Ditto

cgrog

What I mean is ditto to every other comment on this board. It is remarkable how this film resonates to those that saw it as a child. For me it was the turtle and the music, as well as the melancholy nature of the story. At 9 years old I was very into music and into turtles (and other reptiles). What first drew me to the film was the turtle as I had had several pet turtles as a child. My current one at the time was a wood turtle named Dimitri. I loved that turtle and the idea in the film of the turtle having extraordinary powers was appealing to me. As I watched, however, I became further entranced by the music. In fact that's what prompted my Google search this evening. I was listening to Julian Bream's recording of Vivaldi's lute concerto in D and had one of those childhood flashbacks. As a result of watching the movie, this piece of music, my love for my turtle, and the haunting nature of the story became fused into one.

I recall that I was affected by the melancholic aspect of the story. Later this deepened even further because, unbeknown st to me, my pet turtle was suffering from a disease at the time (my parents didn't want to tell me) and soon died. To my 9 year-old heart Vivaldi's concerto became Dimitri's theme, one that I would always remember him by.

As I moved into my teens I became hardened and the only other time I saw the movie I dismissed it as being cheesy. Of course I was actually in denial, not only about the loss of my little childhood friend but also about feeling emotion in general. Many years later I have reconnected with my inner child and am no longer ashamed of my less-than-cool feelings. My interests haven't changed much. I am currently working on a PhD in music and still enjoy reptiles as a hobby. Perhaps this cheesy B movie revealed something deeper about myself than anyone would give it credit for.

score 10/10

cgrog 21 April 2005

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1065026/