First films.

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They're showing Diamonds are forever on TV tonight. This takes me back to being a six year old kid in 1972, hiding my head in my mums lap to avoid the scary bits. James Bond being put in a coffin and cremated for instance terrified me at the time, and still gives me a shiver when I saw it again tonight. Fantastic car chases though.

What was the first film you saw at the cinema? Can you remember how you felt and do you still enjoy that film?

― Billy Dods, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Peter Pan or Bambi, early seventies rerelease of them both, don't recall which was first. I loved them both and probably still would (haven't seen either in moons), but Bambi's mom's death was of course horrifically upsetting.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Probably Bambi too, or the Aritocats...I remember having opal fruits and my dad told me to put the wrappers in the ash tray, I ended up putting the sweets in instead. I defentitely recall ET, really got into that, saw it a few years back, but didn't enjoy it so much, cynicism I guess.

― james e l, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

the first i can rember was Ghostbusters with my mum at the Odeon Marble Arch. Hiding for the scary bits. Also I remeber saturday film clubs at the barbican and the cinema on kingsland road whos' name escapes me at the moment but its opposite a right on bookshop, what's icalled

― Ed, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It was the Peanuts movie where Snoopy ran away because of all the NO DOGS ALLOWED signs. For the longest time, my brother and I used to sing that at each other using the Peanuts voice "No dogs al-LOWED!"

― masonic boom, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I remember going to see Yellow Submarine with my parents when I was five, that would be 1968. The Jungle Book was a big favorite, I had a stuffed toy Kaa, the snake. My father took me to see Mary, Queen of Scots and I hid from the end of that.

― Lesley Higgins, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

God fearing parents took impressionable young stevo to see 'The Hiding Place' a 'true-story' of Corrie ten Boom + family who hid Jews during Nazi occupation of Holland (similar to Ann Frank), sent to concentration camps, she survived, family didn't. Scared the hell out of me, used to have nightmares about it, but it was a 'christian' story so that was ok.

Visited the Ten Boom museam in Haarlem last year, above their jewel shop, in Haarlem and the tiny room with false wall in which a number of Jews were hidden. The nazis never found them. Chilling.

― stevo, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My Father went up north just after he and my mother divoriced. He would come back south every summer and we would go to the movies in Lethbridge. We say all the disney cartoons . I think these are teh first ones i remember. Bambi scared me because i already feared abondonment. Snow White gave me the noble myth that those who were evil were readily apparent.

― anthony, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pinocchio at the drive-in. Scared the bejesus outta me.

― Otis Wheeler, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

rocky horror picture show at the drive in, 78 or 79, double featured with star wars (?!), i saaw the red lips and, as a 2 yr old, knew I'd found somewhere to belong.

― Geoff, Wednesday, 18 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Was taken to see Dr Doolittle (the Rex Harrison one) because my mother had a complete jones for Anthony Newley. I was 10 months old and began my incredible run of kiddie health scares with the meningitis I caught a few days later. I was, as an adjunct to being terribly ill as a child, taken to Disney World so those featured (what is it with sick kids and Disney? IS IT LOURDES? WILL THE LAYING ON OF MICKEY HANDS QUASH THE MALIGNANCY AND ASSIST RADIATION THERAPY?). People doing Carousel in Logan's Run still gives me goosebumps (great sets). I still have a very soft spot for Freaky Friday and was dragged to Star Wars by my mum and aunt. Had a big '40s film thing and made my dad sit through a double bill of Gene Tierney playing a megabitch in Leave Her To Heaven and a socialite in Laura (he's the kind of guy who finds Action Hero + Chimp combo irresistible in cinema, no wonder he chose the Next Wife he did). Most of pre-teen years were taken up with BIG Peter O'Toole crush (the mad blue eyes, the thinness, the SWEARING) and was banned from seeing Mommie Dearest due to calling own mother that in junior high shouting match.

― suzy, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Watership Down. Thanks Mum and Dad.I still cry when I see it now.

― Jonnie, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Swallows And Amazons. I fell asleep and no bleeding wonder.

― Tom, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

A late-seventies re-release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The queen scared the bejesus out of me.

― Madchen, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm not entirely sure, but I think it may well have been a double bill of Tarka the Otter and the Brimstone Fox.

― Nick, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Me too Madchen. I think mine was in Bedfordshire's Glamorous Bedford. That thunderstorm bit with the queen /witch was terrifying.

― Emma, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

First one I can recall at all is Disney's 'Cinderella'. Bawled my eyes out when Lucifer the cat plunged to his death, and had to be taken home by mummy.

― Andrew L, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ET or the Jungle Book, I can't remember which came first. Was unbelievably impressed by the first and nonplussed by the latter.

