Crumbs From the Corner: Adventures in Woolgathering

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

A Five-Pause Film



"I didn't surrender, but they took my horse and made him surrender. They have him pulling a wagon up in Kansas I bet."
-Lone Watie, from 'The Outlaw Josey Wales.'

We currently have that particular Clint Eastwood film checked out of our local library; while I am not in the habit of watching films by myself- it feels hollow without Spouse's company- I did, in fact, watch that in its entirety on Sunday afternoon.
I buried myself deep into a heavy blanket on the couch and forgot for two hours that the house was otherwise empty.
It was visually magnificent; the horses glistened and gleamed, Eastwood's character dodged his determined enemies for as long as he could, and the rugged scenery invigorated my heartache for the West.
When I watch a film with my Spouse, we judge its worth by the pauses we make. If we suspend the DVD more than twice to discuss the content then it ranks high in our estimation. If Spouse stops only to eat a little food, the film perhaps will not be viewed a second time.
Spouse, who has perpetual control of the remote, usually instigates the pauses although a thought might strike me and I urge him to hold the picture while I muse upon my idea.
We might reflect upon the fact that the main character is a true vision of nobility and we lament that we meet so few people who live up to that;
we might stop to talk about a childhood memory suddenly evoked by a watermelon or mango on the screen or by some children enjoying the endless and lush green days of youth;
there again we might chance to comment on the peculiar neighbours a certain character has, be they good or bad, and what we would do in that situation;
most recently we watched some children debate what to do with a bag of stolen money they found, and of course that opened the floodgates of discussion for us;
a sundrenched field or even a rain sodden road might cause us to wish to relocate to the place on the screen- we are susceptible and open to new possibilities and cannot view the setting of a beautiful movie without at least considering the fact that we might like to live there.
In short, we pause movies to talk about what is wrong with the world, what is right with it, and what we could do to earn peaceful happiness in this life. The pausing of the screen is not everybody's cup of tea, so to speak, but we do it because it gives us opportunity to make more than entertainment out of a moving picture.

"All I have is a piece of hard rock candy. But it's not for eatin.' It's just for lookin' through."
-When Lone Watie declared that to be the only food he had, I imagine my Spouse would have a word or two to say.
When we watch it together, I suspect, given the stunning, almost familiar landscapes, the absence of superfluous conversation and the deep wish for an end to war and hatred that lies at the very heart of 'The Outlaw Josey Wales,' that my Spouse's finger will hover on the pause button for the duration of the film.

10 comments:

L.L. Barkat said...

How delightful. It is hard for us to even have a conversation afterwards; that's just not how my spouse processes a movie. Maybe I'll have to drop in on you and experience a pause session. :)

mouse (aka kimy) said...

is there a male gene which creates the desire in men to control the control? sweet the notion of a 'five pause film'

Phyllis Hunt McGowan said...

L.L., Pause session, I do like that! I can see how it might be annoying to some, all the pausing and talking. We're just lucky we both like to stop and talk.
One odd thing though- I absolutely hate to discuss a just-seen movie after I step out of the cinema. I don't know why that is, but if whoever is with me happens to ask what I thought of it, I might appear grumpy and disinclined to talk for hours. I never could explain it. At home it's different.
Kimy, Oh, I really don't like to be the one with the remote. Too much responsibility :) If it gets lost among the cushions then it's my fault. So it goes to Spouse by default. Perhaps, though, there is a gene which STOPS the desire to control the control, and I've got it ;)

Beth said...

What a fun rating system. I totally agree with you about not wanting the remote--way too much responsibility. When is spouse coming home? You do seem to miss him.

Phyllis Hunt McGowan said...

Thanks, Beth. You can practically see my blurb on the back covers of DVD cases: 'Five Pauses! Great Film!'
I do miss him, but he'll be home on Thursday night.
I hope your eye has improved since this morning. There's a long time until Saturday so I'll be hoping for you that it's all cleared up.

julochka said...

what a great way to watch a movie! what's a little depressing is that there are too few movies today that warrant a pause (unless it's permanent--like with oceans 13). next batch from "lovefilm.dk," we'll have to remember to keep the remote at hand...

Pappy said...

The, I think this movie was Eastwood's best. Lone Waite had numerous good lines in the film. You made a good choice. It is on my list of favorite movies.

Kristen Gill, Marketing Manager said...

I am here to thank you for the HYSTERICAL Bob Ross parody link you left on my blog! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

This Clint Eastwood movie is my favorite. Great story, action, love story, and beautiful cinematography. I own it on DVD and watch it frequently.

Steve

Phyllis Hunt McGowan said...

Julie, "(unless it's permanent--like with oceans 13)" - I'm still laughing. Thank you for that.

Texican, I'm really glad to hear you liked the film too- I do know that Eastwood considers it his favourite of everything he's ever made.

K- you are welcome! I'm glad to see you here. I just knew that a person could love Bob Ross and still enjoy the clip. It's a very well done parody and the pacing was superb. Thanks for coming by.

Steve- I completely agree,everything was perfect about it. I think it's perhaps why films were invented :)

Please look around, explore my writing, leave a crumb:
I welcome comments and thoughts.