A neverending story, indeed

I still remember the first film we popped into our brand new Betamax player: The Neverending Story. If, at 31, I am still enthralled by the world of books and movies, it is thanks to Bastian, reading his magical book in a dusty attic, and saving the magical land he was reading about by calling out his mother’s name into the brewing storm, through the attic window. I must have relived that moment a thousand and one times in my childhood.

In fact, I remember the exchanges so well:

Childlike Empress: Bastian! Why don’t you do what you dream, Bastian?

Bastian: But I can’t! I have to keep my feet on the ground!

Childlike Empress: Call my name! Bastian, please! Save us!

Bastian: All right, I’ll do it. I’ll save you. I will do what I dream! (He climbs up the window.) Moonchild!

And then, it was complete dark.

Bastian: Why is it so dark?

Empress Moonchild: In the beginning it is always dark.

A small light appears, and it starts growing, until we see their faces. The light comes from something in Moonchild’s hand.

Bastian: What is that?

Empress Moonchild: One grain of sand. It is all that remains of my vast empire.

Bastian: Fantasia has totally disappeared?

Empress Moonchild: Yes.

Bastian: Then everything has been in vain.

Empress Moonchild: No, it hasn’t. Fantasia can arise in you. In your dreams and wishes Bastian.

I suppose you can say my life is my own Fantasia in the making, and I’ve been doing what I want, battling the debilitating Nothing, after being given my own personal one grain of sand by this film.

Influential though it may be to my life, I’m not quite sure what to make of the news that Hollywood is in its early stages of a remake, courtesy of The Kennedy/Marshall Co. (which brought us The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Leonardo DiCaprio’s company Appian Way, which are in discussions with Warner Bros. about reviving the 25-year-old franchise and giving it a modern spin.

The last time I revisited The Neverending Story, which was released in 1984 and directed by Wolfgang Petersen, it still worked for me—as much as, in fact, the earlier Star Wars films did when I watched them all over again.

Hollywood has been making a lot of remakes lately—and I’m not even referring to foreign films it adapted, like the straight-to-DVD My Sassy Girl. I’ve heard news so far of remakes of well-loved films like Footloose (starring High School Musical’s Zac Efron), Fame, Child’s Play, The Fly (yes, another one), Short Circuit, and classics like Akira Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. I’m not very optimistic about any of these films, but I’m still open to being surprised!

I’m more worried about The Neverending story, though, because of the images that have imprinted themselves in my mind that I don’t want to give up, much like I don’t want to think of anyone else other than Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. Barrett Oliver is Bastian. Noah Hathaway is Atreyu. And I don’t want them changing even the slightest strand of hair on the Falkor, the luckdragon.

As early as now, however, I can hear cash registers ringing. I’d love to get a brand-new copy of the book—hard-bound, and with a golden AURYN on the cover, please. I’m sure they’ll make a load of cash on merchandising, too. I, for one, wouldn’t mind getting my own little AURYN pendant, now that I can afford one that’s not made of plastic and won’t turn gray in a couple of days. And, what I’d give to have a Falkor stuff toy!

The unforgettable theme song, by Limahl, is already readily available on YouTube.

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