"Dew not forsake me, oh mah
darlin'." The old theme from High Noon ran through my head as
I waited for Matt, the 'twenty-something' counterman, to get around to
me. "On this our wedding day-aaay." Memories are like
that, woven through our consciousness like threads in the fabric of
life. "Dew not forsake me, oh mah darlin' - wait - wait
along."
"Hey, enough already, Matt
grunted, ya ain't waited all that long." I guess I'd been singing
out loud. "I'll get to you as soon as I can." Matt
resumed his pretense of ignoring me.
Memories are like that, you know.
Accumulate enough of them, they achieve critical mass, ruling your
thoughts and actions. It's a survival mechanism. "Oh, sorry, Matt.
It's an old movie theme from way back when."
"The good ol' days,
huh?" Matt didn't look up, but I knew him well enough; I had his
attention.
"I'm sure you know it. The
movie was High Noon."
BLANK FACE
"You know, Matt. With the old
western star, uh?"
"Clint Eastwood?"
"No, long before that. Uh,
Gary, Gary Cooper. That's who it was."
"Sweet!"
"Oh, come on, Matt. You say
you love movies. You musta seen it - won an Academy Award back in the
black and white days. It's considered the consummate Western. I hear
tell Clinton watched it 26 times when he was in office."
Matt hadn't.
I went on to explain: "High
Noon" was a perfect representation of what we, as Americans, face
today - the importance of visualizing context through the eyes of
another perspective. Cooper was a lot like Tom Hanks' character in
"Catch Me if You Can." As the local no-nonsense Federal
Marshal, Wil Kane, he has driven out the evil doers and cleaned up a
lawless town. Now, just as he's wedded Amy (played by Grace Kelly) and
turned in his badge, he's received bad news. Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald),
the outlaw who once controlled the town, has been released from prison.
His old gang is waiting for him to arrive on the train at high noon.
Miller has vowed to gun down the Marshal and regain his grip on the
town.
What's Marshal Kane to do; turn
tail and ride off into the sunset? A Quaker, his bride eschews violence
of any kind. Kane had retired from law enforcement as a condition of
their marriage. "Oh to be torn twixt love and duty!" Or should
he stand his ground, facing up to a responsibility only he still feels?
"Sposin' I lose my fair-haired beauty?" Now, unless he plays
the coward, Amy has vowed to leave him. Furthermore, since he's married
outside of his faith structure, will his former associates also leave
him to face eternity alone? "I'm not afraid of death but, oh, what
will I do if you leave me?" Adding to the debate is the fact that
he is no longer officially the town's Marshal. Would helping Kane create
a future legal problem akin to those faced by community watch
organizations today?
"Matt, ya gotta go rent this
movie!"
Matt promised, "Uh huh,"
but I was left with a nagging discontent. How can the generations
communicate without knowing "Who's on first?" Lacking a common
metaphor, it's no wonder we see a disconnection between the Gen-Xers and
the Baby Boomers. And, what of those called The Greatest Generation -
the heroes who saved the world for democracy? Might there yet be
something we can learn from them - if we can find a common meeting
ground?
I remember how my generation, that
of the 60's "Summer of Love," was going to change the world
with "Flower Power" - alter "the time honored way things
had been done." But, what happened? We sold out for a false sense
of security that crumbled in a heartbeat leaving us casting about for
ultimate meaning. Where we sought to bring peace to the world, today
alienated youth too often deals with its issues in the manner of the
Columbine High School tragedy. Worldwide, the ultimate primal scream has
descended into the warning shots of a Kamikaze culture. If someone
doesn't begin to build bridges between the myopic islands of generation
and culture, our world may soon collapse into total chaos. However,
never before have so many lived on into the "third stage of
life" with so much access to data and such freedom of expression.
The time has come for us to take on our proper roles as history's
conscience, while we can still have a positive effect.
My oldest son recently pointed out
that Grandpa's traditional duty was to compile the family history
preserving how things got to be and who was responsible for what. That
role holds true in both a societal as well as a tribal context. Youth is
too involved in hormonal issues and parents are too busy learning on the
job to be focused on the why and how of what. Only grandparents, having
survived the gauntlet of life, have attained sufficient retrospection to
be able to put experience to work. In order to build such a basis
of communication, I have begun sharing history, in the palatable format
of old movies and other sacred ceremonies such as Abbot and Costello's
"Who's On First" routine, with my grandchildren and others.
