philippa-grahame

Given the lack of advertising it had on release (in Australia, anyway) I can probably boast to being in the minority of people who first saw this film at the cinema. I was nine at the time, and went with a friend from primary school who'd already seen it once. We both loved it, and at the end, I remember the friend's mother (who had also enjoyed it on both occasions) comment that it was a shame so few people knew it was on.

This film became a staple at every sleepover I had between nine and fourteen, not just because I loved it, but because all my friends did, too. I've had it on VHS (home-taped) for years, but bought it again today on DVD, because even as an adult, I still really enjoy it. It wasn't until a year or so ago that I was startled to learn it was the most expensive box office flop on record.

Given that I'm yet to show it to anyone, adult or child, who hasn't enjoyed it, I think it's fair to say that rather than being a bad film, Cutthroat Island had the misfortune to be exceedingly poorly advertised. Almost nobody knew it was on, and then all they heard later was that it flopped, thus generating an assumption that it sucked. The cast is good, the script is fun, the effects are great, and while it's not the greatest film in history, it's much, much better than a lot of stuff that earned more money (Blade 2, for instance). You could do a whole lot worse.

Twins of Destiny is probably the only show I have ever watched, live to air, each and every week, and been so gripped by that I never missed an episode. Factor in that I was in primary school at the time, and this is something special. I remember being conflicted by the ending - not because it was bad, but because it was so (for me, at that age) adult that I really had to sit down and think about what it meant for all the characters. Now, I can only remember little snippets of the show, and I really wish - like the few other people I've ever met who've seen it - that it was available on DVD. It's a travesty to think of it mouldering away on celluloid somewhere, unwatched and unloved. If the technology and audience exists to put old children's shows like She-Ra and Tintin onto DVD, then surely Twins of Destiny deserves the same treatment.

Anyway - this show had a profound impact on me as a kid, and I absolutely loved it. I'd love to recommend it to people, but seeing as how it's next to impossible to lay hands on, I'll have to settle with pleading quietly for its re-release.