Help me find this movie!

[Fiery Winds]

For some reason, the intro to a movie popped into my head from my childhood, and it's killing me that I don't remember the movie.  Help me figure it out!

Here's what I know:

- I owned it on VHS, so probably 1990 or earlier.
- Intro scene starts in the middle of nowhere, sun shining bright and hot
- Camera is low on the ground, and you can the ripples of heat off the road/dirt (don't remember if there was a road).
- A man rises out of the heat ripples as he walks closer to the camera from a long ways off, getting taller.

I don't remember anything else past that point, and I may have mis-remembered;  I haven't seen this in over 20 years. 

[Kotowboy]

Could be anything :S

All I can think of is Raising Arizona.

[TioJorge]

Damn dude...do you really expect an answer from that description? I mean, I'd like to help but there's no way I could pinpoint a movie from that unbelievably vague description... I'm going to stick around to see if there will be an answer cause I will be absolutely floored if someone finds it out.

Definitely update as you remember things cause...that's a doozy.

[Fiery Winds]

Could be anything :S

All I can think of is Raising Arizona.

Nope.

I think it was right at the beginning of the movie, and showed the intro credits as he walked closer and closer.  It was a fairly long shot (2 minutes or so). 

[tapsmiled]

Could it be The Road Warrior or Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome?

Check Road Warrior intro narration on YouTube. I'd post a link but I'm on my phone.

[tapsmiled]

.......patiently waiting to see if I was right........don't mind me......

[Kotowboy]

I watched it and it was pretty close ( road warrior )


Let's see !

[Fiery Winds]

Nope!  It was definitely close, but too much action in it.  Imagine you have a camera on the ground pointed towards someone half a mile (km) away.  The ripples from the heat make it hard to see anyone at first, but slowly a figure emerges.  He gets closer and closer, rising higher out of the ground.  If I recall correctly, music was playing in the background as he walked.  Gah, this has been irritating me for years, and I can't figure it out!!!

[Cool Chris]

There is a famous scene from Lawrence of Arabia like that, but Omar Sharif is on a camel, and it is a few scenes in to the movie. Don't recall if music is playing.

A fun thread. /bookmarks

[Fiery Winds]

Yeah, not that either.  And when I say "desert", I don't mean sand dunes, but more of a flat tundra.  Like Arizona (but not Raising Arizona). 

[gmillerdrake]

Did 'Maverick' start like that? I can't recall but I know at one point he was cast out and left for dead.....I don't know for sure...

[tapsmiled]

Well, we can try to narrow this down in a number of ways:

1) Was this a purchased movie or something you taped yourself?
2) What types of movies do you typically prefer? 
3) How old were you at the time?

The amount and types of movies released on VHS (particularly those you would purchase) seem to lead in the direction of a bigger studio movie.  Some of the smaller movies (less well-known) wouldn't lend themselves to private ownership, particularly because they were expensive back then.  Your age at the time and genre of your preferred movies could also help.

[Fiery Winds]

Well, it was so long ago that I was probably 8 at the oldest (probably younger though).  That puts it at 94 at the very latest.  Don't remember if the cassette had a box or not, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't taped.  I honestly don't remember anything else about the movie other than the intro. 

[tapsmiled]

What type of movies did you or those who may have taped it prefer?

[wolfking]

You can't think who was in it or what genre the movie is.  Could be something with Jean Claude or Chuck Norris or something?

[Zook]

I tried searching for it, but this is like finding a needle in a hay stack with what clues I'm given.

[tapsmiled]

I agree. "Help me help you"!!!

Knowing the preferred genres of whoever may have taped it might help to eliminate some possibilities.  I doubt that someone who is not a big fan of comedies would take the time to record Raising Arizona, so this is a necessary element.

Are you certain it was a paved road?  Heat waves and desolation certainly imply a desert or similar type setting. If it was paved, that eliminates Westerns unless you consider the few parts of Young Guns II that took place in modern times.  Are you certain it was the beginning of the movie?

[Fiery Winds]

I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I'll never figure it out. This was a last ditch attempt since all my other attempts at searching have failed. It could have been a western, a family friendly film, or sci fi.

I can't confirm whether there was a road or not.  It would probably have to be rated G or PG (but not ruling out PG-13).  I'm almost sure it was at the beginning of the movie, since it was such a long shot.   

[Bolsters]

I can't think of anything specific, but I think this kind of shot is pretty common. Almost any time someone gets stuck in an Arizona or Nevada type desert in a film there's a shot like what you describe. That's going to make it harder to find this specific movie, because we only have a description of a shot that has probably been used, with slight variation or none, in dozens of movies.

