Imaginary friends

I seem to revisit favourite childhood films more and more as I grow up. There's a real yearning for the pure exhilaration that they inspired in me when I was younger which reaches back across the years.

So I have made a list of the 5 I remember best

1. Pride and Prejudice (1980)

My mum would rent the original BBC mini series every time I got sick it was like comfort food and always made me feel better.

2. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Who didn't love this movie, the great songs, crazy inventions, a flying car! I remember having more then a few nightmares about the child-catcher though

3. Beau Geste (1982)

Written by P.C. Wren the title is translated from the french to mean 'a gracious (or fine) gesture'.  The story is about Michael "Beau" Geste and his brothers who are orphans brought up by their aunt. When their aunts precious jewel (the "Blue Water") goes missing, suspicion falls on the young people, and Beau leaves Britain to join the Foreign Legion followed by his brothers, Digby (his twin) and John. Throughout the book and adventures, Beau's behaviour is true to his brothers, France and the Legion, and he dies at his post.

John as the last surviving brother managed to return home and is welcomed by their aunt and his fiancée Isobel. It now comes to light Beau's reason for taking the jewel is then revealed to have been a matter of honour, and to have been the only "decent thing" possible to save his aunt.

Being young and impressionable it very much made me want to run off and French Foreign Legion immediately and of course die for tragically and for honour.

4. The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)

“They seek him here, they seek him there,
“those Frenchies seek him everywhere.
“Is he in heaven or is he in hell?
“That damned elusive Pimpernel.”

5. Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)

Sherlock Holmes simply preceded my love of Dr. Who they are the same essential character and this film is still amazing even now

BUT how could I leave out My Neighbor Totoro. Ok so I know I wasn't a child when this came out but the child in me loved it immediately so I was a child at heart.