Early cinema memories.

Cinema Paradiso.

I was 5 or 6, it's a bit of a fuzz as it was 32-33 years ago. I was glued to my seat, terrified. A young boy on screen was down and injured in a field, surrounded by corn and a combine harvester was bearing down on him. Oh jesus, he's goosed i thought, how is he going to get out of this one. I was shittin it. Then a blue and red blur zipped across the screen and there he was, the Man Of Steel. He saved the day again. Me and Da cheered.

The film was Superman 3. I revisited it a few years ago and it's a godawful film, no redeeming features. Not even Richard Pryor skiing off a skyscraper in a pink blanket could save it. But in my memory it was the best thing I'd ever seen and I'm pretty sure it's the first film i ever saw in the cinema. 

I was lucky, my parents loved going to the pictures and passed it on to me. 

The next film i remember seeing is one that like its subject matter seems to to have disappeared into the mists of time. A film called Baby-Secret Of The Lost Legend I cannot remember a thing about it apart from the fact that the friend i saw it with managed to convince me that the dinosaurs in it were real which i repeated the next day at school and then cried when everyone in my class laughed at me. Cheers Murty.

Another very early visit was a big family outing, me, the bro, and a bucket load of cousins heading over the what i can only describe as a converted barn in Birr to see a double bill of Peter Pan and Snow White. Coke, sweets and crisps were consumed by the bucketload and my abiding memory of that trip is my cousin puking all the way home. 

When we finally got a cinema in Roscrea we went nearly every week. The Sunday matinee was the place to be when you were 10 years old. I have great memories of seeing classics like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Batman, An American Tale, The Land Before Time which i saw 3 times. First time, it was great, second time was an emergency screening after the scheduled screening of Empire Strikes Back went haywire and third time was a secret showing, we all packed in, pure excited, then Land Before Time started and 90% of the kids in the room walked out groaning and throwing ice cream at the walls.

One Easter the 6th classes of each school was brought to the cinema to see a film about Jesus. We were in a boys school so thought it was great getting to mix with the girls from the convents. I can't remember the name of it but i do remember the horror, screaming and crying during the crucifixion screen. It's probably tame as hell these days but i remember blood splashing across the screen and big close ups of nails in wrist, all of which probably wasn't shown at all. That was an odd day. A ball of kids corralled by nuns and priests and being made watch people die screaming in the name of religion.

One funny memory i have is being 12 years old and going to see The Commitments. The cinema in Roscrea was fierce lax in its enforcing of the age limits. ( An extreme example  - a friend of mine saw Fatal Attraction the evening of his First Communion ) I remember Da asking the ticket seller was it ok for a 12 and 9 year old, my brother, yer man said "ya its grand". We sat down, happy days, crisps and cokes in hand, couldn't wait to see the film and then in walked my brother's 3rd class teacher. My ma cringed and proceeded to spend the rest of the film sinking lower and lower into her chair every time the word "fuck" was uttered. Which meant she was under the carpet by the time the credits rolled. It made the film even funnier for us. The word was still taboo and seeing a parent crumple in shame makes it even better.

Arachnophobia is another vivid memory. I hate spiders. Hate them. 8 legged demonic murderbastards from hell. I cast my fears aside and went to see this with my brother. Stupid, stupid idea. I spent the entire film in a cold sweat and freaking out at everything. I say entire film but i walked out with about 15 minutes to go and it took me the bones of 4 or 5 years to work up the courage to see the rest of the film.

I typed this as i'm waiting for a friend to turn up so we can go to the new Alien film. 33 years or so later and i still get the same buzz going to the cinema. Better than going to the pub anytime. 

What's the first film you saw in the cinema?