By the lonely and all engrossing glow of my Portable dvd player, at 2am on a Tuesday I slid the cover slip off the crisp and un-used box set. I felt the grooves and bumps of exquisite packaging and briefly took in the Stylish photo graphs and gave a flip view to the descriptions, just to take it all in.
I opened the 4 disk case like a book, struggled to move quietly in the dead of the night, and un-clipped the Disk, The Godfather Part 1.
I struggled with the cabinet containing my clothes, and removed a drawer, to fit my hand through and manipulate the one isolated socket. I plugged in the Charger and creeped about slowly. I had tapped into the mains and was raring to go.
I turned off the light and discarded my cloths, still waring my under ware, cause's that's how i roll.
I struggled and decided what level of blanket comfort i needed and adorned my Comfort top, 4 size's to small, a worn and bawbaly grey and oh so comfortable, i couldn't say nay.
On with the little black button and the credits rolled, no menu, no choice's, just cinematic gold.
I had never seen this movie as a whole, or been old enough to appreciate it when i had passed it's legend emitting from the tube. I knew several name's, i knew all the players, i even knew the big moments, but forged on without caring.
Classic film's can't exist in a vacuum with Virtue and reverence. The very essence of popular culture mean's this legendary film, older than i am now by the time i was born, has been payed discreet homage, ripped off, emulated and parodied loosely so frequently and with such blatant disregard for those not in the no, that i had seen most of the key scenes without seeing the movie.
I couldn't complain. I had held out long enough, i had to see it. I was not in the position to wait for a Cinema screening Towering over me in the glow of a projector, with sticky floors, high levels of infectious particles and allergens associated with crowds, or the specific saliva satiating saltiness of overpriced popcorn.
With just water, a double bed, a blanket, a comfort top, and a lonely glow, i sat, gasped, guffawed, wanted to scream WTF and was truly entertained.
The setting was beautiful, the fashions noticeable, the culture tangible and the world seemingly epic. The second dialogue explained the time, and characters were set out, i wanted to know the answers of this world, i wanted to context of all those spoilers shared and given exposition. I was in the deepened, passing into a world where both the familiar and the unanswered had to be watched closely and understood.
The cyclical nature of Vengeance. The characters not bit parts, but shinning lights of the culture and vital plot points from time to time. The struggle and evolution of family members and the innocent. It all came together in a tapestry i had only seen glimpse's of. A cultural snapshot, out of focus or damaged by other people's honourable homage's.
Like an Archaeologist i pieced together what i already knew from fragments and in the past had created a unique and unfinished picture in my head. I knew it was supposed to be grand, i knew it had epic qualities, and most certainly knew it was treasured.
But in watching it myself, in finally getting around to a classic. I was finally on the same page as those who gave it the time and dedication i finally found the room for. This IS a Classic.
This is among the Greats.
This is a cinematic experience i will treasure.
This is something that will change how i view stories, as many will pale in relation to this.
A movie so great it appears everywhere and is spoiled, and poked at in so many genre's and mediums that it is impossible to escape it's influence.
Out of the Vacuum of Ignorance and incomplete speculation, i found the time for a masterpiece. And i loved every frame, every second, every nuance, every line, each gunshot i did not expect made me skip a heart beat, every moment i had not seen was fresh clean and left me in Awe. This is Cinema at it's best.
And i can't wait for more.
