The first film to grab me from the big screen was The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao. It was a George Pal production, which meant state of the art special effects. It had the same effect on me as seeing the Jungle Cruise at age 4, I hid under the seats. What confused me was how nonchalantly people around me reacted to the epic story I saw on the screen. Shouldn't we be careful about not looking at the Gorgon, Medusa, or we would be turned to stone? Why aren't all of these people around me turning into stone? The part is magnificently played by Tony Randall.

In the end, I actually feel sorry for the Medusa, as well as Dr. Lao. They are both caught in the mythologies they've created. They cannot join us in reality. Is it enough to cause us to step into their mythos for a moment so we can learn the truth about our reality? I actually long for them to join us in our stories. They put up their show and go away. It certainly had a profound effect on me as a kid. I will never doubt the power of a story, especially one told fantastically on the silver screen. Perhaps they do stay with us.

Alas, Dr. Lao does not translate well today. One can see the make-up, claymation and ham acting. I still appreciate it.