Wednesday, March 28, 2007

From being scarred for life by hyper-realistic Bambi to the De Hæretico Comburendo

I love animals in general and I have recently developed a crush on cows.I guess it has a bit to do with 69 minutes Disney´s horror movie, Bambi.
After so many years of Freud having been surpassed some critics still call it a quintessential archetype of the life-cycle narrative.
I call it nightmare. Nightmare after nightmare.
Literally.

Some porteños might remember the matinés at the "Cine Los Angeles" right on Corrientes avenue. If you are not porteño or you are not my age, try to picture those epic days through the eyes of the porteña child in me.

The "Cine Los Angeles" was a cathedral dedicated to the veneration of Walt Disney in Buenos Aires. On certain weekends, usually cold weekends, hundreds of children like me gathered holding hands with their caring parents for the premieres.
I will never forget the excitement of going downtown dressed in my best clothes and driving the car from the back seat with my own private imaginary stirring wheel.

In those young days children were allowed to play with their food. Well, not really. Only for melting purposes and if it involved a dark chocolate bar inside a tall glass of very hot milk. The whole experience of having fun with a long cocktail spoon pressing the bar against the glass plus drinking it was a privilege called "to have a submarino".
In the Disney film weekends we usually conceded the pleasure of having a submarino for the sake of a better seat which meant being earlier at the theater line.

Waiting in the cinema´s lobby was a ceremony for the little hearts to grow up their beats, and by the time the usher turned to us we were holding the euphoria in the more civilized way we could. So he took us to our "numbered" seat and handled the review containing the details of the film. We hardly noticed the dignified "chocolatinero" walking up and down the isle offering sweets from their cigarette-girl trays.
Then, the blackness that preluded the beginning of the movie. Hundreds of innocent eyes glowing in the sudden night like lightening bugs opened to the mysteries that were to come...
And the fantasy unveiled. An then the drama.

And the sobs and the cries. And then the shouts.
Lots of tiny people breaking in tears for the poor Bambi. -or poor Cinderella or poor Snow White or poor Dalmatians or poor Whoever movie was scheduled for that weekend -
And later at home along came the fever.
And afterwards the lifetime recurrent nightmares.
I am not joking. It seems that it´s called The Bambi Effect and that I´m not the only one.

Doe a deer...
a Female deer...
I´m a grown up now and I drew some lessons from those experiences.
Like the fact that "cathedral" means "exclusive distribution rights" for example and also that if you don´t behave the Boogie-man Hæretico-Comburendo is gonna get you!

3 comments:

Maryam in Marrakesh said...

You are so funny! I love your bambi effect and I want one of those hot chocolates. Yum:-)

99 said...

Thanks Mrs. My Marrakesh, I´m flattered by your comment.
I´m a fun of your site.
Come and have a submarino with me anytime. We can even play with the food ;)
Only remember we walk upside down in this part of the planet...
chau!

99 said...

sorry Maryan, i meant "fan of your site"