"My First Visit to the Movies", by Dr Manta

Dr Manta, Mantagraphics:

"My first movie theatre-experience was the great norweigan animated extravaganza "Flåklypa Grand Prix" (a.k.a. Pinchcliffe Grand Prix).


Uploaded by mariocaprino

"Flåklypa Grand Prix" had its premiere in Sweden 1975 when I was three years old, so I must have seen it some years later on a rerun.
I was totally awestruck by the film. I remember going there with my father and we both talked enthusiastically about the movie afterwards. The most memorable scene was the climax of the car race near the end of the diesel-fueled story. At one point the magnificent car "Il Tempo Gigante" stalls and the cute puppet heroes gets hopelessly left behind in the race. As tension mounts they manage to repair the vehicle and the metal beast once again takes of with a thundering roar. In doing so the wheels of fire rip the asfalt right out of the road. The strings of asphalt are left curled up like orange peals. I totally loved that moment. It was as if I could smell the burnt asphalt oozing out off the silver screen and right into the theater, to further travel into my innocent little nostrils. I remember seriously asking my dad if it was really possible to leave that kind of a mark on the ground when one fly starts a racecar...

Drawing by Dr Manta. Click it for much bigger Vroom!

It took some twenty odd years before I saw that movie again which has baffled me somewhat. Especially since I have quite a good recollection of the storyline, the atmosphere and the characters. A couple of years ago I realised why the movie had managed to stay with me that vividly throughout the years. On a raid motivated by nostalgic cravings I went through my parents basement in search of stored youth. And lo and behold, there in the midst of stacks of board games and comic magazines I found a book version of the film "Flåklypa Grand Prix", complete with lots of stills from the movie. And next to it lay a jigsaw puzzle based on the photo of the winners in the race. Clearly I must have read the book and solved the puzzle numerous times as a kid. And clearly the film must have made quite an impression on me since my parents bought me some movie paraphernalia afterwards...

Link: Ivo Caprino, the father of “Flåklypa Grand Prix”

--Dr Manta--

Note: Click label: "My First Visit to the Movies", to read more first-movie-stories.