Films We Treasure

Last week in the newspaper, there was an article about the influence of films in our lives. About the films that define us. Films we watch over and over. About the pile of DVD’s we have and which one we actually watch more than once.

This same subject came up as one of my adult son was recouping from a tonsillectomy. There were DVD’s he wanted to revisit. This all got me thinking about my own list of films that I return to over and over. I think everyone probably has two or more lists actually. One for the adult in you and one for the child.

For a writer I think there are hints in the list that could clear up any question about what they should be writing. The reasons for the titles on any given list are varied, but I think it is a window into that person, too.

This list is also a good detail for that character you’re trying to flesh out. What would be on your main character’s list? Why? What does this tell you about the character?

What are your favorite films? What films to you watch over and over and still get something out of?

Mine:

• Gone With the Wind (Seen the film over a hundred times, read the book every year.)
• Hanover Street (Love the story and Harrison Ford is in it, after all)
• Hannah Caulder (Love the story and I don’t think Raquel Welch did such a bad job, either)
  Tombstone (Can’t watch it without crying because of the brother love and friendship)
• Legends of the Fall (One brother does all the right things for all the wrong reasons and the other does all the wrong things for all the right reasons. Love this kind of story.)
• Penny Serenade (Can’t watch it without crying. Every parent should see it, I think.)
• Moon-spinners (In my day Hayley Mills was our Miley Cyrus and this was her first love story. I also love the mysterious plot.)
• The Way West (The wagon train west with all these everyday personalities and story lines…love it.)
• Journey to the Center of the Earth (Original with Pat Boone) (Just fun.)
• The Outlaw Josie Wales (Great dialogue, great character sketch. A good, ‘bad’ man.)
• The Sting (love the dialogue)
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Same here)
• Comes a Horseman (love the story and it is a great character sketch of a woman of the times in that circumstance.)
• Star Wars (all of them) (Great story, adventure so much like the old films and Saturday at the movies.)
• Indiana Jones (all of them) Great story, great seat-of-your-pants adventure, great characters and, it’s Harrison Ford, after all.)

What films would be on your list or lists. Write them down. Think about the whys for your list. Find those old films and watch them again. Do they still do the same thing for you? Do they hold up? I think all this will help your writing and if nothing else it will bring back memories and get you thinking. Have fun.