Reely Bernie Faves: Bambi (1942)

When I was a little kid, my mom made it a tradition to watch movies with a blanket on the carpet near the coffee table to emulate a “picnic” setting in front of the tv screen. Today, as a new dad, I realize it was a brilliant, multi-purpose move for comfortable viewing and a simple way to catch all the popcorn kernels and inevitable spills from hitting the ’80s, purplish pink-hued carpet. (Sitting with my mom on the floor was the best part.)

On the screen, I recall Charlotte’s Web (1973). In my bowl, I remember the kettled popped popcorn loaded with extra “butter stick” butter and salt. It was consumed in minutes, and hands were greasy. (Mom had extra paper towels waiting for me.)

The next weekend, the feature was Bambi (1942), and I remember my mom saying it was her first Disney movie when she was a kid, so the moment felt extra special. She said her favorite character was the skunk (“You can call me Flower if you want to. I don’t mind.”), and I had to agree with her because “Flower” was modest, while Thumper was the know-it-all bunny. Bambi, of course, had to grow up fast, and we, the audience, walked by his side for 70 minutes.

I’m not sure what age is appropriate to first learn about death (let alone hunting and guns), but it will happen regardless. What happens to Bambi’s mother is still heartbreaking to me, but it was made less about mourning and more about growing up right there with Bambi and right there with my mom sitting next to me. It was one of the first instances when a movie viewing left me engrossed with real internal questions and a sympathetic connection to the characters on the screen. Classic Disney was always clever about encompassing moral lessons and adversity within its beautiful, hand-painted cels.

Today, it seems like most Disney animated pictures are overlong, heavily pixelated cash grabs, and the live-action recyclables reek of unoriginal laziness. Call me Scrooge, but I can’t remember the last time I was moved by one.

Bambi amalgamated the old school Disney of story arc, family values, and 2D depiction that invited your imagination to fill in the gaps, rather than making CGI do it for you.

There’s no point in making the subjective old vs. new argument, but I do miss the observant, dialogue-free montages (“Drip drip drop, little April shower”) and toned-down fantasy appeal.

I’m well aware that I will be bombarded by today’s Disney packages on screen while my two daughters grow up, but I’m also grateful for the chance to reflect on a classic and a memory I hold dear with my mom. I remember it like it was yesterday, especially when my mom looked at me to see my reaction when Thumper taught Bambi how to walk and talk. It doesn’t get any more innocent than that.

Reely Bernie Faves:

1. Amadeus (1984)

2. Magnolia (1999)

3. Poltergeist (1982)

4. Pulp Fiction (1994)

5. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

6. The Godfather Part II (1974)

7. Weekend at Bernie’s (1989)

8. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

9. Goodfellas (1990)

10. Nosferatu (1922)

11. Pollock (2000)

12. Kicking and Screaming (1995)

13. Jaws (1975)

14. Fargo (1996)

15. Citizen Kane (1941)

16. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

17. The Endless Summer (1966)

18. Back to the Future (1985)

19. Angel Heart (1987)

20. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

21. The Goonies (1985)

22. Trainspotting (1996)

23. King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

24. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

25. Bambi (1942)

26. The Paradise Lost Trilogy (1996-2011)

27. Psycho (1960)

28. Parenthood (1989)

29. Swingers (1996)

30. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

31. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

32. Smoke (1995)

33. Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)

34. A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

35. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

36. City of God (2002)

37. 1917 (2019)

38. Black Swan (2010)

39. School of Rock (2003)

40. Mulholland Drive (2001)

41. Groundhog Day (1993)

42. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

43. The Greatest Showman (2017)

44. National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)

45. The Florida Project (2017)

46. Cinema Paradiso (1988)

47. So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)

48. Shadowlands (1993)

49. Steve Jobs (2015)

50. ¡Three Amigos! (1986)