For more than forty years, my rationale for not re-watching movies - even those I loved the first time - was straightforward. I didn't want to spend hours in a redundant passive state. Such can be the curse of a goal-driven person. I don't claim to have never wasted precious hours re-watching an old favorite but it was rare and I was never tempted to purchase videocassettes just to have a standby on hand.
Having more hours to myself after leaving the full-time work world as well as having a daughter in the film industry were two factors that moved me toward abandoning my longstanding resistance to re-watching movies. But the single factor that most persuaded me that re-watching films could be a productive use of my time was a deepening appreciation for the art of screenwriting. As I re-watched more movies, I began to see the way that first-rate screenwriting could help me as an aspiring writer, perhaps as much as great literature can. And I saw a clear link between how the concision of a great script contributes to movie magic and how a similar concision could aid me in my blog. Of course, it's possible I've simply constructed a neat rationalization for spending more time in front of a screen. But I don't think so.
When I recently re-watched The Man in the Moon (1991) for the first time since its theatrical release, the words of the perfectly realized script landed for me in a profoundly different way than they did thirty-five years ago. As the closing credits rolled, one thought wouldn't let me go. There was not a single false note in this coming-of-age film. Was Director Robert Mulligan's artistry on display? Without question. Were the central performances - including Reese Witherspoon in her film debut - nearly flawless? They were.
But without the words of screenwriter Jenny Wingfield, all the other important elements that made this an extraordinary experience - twice - might have added up to a less satisfying whole. I may not improve as a writer having now been witness to Wingfield's words, twice. On the other hand, how can exposing myself more than once to her kind of artistry hurt me as a writer?
To answer your question - rewatching can't hurt you as a writer! Furthermore, the appreciation for the craft of screen writing you received is certainly worth the time spent. I can't relate to rewatch of movies but I can relate to reading a book for the second time. All kinds of nuance appears for me. Plus the pure enjoyment of a masterful body of work.
ReplyDeleteInes; Thanks for the comment and affirmation that re-watching a film and paying close attention to a screenplay can do me no harm and instead might help me in my own writing. And I wholly agree about how re-reading an excellent book can be a worthwhile experience.
DeleteHey Pat.
ReplyDeleteNot rewatching a movie is honestly not in my nature. I'll be channel surfing and if a film is playing that I have seen any number of times, if it has affected me in any way, I'll watch it right from where it is. At times I will start it from the beginning. There are films that just need to be watched and rewatched and rewatched again and again. Obviously those listed as 'the classics' have earned the rewatching honor. Some because they're classics, some because they're just great movies, and some just because of some of the dialogue. Too many to list. And I go further in having copies - DVD's mostly but come VHS tapes - of movies I will rewatch many times. And, by the way, 'The Man in the Moon', great film. Definitely worth rewatching. Although it has been some time for me .. Where did I put that video?
Be well,
Bob
Bob; Definitely find "Man In the Moon". I think you'll like it more than the first time. Unbelievable script. Thanks for the comment.
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