Monday, February 7, 2011

THE ELECTRIC GRANDMOTHER

I have such a strong memory of watching this part of this strange movie, based on a Ray Bradbury book, as a kid:



I'll never forget the grandmother pouring milk from her finger! It wasn't just strange, it was a little creepy but at the same time the grandmother was very warm and loving. What a strange combination! I don't think you can find that in a movie today. The same goes for books. I posted below about In The Night Kitchen. It's strange, but fun and memorable. "Wacky" as my mom called it. Everything has to be so safe or a bunch of people will complain. But there has to be room somewhere for that kind of material so that children today can end up carrying around powerful memories like I do. Memories like that are important. Not everything has to be happy--it can be a little unsettling or off kilter at the same time. At least I think so.

2 comments:

  1. I remember this one and quite fondly. Maybe because that sweet grandmother came in a box and was recharged each night. When the children grew up the grandmother was boxed up and shipped away. But, she came back to care for all of them in their very old age. It was such a sweet way to end the story. Ray Bradbury was one of my favorite authors all through grade school. I can't remember exactly when this movie aired but it was a TV special. As for the night kitchen, I watched the Maurice Sendak special on HBO and got the impression from him and the moderator that it was loosely based upon the holocaust, hence the odd mix of Laurel Hardy and Hitler.

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  2. I watched this movie as a child,and for some reason, I've been thinking about it lately! Mu favorite scene is when the grandmother takes down her bun and she has all of that beautiful long hair...I think I first watched it when we got cable and a vcr- I recorded it and watched it over and over. If course, the VCR was huge, the remote was connected with a cable! Thanks for posting this! Now, start a petition to get this out on DVD!
    Kelly

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