Saturday, May 25, 2013

How Did Movies Show Me City Bicycling Values?

By Rob Sutter


I think that many of us have memories when it comes to city bicycling or just about any kind of bike riding one could think of. Believe it or not, some of my earliest ones were tied into movies and I did not notice this until just recently. As a child, I wanted to be able to ride to just about any distance I could think of and I believed that I lived that kind of goal through the movie, "Pee-wee's Big Adventure." However, there are a few aspects about it which I recall the most.

If you're looking at just the ride that Pee-wee had, it was something so vintage that it wouldn't be out of place in authorities such as Linus Bike. I thought it was a great kind of vehicle as a child and it was one of the most unique that I recalled. Even now, I don't think that many can match up to the aesthetic design that it possessed. For those who are even the slightest bit interested in city bicycling, I think that this one can give any other type a run for its money in terms of cosmetic differences.

For such an interesting bike, though, you'd probably imagine that it would be stolen in just about any fictional scenario tailored mostly to children. Once the ride is out of Pee-wee's possession, it's clear that he has to go and look for it, which takes a venture around the world in order to do so. As you can imagine, a number of hijinks would ensue that you would never correlate to real life. However, I think that's always been the charm of Pee-wee and his actions seen in the movie or the show which was a hit.

The imagery in the film is also some of the strangest when it comes to a film intended for kids. One particular scene shows Pee-wee getting a lift from a character on the road by the name of Large Marge. During the scene, she turns and flashes an expression that contorts to something that you could only see in cartoons. It's only a second or two but it's something that has stuck with me as a child because of just how out of place it seemed in an otherwise bright film.

As you could imagine, my city bicycling memories run deeper than just the activity in question being done. I enjoy it, without question, but I can't help but feel like other aspects factored into it when I didn't realize until much later on in life. "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" is a film that I like to sit back and enjoy, even though I'm aware of how many people panned it when it first came out. I suppose that's the power of nostalgia operating at its finest.




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