Episode 19 - Life's Lessons Through The Medium of Film!

Watched Carlito's War the other night, for the second time in about ten years. Aside from the morals of the tale and the various messages running through it, a couple of things struck me about the circumstances in which the film was first watched and the second time.

It must've come out on video about in about 1995, 1996? Alexia and I hadn't long bought our house - a smart little three bedroomed semi with a smart little garden full of pot holes and builders rubbish. We couldn't really afford much at the time but it was a good deal and so we went for it. When we moved in we had no carpet (couldn't afford it), very little furniture (begged, borrowed and bought) but we did have a TV (no arial) and a Video Player - plus a membership of Tremains Video.

We put the TV upstairs in one of the bedrooms and set the VCr next to it. Plonked a battered two seater sofa in front of it and we were good to go.

So, having hired Carlito's Way, we snuggled up and watched it. When it got to the bit when Carlito turns up at Gales flat and knocks the door down before making passionate love to her, we (me and Alexia) hit the pause button and did exactly the same thing on the floor in front of the TV!!

Except, I didn't knock the door down.

Can't even remember if we finished watching the film, either.

Anyway, the last time we watched it Alexia was sat exhausted on a different, newer settee after a day of sorting the house out and I'm plowing my way through a mountain of ironing. How things change.

As for the themes in the film, this much is true of real life, too:-

1) Try as you might, you can't always escape your past.

2) Some people just don't want you to grow or move on.

3) Some people will do anything to fuck you over.

4) Sometimes you have to pay a high price for the things you want.

5) Isn't love just great?

Hollywood sermonising - isn't it just the best?

I'll say this much, 10 years of marriage doesn't mean the end of love making in front of the TV, it means that you have a shit load of other things to do as all that shagging tends to lead to kids. We all know how they can just gobble up your time, your energy and your inclination.......