And the expanded answer goes... A few days after my 4th birthday, in December '94 - would sound too hollywoodish to say 'it happened one night, on my birthday, by the way', so I stick with the truth - my mom was looking for a TV show, some kind of fable that I can watch before I go to sleep. She came across the movie title 'A denevérember' - Batman is the original appellation.
"Oh, sounds like a family movie. A fairy tale or something... It finishes when he ought to go to bed. Perfect choice," my mom called dad.
So we sat down. The three of us, facing patiently the little, ex-modern black box, wating for the film to begin.
Batman begins. Dark labyrinth, slowly growing, triumphant but threatening music (Danny Elfman's slogan on his webpage: music for a darkened people), grimy atmosphere. Certainly not the opening titles for a 4 years old boy. They thought it was only the opening title. It might live up to their expectations. Wrong they were.
Though there was a little kid in the beginning (good sign), he turned into a caped crusader (what comes?). So the story goes, till one moment, when Jack Napier's damaged grotesque hands rise from the green, smoking acid.
"That's it! We finished!," said dad in a strick tone as he sprung up from his chair. "You go to bed, little fellow!"
I did not even turn my head away from the little television: I did not make a single move, they could not force me to go to sleep. I insisted that I finish this movie. No appellate. They installed themselves at the bad for two hours, shocked. Some kind of joy sat on my face after the show, they told me years later. Mom was flabbergasted. People were shot, punched, burned to death and one laughed like hell at it, filled with joy... and I did not make a single move. Instead, I enjoyed it.
However horrible it was, they loved it too, but this confession was made only years later. The whole family was into Tim Burton. My mom said he was the American Federico Fellini (after Big Fish).
A week later we bought a VHS player and a copy of Batman. A few days passed, and Batman returned (on the TV screens). Mom consulted with my best kindergarten-friend's mother. She said she will let her boy to watch it... so we watched it too.
The way folks went to church, I went to the cinema every week. It was a ritual. The 90s were heavenly years. No duties, two hours stolen from grey life. I remember as dad and I stayed up to watch James Bond every Saturday.
In 2001 mom (she had left for NYC 3 days after 9/11) brought a James Bond soundtrack and a Nino Rota collection, scores written for Fellini movies. I got hooked on scores. Instrumental music, played by an orhestra. These records influenced highly my musical taste. I started to listen classical music, operas were amongst my favourites. Because of Rota, I dug up every Fellini picture. I don't want to claim that I understood all his movies in-depth at that age, but I was fascinated. That music, those pictures, the clowns... Here he is, Zampano! What a character. So Italian films... Pasolini came in line.
I explored more and more, one movie opened the door to an other. To the world. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which one might call a non-sense film, made me read 7 books. The movie collected classic novel heroes to save the world, such as Dorain Gray, Allan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, the Invisible Man, Tom Sawyer, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, etc. So I sat down and read through the books. Oscar Wilde's Doran Gray became my favourite. Therefore I read other Wilde novels, poems, short stories. A friend of mine and I wanted to put The Importance of Being Ernest on stage in high school. (It did not work out...)
The Thomas Crown Affair soundtrack featured a Nina Simone song (Sinnerman) which had a minute long piano solo part. The sound of it was so captivating, that I started to learn to play the piano. Thanks to the same track, I got addicted to jazz music.
Taste in music, dressing style, view of life... all influenced by films I saw. I even smoked a cigarette because of Humphrey Bogart (Casablanca) and Mickey Rourke (Angle Heart).
I want to make movies. When I was young, I said I want to direct movies. I friend of ours, who is a cameraman, asked me, what if I became a producer. I said I had no money. He said: producers ain't got no money either...
Making movies here, in Hungary is not a piece of cake. (I don't think it is easy anywhere in the world nowadays.) It is not likely that I will ever be able to make a film. If I can't make them, I'll write about them.
Good night, and good luck.
