Is 50 Really the New 30 for the St. Elmo's Fire Generation?

  • Thread starter DiracPool
  • Start date
  • Tags
    Fire
In summary: St Elmo's fires" as it were, are moments in time that quickly pass and are never to be recalled again.
  • #1
DiracPool
1,243
516
I'm watching St. Elmo's fire (SEF) right now on Vh1 classic and was reliving a little nostalgia when I did a "cast and crew" check on the actors to see how old they were now. Turns out that just about all of them turned 50 within the last year. Fifty! OMG. I was in high school when that movie came out so I'm not quite there but, hell, is it all over? I can't believe we (the X generation) are becoming elderly people already. I'm not ready.

Is this really happening or are things different today? Is 50 the new 40, or even 30? Please tell me yes.

Also, I loved SEF and all of the other teen movies of the 80's. The only hiccup with SEF I thought, though, was Emilio's fanatic infatuation with Adie, who I think is a dog, really. That subplot to the movie I didn't find convincing and I think detracts from an otherwise great 80's timepiece. How about your thoughts?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
DiracPool said:
I'm watching St. Elmo's fire (SEF) right now on Vh1 classic and was reliving a little nostalgia when I did a "cast and crew" check on the actors to see how old they were now. Turns out that just about all of them turned 50 within the last year. Fifty! OMG. I was in high school when that movie came out so I'm not quite there but, hell, is it all over? I can't believe we (the X generation) are becoming elderly people already. I'm not ready.
No one is. You just kinda start slowing down in yourself while the passage of years around you speeds up alarmingly...
Is this really happening or are things different today? Is 50 the new 40, or even 30?
Definitely not the new 30. Probably not even the new 40.
Also, I loved SEF and all of the other teen movies of the 80's. The only hiccup with SEF I thought, though, was Emilio's fanatic infatuation with Adie, who I think is a dog, really.
Aww, but she smiles sweetly. (But if Andie MacDowell in that film is a "dog", geez you must have stratospheric standards.)
That subplot to the movie I didn't find convincing and I think detracts from an otherwise great 80's timepiece.
Agree. It could have been done better.
How about your thoughts?
I saw it soon after it came out, and mostly loved it. I came away then with a particular idea about the meaning/relevance of the title "St Elmo's Fire": I thought it was about how one reaches for something, but it's actually insubstantial. I.e., all the main characters were pursuing will-o'-the-wisps.

But 20+ yrs later I watched the movie again, and re-listened carefully to the dialog between Billy and Jules on this point towards the end and heard something a bit different.
Then, just now, I read the Wikipedia entry about the film which has a 3rd interpretation (see near the end). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Elmo's_Fire_(film)

From your choice of thread title ("burned out") I get the feeling you interpreted it as yet something else again.(?)
 
Last edited:
  • #3
strangerep said:
Aww, but she smiles sweetly.

I'd say more like she smiles creepily. I didn't even like her in Groundhog Day, and that movie was practically flawless. Two great movies almost undone by the Mac.
 
  • #4
DiracPool said:
I'd say more like she smiles creepily.
Oh, now them's fightin' words!

:-p
 
  • #5
strangerep said:
Oh, now them's fightin' words!

:-p

Is that right Emelio? When's the last time she sat through a whole meal without having to return to the "hospital"?
 
  • #6
DiracPool said:
Is that right Emelio?
:smile: Hah! I didn't see that coming. Oh dear,...

Well, anyway,... you haven't answered the question I asked near the end of my post #2. What's the correct or deeper meaning/significance of the title "St Elmo's Fire"?
I really would like to hear other people's takes on that since I was kinda disturbed that I might have got it noticeably wrong when I first watched the film.
 
  • #7
strangerep said:
:smile: Hah! I didn't see that coming. Oh dear,...

Well, anyway,... you haven't answered the question I asked near the end of my post #2. What's the correct or deeper meaning/significance of the title "St Elmo's Fire"?
I really would like to hear other people's takes on that since I was kinda disturbed that I might have got it noticeably wrong when I first watched the film.