Their reactions have been inspiring.
George Orwell once penned (in
1984) "He who controls the past controls the future." Taking a
cinematic look at the past and, in its context, extrapolating how we got
here from there could very well empower ensuing generations. Movies such
as 1984, To Kill a Mockingbird, Easy Rider, Fahrenheit 451, Little Big
Man, It's a Wonderful Life, and even Abbot and Costello Meet
Frankenstein (the kids favorite) hold clues often overlooked. Another,
Adam's Rib, starring the recently deceased Katherine Hepburn, seems
dated until one considers how women were still not permitted to sign
legal documents (let alone be lawyers) in some states as recently as the
1970s. Viewed within that context, Adam's Rib becomes metaphorical
of the battle of the sexes.
In Adam's rib, lawyer Eve (Ms
Hepburn) takes on the defense of a woman accused of shooting her
cheating abusive husband. Her husband Adam (Spencer Tracy), the
prosecutor in the case, accuses Eve of bringing a mockery upon the
judicial process. On the surface, it's about the case in point. However,
the real issue being challenged is the submissive state of women. The
movie begins with Eve bringing her still sleeping husband his breakfast,
juice, and newspaper. As the closing credits role, we begin to
understand that things will never again be quite the same neither in the
lives of the film's protagonists, nor in society as a whole.
At a time when it was not proper
for a wife to testify against her husband, Eve was challenging Adam mano
a mano in that very legal arena. On top of it all, the defensive
position wasn't whether or not the defendant had shot her husband but
whether or not she was justified in doing so. That's an issue that still
produces arguments today. Just imagine what a controversial subject it
was back then! It was emotion versus statute, logic versus imagination;
and it carried over from the courtroom to the bedroom.
In this context, the local
Blockbuster may seem more valuable than the local library when it comes
to fulfilling the grandfatherly role of the history instructor. Reading
is a private activity. But, the entire family can be entertained and
enlightened while gathered around a movie. Afterwards, I've found my
kids enjoy asking questions and sharing impressions. However, the
library may just be the best source for accessing videos and DVDs the
corporate heads might deem "unprofitable." Not only is rental
free of charge, but what may not be available at your local library
might just be accessible through the greater interlibrary network.
It's not just a one way
communication, either. Often, what the kids have had to say has opened
my eyes to something I had overlooked - or forgotten. As a matter of
fact, I tend to hold my commentary back so as not to influence what they
might contribute. My father tended to the other extrema, lecturing me on
what I should think and feel. As a result, I tuned him out and any
positive influence he might have had on my life was severely diminished.
I have determined to rectify this mistake in my own intergenerational
dealings. By eliminating any judgmental comments on my part, I have been
rewarded with a true relationship of "iron sharpening
iron." It is more important to listen than to lecture. When their
motors run down, they will ask you what you think. Then, they will
listen to you as well. I cannot emphasize this point enough. Don't take
the fun out of it; let the media be the lector.
So, just what would you most like
to share with kith and kin? Pick a flick for remix, order in Za and get
it on.
After
spending most of his life trusting everyone from the President
of our great republic on down to the local used car
salesman, experience has provoked Wil Hough (pronounced as
a deep sigh) to reevaluate everything he's ever assumed.
"There just ain't no Santy Claws and I'm looking into this
Easter Bunny business, too."
After
an initial internship, this bearded Baby Boomer is now a
practicing husband with an extended family of eight children
and many grandchildren. By the light of day, Wil
earns his daily bread by creating uniquely artistic wall
finishes. In the wee small hours of the morning, his
poetic perspective rises from the same Expressionist/
Post Impressionist roots that power those painted
creations -- just what is the "moment" and how best
to welcome others into it? Wil's favorite private
moments generally involve a white water river, whether
kayaking or bodysurfing, or philosophical discussions of
the same complexity.
In
addition to being a member of the Rose and Thorn editorial
staff, Wil volunteers critical commentary as Writers Block
Poetry Board Manager at AOL's Amazing Instant Novelist
Site. Wil is also Editor of the AIN Writers Site Weekly
Update. His poems and essays have appeared in more places
than he's had time to pay attention to. Many of Wil's ramblings
can be put up with at www.uponfurtherreview.com
Magazine