the answers, I was struck by the word “Video”.

 Such a broad term now… as in a VHS tape? Or a music video?

I went with the former, mainly because I don’t really watch a lot of music related things (one of the side effects of having a television with an aerial that doesn't work.) If you ask me if I have seen a new TV show, the answer is incredibly likely to be no, as we haven’t had a “working tv” for about two years now. (There is a theory among my friends that I essentially live in a bomb shelter. I can’t tell you who Kim Kardashian or Nicki Minaj are, but I can give you an extensive run-down on who was in M*A*S*H in the 80’s. Anything post 2000 and I am more than a little vague)

Not that I really miss having a working television - we have a myriad of DVDs and videos (ah-ha, see the call-back to the original point? Let’s return to it before I digress any further.)

Favourite movies are hard for me to pick. I tend to have a handful of movies that I can watch, over and over - honestly, I can almost watch my favourite movie as soon as it is finished.

That movie is The Princess Bride.

To anyone, of any age that hasn’t seen this movie, I implore you - go watch it, right now. RIGHT NOW. (Also read the book - William Goldman, go now, read, watch, love it.)

To praise this movie, in its own words, “it has Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles… “

The Princess Bride came out in 1987 and was directed by Rob Reiner (who directed one of my other favourite movies…) I would have been about 8 when I first saw this movie and since then, it remains a classic in Katy World.

I was talking about it earlier this year with The Boy, and he hadn't seen it. I immediately dug out my video (yes, actually a video) and made him watch “my movie” and he of course loved it and bought me the deluxe edition DVD for Christmas. Good guy.

Second movie… that one is actually harder to narrow down because as I have stated, I have a myriad of movies that I adore…

But I think it’s a draw between the following :

Rebel Without a Cause and When Harry Met Sally.

Rebel was directed by Nicholas Ray and starred James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo.

I suppose I came late to this movie - I think I was about 14 or 15 when I first saw it, (after my James Dean obsession began, obviously) but as soon as it was over. I rewound the video (yes, again, a video) and pressed play again.

There is so much in this movie, so many amazing and poignant moments. Natalie Wood in her first “grown up” role and Sal Mineo staring, acting or not, in absolute adoration at James Dean. And Dean, so uncertain and heart-breaking, that I forget he isn't a teenager in this movie. (I have an issue with “Dawson’s Casting” but it goes unnoticed for me in this film)

Which brings us to When Harry Met Sally (which is the movie previously mentioned as being directed by Mr Reiner.)

I can already hear the groans and any respect you had for me going way down.

Yes, it’s a romcom, yes it’s predictable, and yes it’s a trite story. Blah blah blah, whatever.

 I love it. I love the dialogue. I love the characters.

The soundtrack is wonderful, Harry Connick Jr singing wonderful old jazz songs, like ‘I Could Write a Book’, ‘It Had to Be You’ and many other fabulous songs.

I know most of the movie by heart, and quotes from Harry and Sally frequently come up at my house.

It’s not even a guilty pleasure movie for me – I don’t watch it ashamedly with all the doors locked, in the dark. It’s legitimately a movie I really enjoy and I have been known to make people watch it, just to prove that it’s actually a clever and well put-together (and one of the most quoted romcoms) movie from 1989.

Come back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean

When I was about 14 we went on a family holiday. I forget exactly where we were, but it was near a quiet little town… near a lake I think, where is immaterial, the point is we went into the town one day and there was a fifties themed store, selling cds, movies, posters, statuettes, magazines and other random retro memorabilia.

I bought a James Dean biography for five dollars simply for the fact that I had finished all the books I’d brought with me. (I was very much a sit-and-read-until-the-holiday-was-over kind of kid.)

At this point, all James Dean was to me was the guy who was mentioned in songs I liked - We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel, Rock On - David Essex,  Jack and Diane - John Cougar Mellencamp and American Pie - Don McLean.

In Grease, Rizzo had a picture of him on her wall - so he MUST be cool, right?

He was the man featured in the massive print of Gottfried Helnwein’s James Dean: Boulevard of Broken Dreams that my mum had for years.

I knew he was a movie star and I associated him with Elvis, Marilyn and Bogart, because in my fourteen year old head, they were mates and hung out together or something.

So honestly, I don’t remember what possessed me to buy an autobiography of this guy (other than the aforementioned fact that I had exhausted the books I had brought along on the holiday).

The book was a small, old and beat-up paperback and I read it in three days.

And then I become a hard-core Dean fan. I collected pictures, biographies, movies, stickers, badges, anything James Dean related.

 For my 18th birthday my mum bought me a James Dean - American Legend Barbie.

It is, of course, no longer in its original box because I can’t leave toys trapped in boxes as I imagine they get depressed when they see all the other toys that I have that are out of their boxes (I don’t want a Stinky Pete from Toy Story 2 situation here…).

I now have about sixteen biographical and pictorial books on James Dean and any time I go to a bookstore, I hunt for James Dean things.

What can I say, I was, and continue to be a somewhat eccentric girl.