It was the name of the bar, Strangerep, what are you talking about?...

Oh, you mean a deeper double entendre type of deal...Yeah, ok. Well, I think it may be what my initial post alluded to. This epoch in their lives was a moment in time, a flash in the pan, if you will, which is what a St. Elmo's fire is..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Elmo's_fire

That's what I took from it. That was really kind of the idea. These kids just graduating. Uneasy about leaving their comfy niche, which was inevitable, and that comfy niche and its brief transient evolution was the St. Elmo's fire. It was kind of summed up at the end when Demi Moore Moore said, "how bout we go for beers at St. Elmos?" When she said it in the beginning of the movie, everyone was all in, at the end of the movie, everyone had other things to do...So sad.
 
  • #8
DiracPool said:
Oh, you mean a deeper double entendre type of deal [...]
Yes -- although, from your answer I'm now thinking maybe triple-entendre.
Well, I think it may be what my initial post alluded to. This epoch in their lives was a moment in time, a flash in the pan, if you will, which is what a St. Elmo's fire is.
Hmm, that's a 4th interpretation. Interesting -- I hadn't thought of that angle. St Elmo's fire was sometimes taken as a sign of the presence of a guardian saint, and that's sort of what I thought the dialog between Billy and Jules was vaguely about. Now I'm going to have to watch the movie again and listen more carefully to the dialog between Billy and Jules. (I mean when she's having a breakdown inside her apartment after it's been stripped of all furnishings, not when they're all reasonably happy again at the end of the movie).

Then again, maybe I'm just reading far more into it than the author ever intended.
Maybe it's just the theme music that got to me.
 
  • #9
strangerep said:
Maybe it's just the theme music that got to me.

Actually, I think it is just the theme song. It's so captivating it makes you think there's more there than there really is...
 
  • #10
DiracPool said:
Actually, I think it is just the theme song. It's so captivating it makes you think there's more there than there really is...

I don't mean the song St. Elmo's fire (man in motion) by John Parr. Sorry if I inferred that. That song sucks, dude.

I mean the ever present background piano music, you know that theme music, as you say... Just for the record.
 
  • #11
DiracPool said:
I mean the ever present background piano music, you know that theme music, as you say... Just for the record.
Yeah -- you mean this one, right?



(after the ads, of course...)

Makes me want to own a piano or synth again so I can play it. :-)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #12
strangerep said:
Yeah -- you mean this one, right?



(after the ads, of course...)

Makes me want to own a piano or synth again so I can play it. :-)


Yeah, so full of hope. It makes me think I can still make it, all is not lost..there is hope, Marge, we can do it!
 
Last edited by a moderator:

FAQ: Is 50 Really the New 30 for the St. Elmo's Fire Generation?

1. Has St. Elmo's fire always been visible in the sky?

No, St. Elmo's fire is a phenomenon that occurs when there is a strong electric field in the atmosphere, often during thunderstorms. It has been reported throughout history, but it is not always visible.

2. Can St. Elmo's fire cause damage to aircraft or other objects?

St. Elmo's fire is a harmless electrical discharge, so it does not cause any damage to aircraft or other objects. However, it is often associated with thunderstorms, which can be dangerous for aircraft to fly through.

3. Is St. Elmo's fire the same as ball lightning?

No, St. Elmo's fire and ball lightning are two different phenomena. St. Elmo's fire is a corona discharge, while ball lightning is a rare and unexplained phenomenon that appears as a glowing sphere of light.

4. Can St. Elmo's fire be seen from the ground?

Yes, St. Elmo's fire can be seen from the ground, but it is most commonly observed from the air on the surfaces of aircraft, ships, and tall objects.

5. Is there a specific time or location where St. Elmo's fire is more likely to occur?

St. Elmo's fire is most commonly observed during thunderstorms, but it can also occur during other atmospheric conditions that create a strong electric field. It is not specific to a certain time or location, but it is more likely to occur in areas with frequent thunderstorms.

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top