
THERE ARE TIMES when repetition can be boring but, for me, watching favorite films over & over never gets old. After awhile, I'm quoting dialogue before it ushers from the mouths of the characters. This afternoon I caught the last hour of "The Outlaw Josey Wales" with Clint Eastwood (and Chief Dan George!). I'd guess I've seen it at least two dozen times.
"You a bounty hunter?" asks Wales.
"Man's gotta earn a living," responds the bounty hunter.
"Dyin' ain't much of a living, boy," snarls Wales.
Along with "High Plains Drifter," "Pale Rider," & "The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly," I never tire of Eastwood's best westerns.
Then there's "Unstoppable," when Denzel Washington & Chris Pine go after the unmanned, runaway train. I've watched this at least a dozen times. My daughter accuses me of watching it just to admire Rosario Dawson's lips; there may be a grain of truth in that.
I'll watch any of the Bourne movies whenever they are telecast, including the fourth one: "The Bourne Legacy" with Jeremy Renner. Even though it's over fifty years old now, I still enjoy watching "Spartacus" whenever it comes on.Â
This willingness to see films over & over isn't limited to westerns & action adventure. "It's a Mad, Mad,Mad Mad World" will lock me in anytime, as will "American Graffiti" and "Tootsie." Same with "M*A*S*H" and "Catch-22" (I have this on disc).Â
Nor am I put off by foreign films with subtitles. I have on disc, and watch every so often, "Cinema Paradiso" as well as the Swedish trilogy which includes "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," "The Girl Who Played with Fire," and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest."Â
Finally, I must admit to viewing "Dr Zhivago" -- my all-time favorite -- more times than I have bodily digits upon which to count. I have it on disc.
Whether or not this sort of repetitive film watching is unique to me or a trait shared by other film buffs, I couldn't say. Perhaps it is a psychiatric malady, what the shrinks might call RFVS (Repetitive Film Viewing syndrome). Perhaps it is nothing more than a symptom of my boring life style. Perhaps it is time for me to go watch "9 to 5" again...Â
I can watch them endlessly but I have to part company with you on
Clint Eastwood. I detest him.