[tapsmiled]

You're killing me.  Don't ask for help then admit defeat.  GENRES DAMMIT!!! 

In 1994, people didn't just go around willy nilly recording anything and everything that was on TV.  If someone took the time to record it, it was probably something of considerable interest.  Did you live at home with mom and dad and 1.5 siblings?  What kinds of movies did they like?  Midget porn?  Period dramas with werewolves?  How in the hell are we supposed to help if we have to extract data piece by piece.

Me.  42 years old (22 in 1994). I like(d) horror and sci-fi as did my step-father...the only other one who, likely, would have recorded something.  No westerns.  No crime dramas.  No musicals.  Aside from martial arts movies, I only recorded TV shows or blockbuster, big-budget movies.  So, if I was performing a similar search for a movie from my own past, that is where I would start.  I can't speak for the others in this thread, but I have a ridiculous memory for movies, so finding this needle in a haystack is not necessarily impossible.  But good God man, throw me a freakin bone.

[Fiery Winds]

Haha, I really do appreciate the help!

1994 is the latest, which makes me 8, my sister 9, my younger brother 2.  If it was taped (possible), then it was probably something for my sister and/or I, or my parents.  Probably the latter, if the reason why I don't remember the rest is because I pulled out the blank cassette and said, "wrong movie". 

Genre wise, it could have been a western, period drama, action, or family (emphasizing conservative values).  Now that I think about it, it may have been a kid walking, not a grown man.  Whoa, that realization hit me like a ton of bricks!  Major nostalgia moment.

[tapsmiled]

Okay, so we have basically eliminated horror.  Where do you live?  I was thinking it could be something like Walkabout, which is Australian and is fairly well-known, but I just watched the beginning and it doesn't fit the bill.  Were there credits onscreen?  Are you certain it was the beginning of the movie?

[Fiery Winds]

I'm in California.  Not certain about credits, and since it was VHS, not 100% certain it was at the beginning, but mostly sure.

The colors in this photo are the closest I could find to what I remember, though the terrain and camera angle aren't right.  Not a lot of detail in the shot, very unfocused, with the ground, sky, and kid being the only objects of note.  That could also be my poor memory!

[tapsmiled]

I know this is a longshot, but could it be this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaWuXHMrwXo

This was a well-known TV intro.  I know its not a kid, but its the first thing that came to mind earlier today.  I'm still searching....

[Fiery Winds]

Nope, not quite.  Not as dark, and if there were credits, they wouldn't be as flashy.

[tapsmiled]

Ok.  It was worth a shot.

[FreezingPoint]

Perhaps High Plains Drifter?

I'm pretty sure the movie starts like that, but he is on a horse, not walking.

I tried searching for a video of it but couldn't find anything on YouTube.

[Big Hath]

once we finally figure out Fiery's movie, I've got one loaded up.  It is also one that has been bugging me for years.

[WDADU]

Is it My Own Private Idaho?

[tapsmiled]

once we finally figure out Fiery's movie, I've got one loaded up.  It is also one that has been bugging me for years.

Well throw it in the mix and let's have a go.  I'm stumped at the moment.

[Big Hath]

this being Fiery's thread, I'll let him make the call on if he wants to move on to mine or not.

[Fiery Winds]

Have at it!

[jmarkwilson]

It might be Hardware from 1990 directed by Richard Stanley.

[Big Hath]

Ok, so here are some things I remember about my movie:

- The genre would be mostly psychological thriller, bordering on horror, but definitely not gory (that I can remember)
- It definitely seems like a B-movie, my guess is that I saw it on USA Up All Night, but that is just a guess
- The cars/clothes/hairstyles lead me to believe it was from the 70's or maybe early 80's
- What I remember about the story: It was about a teacher and his wife (I think she was either pregnant or they had a young child) moving to a new city where he finds a teaching job at a local high school.  He starts seeing that there is something sinister going on with the students (they are evil) and he is very paranoid about them.  Eventually he feels his family is threatened and at one point in the movie someone is pushed from the top of a building - I don't know if it was the teacher, his wife, or it could have been the teacher pushing one of the students.
- The actor that played the teacher is someone that I've seen before in other movies.  To me he looks a bit like Richard Chamberlain with a beard:



He had a similar hairstyle in the movie and a full beard just like Chamberlain's.

If we can't figure it out by the story/description, I think our best bet is to figure out who the actor is and see if we can come up with a list of his movies from IMDB.

[tapsmiled]

Hmmm...first actor i thought of from that era who typically had a beard was James Brolin, but it doesn't seem to be him.