― Richa, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Absolutely no idea. May've been one of those Herbie films (y'know, the savvy & intelligent VW Beatle called Herbie!? Causing hi-jinks thru Europe!? Anyone!?). I saw lots of those — 70s films w/ cars rool.

― AP, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I remember those as stupid .

― anthony, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

First cartoon film: Pinocchio. And it terrified me.

First live-action film: A Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back double bill. I was enthralled, and sobbed for hours afterwards because I thought that Darth Vader had won and Han Solo was dead. At that time I didn't understand trilogies.

I should also mention the first film I saw on video, all the way through. I was between 4-6, and my cousins made me watch Alien, the bastards. Even now, I sill have nightmares about it, as if the film has somehow buried itself in my psyche. I hate the new Tango ad campaign because in my eyes there are too many similarities to the Alien in the Alien movies...

― Paul Strange, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

All the early Disney Films horrified me .

― anthony, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Herbie Goes Bananas was the second film I saw and I think the third was called Pidge and it was about a pidgeon that helped a boy in a wheelchair to walk. That's my kind of film.

― Madchen, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My first memory of watching a film is getting completely addicted to some rubbish feature-length cartoon that was on at lunchtime on New Year's Day when I was very small (I have no idea what it was or anything; there was a girl and some toadstools and some flowers...) and being DEEPLY UPSET when my parents made me stop watching so we could go to some social event, and only consoled by the promise that it would be on TV next holiday and every holiday after that so I could find out what happened. This was, of course, taken as complete gospel and not irritable cynicism, and I was quietly mournful at its absence from the tv listings for the next few holidays. Bah. (Similar memories from a few years later involve really wanting to see An American Tail but missing it every time it was on TV and being unable to persuade my parents to join a video club just to rent it.)

I think the first film I saw in the cinema was the Jungle Book (was completely terrified of the snake), but it might have been Bambi (thought Thumper rocked; apparently I cried lots and lots and lots - I seem to have blanked everything apart from Thumper out of my memory, so it must have been fairly upsetting). Soon afterwards I saw the Aristocats and thought Thomas O'Malley was just the best thing EVER. Cats that talked and played the violin and sang and wore hats! Two of my favourite things all at once: cats and cartoons! It was all very exciting. Then when I was six or seven I saw Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and thought RR was absolutely fantastic too. You will probably be noticing a definite theme of liking cartoon cats and rabbits developing here...

The cinema in question has since been transformed into a Wetherspoons pub. Sniffle. Sob. Oh, my childhood memories, torn apart and refurbished with tacky carpets for the overdressed and underage youth of Swindon to spill weak lager and extortionate alcopops on. Weep. Wail.

(Robin: no offence to such people is intended, I have fond memories of being an overdressed and underage alcopop-spiller myself. It just doesn't sit well with my cosy Disney-cartoon nostalgia.)

When I was at primary school the highlight of the whole year was the last day when half the school (infants' half in the morning, juniors in the afternoon) would be herded into the hall to watch a film (woohoo!). However, presumably choosing a film that would be moderately interesting and not too babyish without having too many potentially corrupting bits was difficult, so we saw DARYL about three times. We also saw Watership Down (more cartoon rabbits...) and I was very proud because I was in the second year and all these Big Scary Year Fours were led out in floods of tears and I didn't cry at all. Every time I've seen it since I too have been reduced to tears, even when a lot older (don't feel any bigger or scarier, though) than those year fours.

― rebecca, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Jungle Book - again - some time in the mid-seventies in some grand old cinema in Liverpool. Oddly, I remember the actual cinema much more vividly than the film (though that was great too - and, in fact, my glorious acting career was to begin just a few years later, with my heart-breaking turn as the baby elephant in a school production). It was the most lavish building I had ever seen in my life, and seemed more even more lavish in comparison to the tatty old ABC in Stevenage where we moved to. Odd memory of those pre-multiplex days: the GINORMOUS queues to see Star Wars, Grease and Superman. I remember spending whole afternoons in lines that seemed to stretch all the way to Hitchin to see those films. Nostalgie de queue - can there be anything more English?

― stevie t, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Moonraker at a huge cinema in sheffield in the late 70's. Right in the middle, opposite the city Hall, it's a row of shops now.

My Mum told me she needed to go shopping in Sheffieed and as it was the school holidays I had to go with her. I whinged in the car all the way there and by the time we'd got to the car park she turned round and shouted "FOR GOD'S SAKE BE QUIET i'M TAKING YOU TO THE CINEMA TO SEE JAMES BOND" Needless to say I was quiet after that. Spoilt bastard.

― cabbage, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Nostalgia for the tail, Stevie? Nothing more English than that :-)

― Madchen, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yes, life just ain't been the same since so-called "evolution" dictated we no longer needed to hang-around upside down from trees.

― stevie t, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Superman. I was gobsmacked to find out that it was playing again LATER THAT DAY and in fact all of the next week! "Wha...?"

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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