Quote:
Originally Posted by IronWaffle
I'm not a fan of didactic storytelling (especially when I already agree with the message) but when you say "interesting ideas" that may be a good place for me to interject what I believe is more important to me than the story. One can argue that ideas are the story the filmmakers seek to convey and the plot is a means of conveyance.
For me, themes and subtext -- when executed to my taste, for lack of a better word -- are the story to which I return. What the characters actually go through is simply meeting or undermining the demands of narrative structure. And yet questionable framing, lighting, sound design, scoring, direction and editing can all undermine the film just as poor word choice, sentence structure/variation, description and narrative control can destroy a promising book. Or to a lesser degree a script.
What is also more important than "story" (again, for me) is consistency of character. If their choices, actions and inactions make sense -- even in cases where they behave in unexpected ways that have an internal logic, perhaps due to circumstance -- then they drive the plot. When characters are driven by plot I'm pretty bored, no matter the brilliance of any production elements. Same with books.
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Nicely put! And extra points for using 'didactic' in a sentence!
Someone referred to peeling back the onion a while ago and I think this is a decent analogy on a number of levels. One level might refer to what you are saying in the sense that the main motif or theme (very often character development) forms the kernal, or core, of the film, the plot-line forms the surrounding structure within which the theme develops, and the outer layers consist of all the technical elements, including camera work, visual components, acting, and direction itself. And as you say, even though the core might be intact, a blemish on the surface, sadly, can spoil the fruit.
3:10 to Yuma (I'll be mentally humming the classic Frankie Lane theme in my head for the rest of the evening) is a gem of a movie (a shiny apple worthy of presentation to either a teacher or a librarian) and the evolutionary shift in the relationship between the two protagonists is a joy to behold.
Another perfect gem is
On The Waterfront. Watched it last night and enjoyed it more than at any other time thanks to the brilliant work of Criterion. What a symphony of talent! Elia Kazan, the gritty scripting of Budd Schulberg, Leonard Bernstein's evocative score and acting chops that pretty much set the standard. The supplimentary material on this release is also excellent, particularly as it applies to the history of the docks and the corruption that ruled them. This is almost an instance where going through the suppliments is essential for an understanding of just how great was the film's achievement.
Also Eva Marie Saint was really pretty!
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Living in the Maryland suburbs in that era there was a good bit of press about John Waters vs The Maryland Film Censorship Board battle. Might be wrong about their exact title but Maryland was the last state with such a board.
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