The Movie Bug Leaves An Indelible Scar!

How will you die, Joan Wilder? Slow, like a snail? Or fast, like a shooting star? A dialogue from the movie which happened accidentally to us, three friends, decades ago. Then, we had just won a competition and  planned to cap it off  by throwing ourselves a surprise – an unplanned movie. Without putting all our cards on table, we rushed off to watch Kurt Russell’s ‘Big trouble in Little China’ but realised that ‘Romancing the Stone’, was what was playing instead. Since, we had already made up our minds to watch a movie; we didn't haggle much over what’s screened. We decidedly went Dutch, bought tickets and kept our fingers crossed, hoping the movie would be interesting. But interesting is a mild word. It turned out to be an awesome movie. Kathleen Turner (Joan Wilder) really got my eyes, while Micheal Douglas (Jack Colton) pretended to look the other way. And the whole movie dug deep into the recesses of my heart, searing it with an indelible mark.

Initially, the title didn't make any sense. Romancing the Stone? Why the heck would any director name a movie like that?! We, friends, assumed that the name of the heroine must be stone (as in Sharon Stone), but it turned out to be a jewel instead. That, in fact, added a dash of new thrill to the viewing. As teenagers we weren't into girls. But into adventure?! Yes, very much. The kind, which spices up the viewing quotient and has the adrenaline pumping at a dizzying pace.

I loved the way the movie hit off: a slime ball of a gang kidnapping a woman, shady characters trailing the heroine, the hero, who empties a double-barreled gun at the slightest provocation, the treasure map with directions to a sparkling gem stone, Wow. It was incredible. This action-packed adventure in the thick wooded plains draws your breath away. The humour cuts well too. Danny Devito, what a character! The way he rants caustic remarks could make the listener die of shame. But he is so adorable within his spaces.

I never really admired Douglas. But my perception about him completely changed after this movie. In the movie, what takes you by complete surprise is the time when the whole village is turned on Jack Colton and Joan Wilder and there seems no way around, the bearded villain suddenly realises that Joan Wilder is the famous writer, Joan Wilder. The tables swiftly turn and he offers help instead of a bullet. That hits you hard.

Although it’s been a long time since I saw the movie, I still remember most discourses by heart. Especially one that’s scribbled below, which takes place right after Joan Wilder realises that she is stranded in the middle of a jungle with nowhere to go:


Jack Colton: My minimum price for taking a stranded lady to a telephone is 400 dollars. 

Joan Wilder: Will you take 375 in traveler’s checks. 

Jack Colton: American Express? 

Joan Wilder: Of course. 

Jack Colton: You’ve got a deal.

I tell you much water has passed under the bridge since then. But nothing has changed my perception of the movie. It still stands out as the best – may not be technologically awesome but plot-wise and direction-wise it stands apart. Definitely worth a watch!