Earlier this week I posted a picture of a gorgeous Amarillo sunset. Sunsets are special to me, not only because of the natural grandeur on display, but also because they mean home.
How is this about movies? Let me explain.
Amarillo, located in the middle of the Texas Panhandle, is my hometown. While Amarillo is a sizeable community of nearly 200,000, it’s not a mega-city like Dallas or Houston. Lots of people who grow up in Amarillo can’t wait to move away to the big cities, where all the “opportunities” reside. My husband and I moved away for a while, along with our toddler, Sam.
When Sam was five years old, we allowed Sam to watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. If you haven’t seen this movie, I won’t ruin the ending, but I can tell you that as the credits roll, a crew of four actors rides off into the sunset. This was a big deal to me, because the scene was shot just outside of Amarillo.
Clad in his little cowboy hat, which he reshaped to look like Indy’s fedora, Sam watched the movie intently. He studied the actors; he studied the locations, and even questioned the plot lines, picking up on the Christian themes. And when the end credits rolled, he studied the sunset. He saw the gossamer sheets of clouds set ablaze by an enormous orange ball of fire, the edges a shimmering white lace dancing like a mirage oasis in the heat of the sand. It was the perfect frame for the silhouettes of the horsemen riding home in happy resolution.
As the camera allowed the colors to blend and blur, Samuel turned to me and asked, “Momma, did they film the end of this movie in Heaven?”
Well, needless to say, I started tearing up.
“No, Sweetie, it was filmed in Amarillo.”
Within six months we moved back home.
Movies do that. They trigger deep emotions. They bring tears, sometimes when we least expect them. On occasion, they move us to action. I pray that everyone has a chance to enjoy a movie moment that takes them back home.
That’s a wrap for this Toast to Cinema! Thanks for reading!