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Cocoon (1985)
In director Ron Howard's sci-fi fantasy (his second
feature film), the story about the
'fountain of youth' myth told about how a small group of Anterean
aliens in human form, led by Walter (Brian Dennehy), chartered a
boat from struggling young charter boat captain Jack Bonner (Steve
Guttenberg) - their mission in 27 days, off the coast of Florida,
was to retrieve 20 enormous, weird, oyster-shelled or rock-like cocoons
on the Atlantic ocean floor, to be stored in the luxurious indoor
swimming pool of an empty, locally-rented property in St. Petersburg:
- the tale was based loosely on writer David Saperstein's
novel. Its tagline was fanciful: "It
is everything you've dreamed of. It is nothing you expect."
- the life-inspiring scene in which three geriatric
seniors from a Florida retirement home: Art Selwyn (Oscar-winning
Don Ameche), Ben Luckett (Wilford Brimley), and Joe Finley (Hume
Cronyn) were rejuvenated to life with a "life force" after swimming
in the cocoon-filled indoor swimming pool (of a nearby abandoned
home) and exuded new life, vitality and renewed romantic spunk
toward their wives and fellow retirement home residents
- the scene of Art's amazing solo break-dancing scene
at a disco dance club - ending with his salute to the appreciative
younger audience
- the scene in which charter boat operator Jack Bonner
was spying upon retrieval team member, gorgeous
Kitty (Tahnee Welch, Raquel Welch's daughter in her first US film),
as she undressed in a boat cabin - and he realized that she was an
alien life form
when she removed her human skin mask; he was aghast: "She's not normal.
There's something very abnormal about her!" - Walter then revealed
that he was also one of the aliens, and explained that they needed
his help
Kitty Removing Human Skin Mask - Revealing Herself
as an Alien Antarean Life-Form
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- shortly later, the old guys at the pool watched
from hiding as the group of aliens removed their skin masks, revealing
golden glowing bodies underneath, with bodies that could move unhindered
through the air; the sight of the golden creatures scared the elderly
men who fled in horror
- in the life-giving swimming pool,
the naked Kitty demonstrated how Antareans expressed their affection
by sending their energized orgasmic light to a partner, in this case
Jack; when he approached her, she ordered him back: ("Don't touch
me...Go to the other side of the pool"); he complained: ("I
hope you're not gonna take your skin off, because I really like skin
on a woman"); a golden burst of light energy from her zapped around
the room until it targeted Jack - collided with him, and caused him
to light up, without physical touch. He exclaimed: "If this is foreplay,
I'm a dead man" - the scene immediately cut away before answering the
question if it was just foreplay
- the sorrowful scene of the reckless behavior of retirement
home residents who unwittingly drained the life-giving qualities
of the nearby magical swimming pool - and caused the death of one
of the ancient Antarean aliens (one of the ground crew) in one of
the cocoon pods
- the sad scene of the death of Bernie Lefkowitz's
(Jack Gilford) wife Rosie (Herta Ware) due to dementia and respiratory
failure who was discovered dead in her bed; he
carried her in his arms over to the non-functioning life-giving pool
near the Florida retirement community and tried to revive her, completely
stricken with guilt over earlier forbidding his wife to sample the
pool's power out of fear and timidness; he asked the Antarean leader
Walter: "Can you help me? I have to do something
for her. She - she's..." and was coldly told:
"The pool doesn't work anymore, it's too late." Bernie
vainly offered:
"I'll give you everything I've got." Walter: "I'm
sorry, Bernie, I wish I could help you, it's just too late." He
sobbed over her:
"Rosie, oh, Rosie!"
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An Attempt to Revive Rosie
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- the goodbye scene of Ben telling his grandson David
(Barret Oliver) goodbye while standing knee-deep in water - and what
he would miss on Earth (grandsons, fishing holes, hotdogs, baseball
games, etc.) by going away forever to another planet, but also what
he would gain: ("When we get where we're going, we'll never
be sick, we won't get any older, and we won't ever die")
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Descent of Spaceship to Pick Up Seniors - Raising
Up The Entire Charter Boat Into an Alien Spacecraft
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- in the finale, the scene of the boat-load of seniors
being transported upward into a departing Antarean spaceship for
the unknown planet
- in the final image, the spaceship appeared to be
approaching its destination, the glowing Antarean planet
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Cocoons Stored in Swimming Pool
Rejuvenated Swimming
Art's Solo Break-Dancing Sequence
Alien Life Forms Revealed at the Pool
Kitty's Expression of Affection to Jack in Pool
Death of One of the Aliens
Goodbye Scene: Ben with Grandson David
The Alien Spaceship Approaching the Glowing Antarean Planet
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