Jul 8, 2010

Remembering Charlotte

Mak is currently our in-house Mr. Nosy who wants to know everything about everyone. First it was birthdays, then ages, then weight. Lately he's been asking what MacDaddy and I were up to "two hundred years ago when we were small". First movie we ever saw? Blame it on all that anesthesia or the aging process or that it sometimes does feel like two hundred years ago, but I'm blank. I can't remember. I gave him a lame answer like Jaws but I'm pretty sure that wasn't my first flick ever. MacDaddy has no problem remembering his. We're not supposed to forget our firsts, after all. His is Charlotte's Web, the 1973 screenplay adaptation of E.B. White's book. One of his all-time favorites, he says. Busted. Bike-riding, golf-playing, run-happy Macdaddy, as it turns out, is a sentimental one. And because they are plain nosy, Macdaddy is forced to dig deep, clear his own cobwebs and tell them all about Wilbur the Pig and Charlotte the Spider and all the trouble she goes through to keep him out of being the main enchilada on the dinner table. He tells them about one of the most beautiful pieces ever written about friendship, trust, sacrifice, birth, life, you know the rest. Even I'm all ears.


Fifty eight years later, we can all still learn a thing or two from Charlotte. "You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what's a life anyway? We're born, we love a little while, we die. A spider's life can't help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that."

And then in classic MacDaddy fashion he ends with ".. and then Charlotte died. The pig was sad. The End". And I see pure shock in my little boys' eyes because mommy usually ends her stories with ".. and they lived happily ever after" and I am once again ever so grateful for MacDaddy who keeps it all so real.



P.S. MacDaddy is determined to find the DVD. Our search is on. In the meantime, this is the best I can do. Happy reminiscing, MacD. This one's for you.




8 comments:

Barni said...

Saw this version so often. Remember the goose's song the most about spelling terrific: "T, double E, double R, double I, double F, double I double C, C, C."
I think you're right about Jaws. I think it's true for us water rats. Parang 70s parents didn't sweat the whole violence issue and possible trauma. Neither does Migs, apparently! Sometimes, I wonder if it's the way to go.:)

Nona said...

Oh wow... guess what? And I put this tidbit in my silly 25 Things About Me Facebook list... Charlotte's Web I can never-ever forget because it was the first book that made me cry. As in, OMG books can make you CRY??? I was an astonished 3rd-grader : ) Never saw that old movie adaptation though. The latest movie version was good... but the book... it hit me unexpectedly!

Nana said...

Barns, Nona: My memory is shot. I think I'm going to read this one all over again.

Barni said...

Will you just join our book club?!

Cely said...

Oh ladies, I'm so sorry! It has been awhile since the last time i've been on your blog and I can tell you, I missed reading you!

Can never ever forget Charlotte's Web too. I'll look if I can find it here, but tell me, what DVD region is the Philippines??

ChichaJo said...

This was I think the first movie that made me cry...I forget how old I was but it left quite a mark. I couldn't even watch the latest movie version! Just seeing the movie poster and I could feel the tears well up in my now already adult eyes! Just goes to show the power of certain stories...

You are a good story-teller...my mom would sometimes say things like "ay kawawa the pig...kaWAWA the pig...KAWAWA the pig" and then we would cry! Haha!

ChichaJo said...

This was I think the first movie that made me cry...I forget how old I was but it left quite a mark. I couldn't even watch the latest movie version! Just seeing the movie poster and I could feel the tears well up in my now already adult eyes! Just goes to show the power of certain stories...

You are a good story-teller...my mom would sometimes say things like "ay kawawa the pig...kaWAWA the pig...KAWAWA the pig" and then we would cry! Haha!

Nana said...

Welcome Back, Cely! Looks like we'll all be watching it again remembering our way-back-whens. Please don't hassle yourself with the copy from waaay over there. Thank, as always.

ChichaJo, Awww... memories. The only funny thing about this is that I can picture your mom doing that. KaWAWA, KAWAWA ka naman! haha