My first love was "Lord of the Rings." I remember it like it was yesterday, watching it on a tiny TV. I recall the excitement and anticipation that my friend Mesh and I shared. For me, it wasn't just about watching a movie; I was always in awe of the ingenuity and creative minds of the West. Yes, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" was truly a great movie. I think it kindled my now-entrenched addiction to movies.
Our neighbour had bought the VHS tape, but we couldn't afford a TV or VHS system, so we watched through the window. He offered to restart the movie for us the next day at 4:30 pm if we went home. I couldn't stop thinking about the movie as I left the window. It was a work of art, a masterpiece.
I literally couldn't sleep that night, and all that kept me awake was the eagerness to see the next scene. I had only seen up to the point where Gandalf gave Frodo the ring. The next morning is still fuzzy in my head, and I don't remember what I learned in school that day.
At 4:20 pm, I was at our neighbor's door, and Mesh was already there. He asked us if we had taken our baths, and who knew that afternoon baths were a thing? We had no choice but to dash home, pour water, rub soap, and finally apply cream. We were literally shining black.
Our neighbor knew we hadn't taken our baths properly, but he had no choice but to let us in. He turned on the tiny TV, which took some time to boot up. A popping sound followed by vertical colours on the screen signaled that it was ready. Our neighbor inserted the VHS tape, and we were literally on edge. You could hear our hearts racing in excitement.
I wanted him to fast-forward the movie, but Mesh said we should start from the beginning. We watched the movie to the very end. It was 2006, and all the sequels of the trilogy were out, but our neighbor said they were expensive and hard to find in our area. I suggested that we contribute money for him to go find the movies, but that was the last I watched the movie.
The VHS ( Video home system ) really made my childhood memorable, I can remember if you are done watching a movie you will have to rewind the tape ( cassette ) before keeping them. The Tocumbo TV was truly a marvel of science, with its bulky design and long tubed backside, but it was the wonders of the early 2000s, and my neighbour's coloured TV was really good back then, he told me in his time, they had to fill the blanks in their heads when it came to colours of items they saw on TV. "Everything was black and white", he added. I later watched movies on a dish ( satellite TV ), because after all our charming requests and begging, my neighbor only bought Nigerian movies.
I can't recall their exact titles, but I remember that Mama G often played the villain, Pete Edochie was often the king, and Kanayo O. Kanayo frequently portrayed a ritualistic character. Those were indeed the good old days.
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