Carrying The Banner
The Dark Knight is the darkest Batman movie yet. Heath Ledger played out and nailed in the part of Joker so well it became his last. Christian Bale was not bad. While he was fighting out with his enemies in streets of Gotham City, I remembered the first time I saw Mr. Bale in a film. In “The Newsies” he was singing and dancing in the streets on New York.
As stiff as Batman, Jack ‘Cowboy’ Kelly (Christian Bale), did the solo musical number, ‘Santa Fe’, quite well. Like Batman he kicked, jumped, rolled and moved his arms with a mission. When the Dark Knight rode his motorcycle, Cowboy rode a horse. And in both movies they both hung out a window.
The true story of the Newsies, before it was on the web, came out as a family musical movie. They fought for their rights, took on to the streets of New York and demanded that the price of the newspaper they bought for selling, be lowered.
When The Dark Knight ended my mind never left the thought of getting that Disney movie for my boys. The next day I got it.
Anyone who would stand in front of our DVD player and touch its buttons, Dylan, my two year old, freezes and waits for the pictures to come out the TV. As the images of the Newsboys came up, Dylan stared quietly trying to understand what Max Casella (Race Track) and Doogie Howser’s best friend) was narrating. ”In 1899, the streets of New York City echoed with the voices of Newsies. . . . . .”
When the Newsies started to sing and dance, that was the time Dylan came and sat by my side on the sofa. He liked it.
Lukie said it was classic and old and wasn’t really interested. But when a song and dance part comes on he watches it.
I was about 17 years old when I saw this picture and up until now I still like it.
Parents pass on meaningful gifts, sometimes unmindful of what they transcend to their children. They might be a story, a toy, a book, a letter or for the sake of this entry, a movie. The children are molded by these gifts and sooner or later they pass it on too to their kids. With this we remember how our parents sculpted us of what we are about to become.
My father brought home The Newsies in VHS. He thought it was a good movie and he was right.
The Newsboys carried the “Banner” and in my case I think I had passed on the “Banner” quite well to my father’s granchildren.
Leave a Reply