We don't watch rated R movies in our home. The last one I saw was in 1989 and it was "Tango and Cash." I was a new member of the LDS church, and I learned later from the girls at the dorm in Brigham Young University that LDS people try to avoid watching them. So I do.
I won't lie. I feel like I have missed out on some great movies. I almost cried when "Schindler's List" (rated R) came out. I read the book instead. I was sad about the movie "Alive" (rated R). Read that book too. Honestly, it is just not the same. I am a visual girl.
However, with the miracle of cable (and after 17 years, I finally lost that battle and we got it) and reruns, we have begun to sort of "catch up" in our movie deficiencies. We have many, many recorded originally Rated R movies that are now edited. We have finally seen "Troy", "Gladiator" and I have even seen "Schnidler's List."
One movie that got so much attention (about 15 years ago) that I finally watched last month was "The Legends of the Fall." Brad Pitt. Torn up lovers. Crazy people in the mountains. I sure enjoyed it! :) Sounded like growing up in AK.
There is one line in there from Anthony Hopkins that I have given a lot of thought to. The dad (Hopkins) in the story takes his family to the mountains after his service in the military because he said it was a place to "lose the maddness."
I liked this line because it said a couple of things about the dad.
One: He was self-aware. He recognized that he was losing it, or perhaps already had. He saw that the pieces in himself that were broken and that he had lost precious parts that he didn't want to lose. I am slow to see those things about myself and think I will work on that.
Two: I like how the dad figured out a way that (at least for him) worked to get his brokenness straight. I like how he desired to have a change (of heart I would guess) and did the physical work to address it. For him, it was a move. Change of lo-cal or scenery.
So, this leads me to what are my maddnesses and how can I lose them? I will have to let you know. Lucky you!
