My Childhood: A Film Retrospective

My dad watched a lot of Masterpiece Mystery! when I was a kid. I have fond memories of Poirot as early as I can remember.

I saw "The Rose Rent" probably when it first aired, and it stuck with me for years until I was able to find out which programme it was. And then I saw all the Cadfael mysteries and was hooked.

Jeremy Brett was my first Sherlock and, much as I like the recent RDJ version, will probably always be my favorite.

Loved loved LOVED this movie as a kid. Wanted a pet saucer like the daddy saucer. Actually, I still do.

Every Easter it was my goal to at least stay awake through the Angel of Death, if not the whole movie which ended at midnight. New Year's Eve was nothing compared to this. And when they stopped airing this every year, I hunted down a copy so I could carry on the tradition on my own.

I was into pirates before Johnny Depp made pirates cool, and I'm pretty sure this movie was the reason why. Yes, it's a crap movie, but when you're eightish, watching Geena Davis run around with the boys getting into swashbuckling fights is the best thing ever.

I definitely wore out the recorded-from-TV VHS of this when I was a kid. I'm also pretty sure this (and The Court Jester) permanently founded my undying love of Basil Rathbone.

Speaking of which...

By the way, if you have not seen this movie, go see it right now. You will love it. And you don't, you are dead to me.

Same with this one. When I grew up, I wanted to be able to pull off Lesley Anne Warren's dress, and to be Madeline Kahn. I still do, actually.

No idea when I first saw this, but I think I was on vacation with my family, because I seem to recall sitting in the hotel and itching to get home so I could get the book and read it.

Richard Chamberlain invasion #1

Richard Chamberlain invasion #2

I adored this movie, and the moment at the ball when Philippe dances with the Queen is one of the most beautiful moments in a romantic movie ever. (You know what I'm talking about if you've seen it.)

And Richard Chamberlain invasion #3

It took me years to track down this gem from my childhood, and it remains the only Cinderella adaptation that I truly love. And I know all the words to every song.

And now we're into more kid-friendly material. This is one of the best Disney movies of all time, and includes one of my favorite lines to yell at unsuspecting passers-by: "Praise the Lord, and pass the tax rebate!"

Angela Lansbury could do no wrong in my book as a kid. And the part at the end when they foil the Nazis is still one of the coolest things ever.

"One man. Two women. Lucky man."

I really wanted to be Lena Headey in this movie. And yes, I was a little bit in love with Cary Elwes, proving that I was forever doomed to fall in love with the villain and/or the guy who dies.

THE Sleeping Beauty of my childhood. Why has no one else heard of this?

The banshee (or bean-sídhe for purists) was scary as all get-out, but baby Sean Connery made it all worth it.

If you're gonna give me a talking animal movie, at least make it as awesome as this one.

Carol Channing: "One and one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one and one is two!" Soundtrack of my childhood.

My deep fascination with British Imperialism and the repercussions it had on Southeast Asia was no doubt instilled by the gorgeous Ramayana fantasy sequences.

Two obsessions were fueled by this one: Chopin's Nocturne that was used as the recurring musical theme, and Colin Firth who was in the movie for all of two minutes at the end.