I am Still Moonstruck

 

It turns out that Moonstruck, directed by Norman Jewison, remains my favourite romantic comedy/drama.

I confess to a life-long adoration of Cher.

She is old enough to be my mother, but never mind that.

Recently, I signed up with Rotten Tomatoes, would you believe, and one of the questions asked in that website’s personal profile blocks is “Who’s your favourite crush?” Thoughtlessly, I typed in Penelope Cruz. Well, to me she is beautiful. I had made comparisons between her and Salma Hayek for a while, and, after watching her in Woody Allen’s wonderful romantic comedy, To Rome with Love, I was struck.

Watching Notting Hill also conjures up a few dreamy, romantic moments for me. There is the book store owner played by Hugh Grant. And then there is the movie super star played by Julia Roberts. I confess, again, I have been in love with Ms Roberts since Pretty Woman and Mystic Pizza. Can’t help it. I have a fetish for auburn-haired gals. But what really made me melt was that smile.

When I first saw Moonstruck back in the eighties, my mouth was open as I watched the raven-haired Cher waltz across the moon struck New York streets after her night of passion with the commercially driven, eccentric, over-acting fiend, Nicholas Cage.

In 1987, the film won best original screenplay for John Patrick Scanley. Cher is that year’s best actress. Olympia Dukakis is best supporting actress. Cage is nominated for best actor.

In the film, Loretta Castorini (Cher), superstitiously accepts a marriage proposal from the hapless Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello). She forces him to go down on his knees and propose to her properly. For good luck. But then Cammereri flees to Sicily and the bedside of his ailing, but domineering mother. Needless to say, when she hears that her idiotic son is finally getting married, she makes a remarkable recovery.

In the meantime, our heroine, dutifully visits Johnny’s younger brother, Ronny Cammereri (Nicholas Cage) in the oven-hot basement of their bakery, to mend fences and invite him to the wedding.

As Nicholas Cage’s manic glare meets Cher’s moistening eyes, all hell breaks loose.

A memorable love affair begins.

A touching scene, for me anyway, shows Loretta, still unkempt in her modest appearance, preparing a well-done, not medium rare, steak with a side of spaghetti, for the bitter, growling Ronny. It reminds me of the old-fashioned idiom of the true way to a man’s heart. Girlfriend, are you reading this post?

While Loretta and Ronny tug at each other’s heartstrings, delightful side dishes are served.

Cosmo (Vincent Gardenia) is Loretta’s powerful father. He is in the throes of a personal crisis of mortality, risking his long-term marriage with his suffering wife, Rose (Olympia Dukakis). He serenades a low-class dame, spoiling her with cheap talk and cheap jewellery. He takes her to see La Boheme at New York City’s iconic Metropolitan Opera House.

Rose asks matter of factly, “do men fear death?”

She believes that this is why they run off to have extra-marital affairs and pursue as many women as possible to recapture their virility.

But Rose meets a similarly afflicted elderly man after spending too much time on her own. Perry (John Mahoney) is a college professor who can’t keep his hands off younger women. While her husband’s night at the opera is disastrous, Rose has an enjoyable dinner and conversation with her intellectual, but confused companion. They end their very brief fling with a moonlit, romantic walk back to her Brooklyn “mansion”.

Loretta and Ronny make a deal.

Loretta is adamant that she is going to marry Ronny’s stupid, selfish brother. Ronny pleads with her to have just one night with him. They will go and see his favourite opera, Puccini’s La Boheme. Once the night is over, they need not see each other again. Ronny would have had the woman of his dreams for one glorious night. He will return to baking bread in the basement, losing his own fear of death.

He will die a happy man.

Well, this is what he tells the unsuspecting Loretta.

For that one great night, the homely, greying bookkeeper, Loretta changes into an unrecognisable beautiful queen of the night. I was gasping for breath along with Ronny when she met him outside the opera house.

More was to follow.

This good, old-fashioned romantic comedy/drama has a happy ending. To accompany it’s ending, much like the movie’s introduction, you get to hear Dean Martin crooning his timeless “That’s Amore.”

 

 

 

 

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

I have lost count of how many poems I have written, submitted and published since those earlier days when I first began writing poetry. The poem below was submitted as part of a portfolio to the Baobab Literary Journal (which I mentioned in an earlier blog post). This poem is short and sweet. I hope you enjoy your reading. I’ll explain in a moment how it came about in the first place.

Noticed how many times we say good-bye when we

Part like love birds leaving storm gathering gulping

 

Atmosphere to sigh out too cold to shudder out rather be in from the

Rain shaking off its moisture as two stable geese after gathering its brood

 

Fed comforted cherished brood jealous as the fox does when it

Clutches onto a helpless meal when we part kisses too many to gather countless as

 

Heavy winter drops thud to rumbling roll storm clouds colliding eternally

Never really alone are we solitary panther alone slinking obscurely in

 

Tree of life hidden from unsympathetic eyes seeks only weakness to ravish

At a peak on a mountain top blue watching pattering steps

 

Closer to ending journey one final look back not like wife of Lot but happy glance

Careful thought as lonely eagle ponders prey until we meet again

The poem was written on a late winter’s night after I had parted ways with my missus, just for that night, a couple of years ago. It was a typically cold Friday night for us then. I had left the office, she had squeezed in a last round of shopping. It was, thankfully, a happy hour. As we sipped our favourite ales, we talked about our week that was, she more than I.

Then we parted ways on our corner, the dark night already beginning to encroach us. See you, be safe.

It was a frenetic night. Always leaving things until the last moment, I was preparing a portfolio of poems and short stories for my first Creative Writing practical at my university. I was still sitting at my desk, late into the night, thinking about what to write next.

With my missus still fresh in my mind, the words to this poem started to flow. I decided to stick to it and included it to my portfolio without any revisions. When the exam was marked a month later, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I had been awarded a distinction, 83% in all. I was happy. So was she.

Until we meet again…

* look out for further extracts from my submissions to the Baobab Literary Journal.