A moving film. But moving to where?
Posted: April 14th, 2009 | Author: John | Filed under: Good Advice | Tags: script, writing | 2 Comments »A film always seeks to get an emotional reaction from the audience. But just getting an emotional reaction is not enough for a good story. It has to move us to understand something – to broaden, deepen or otherwise augment our worldview.
A story has the power to move us… but to where?
This is where a lot of films lose and effect. The writer and director successfully elicit the emotional involvement and response form the audience, but that in itself is not satisfying. If it’s only a sad or thrilling story, it will quickly be forgotten. It needs to move us to somewhere.
I’m going to watch Chinatown again. Robert McKee refers to it constantly.
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I should watch it again too. It’s hard to stomach at first viewing. Jack Nicholson is great. Always. Did you see his breakout role in Easy Rider? Also a difficult film. But it really puts the cult in difficult. Defined the sixties.
There are a lot of cult films that put the cult in difficult. Yeah, Chinatown is a classic. I hope I can find it here in Spain at the “Video Club.”