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Four Remakes That Can Help You Jazz Up Your Rewrites By Sister Lou Ella Hickman, I.W.B.S.
You finished the first draft in a blaze of glory. After you savor the moment, you file the piece, wise beginner that you are. Now weeks later, you return to your masterpiece. However, rereading it is heart rending. What you thought was once verbal splendor now has faded to the color of pewter. Yet much still shimmers with hopeful possibility. With your jaw set, you sit down to work. Hours later, you suddenly realize you're stuck. You try again the next day and the next. Nothing you've tried works. This isn't just writer's block-- it's quicksand and you are sinking quickly. What was once a blue sky of possibility is now a lead balloon. Before you give up, maybe you need to consult the encyclopedia of visual impact and storytelling. In other words, perhaps you should watch a movie.
Go ahead. Take a break and watch a movie. It will definitely be time well spent. Classic movie buffs will probably balk at the ones I will suggest, as they are recent remakes. However, remakes can provide helpful information for a beginning writer to jazz up the process of rewriting.
Remakes seem to be popular trend these days. In fact, these films could be seen as rewrites in and of themselves. Thus, when done well, a great story has been made even better. For example, I remember seeing the original Alamo when I was in sixth grade. John Wayne played the usual larger than life character and the Alamo itself also seemed to overshadow the one I would later see in San Antonio. As I watched the new version, I couldn't help making comparisons. What struck me about the setting: clothing, buildings, and muddy streets helped to create a sense of place, one of gritty reality. The most revealing detail was the Alamo itself. I thought to myself, "Oh, my gosh. They're going to fight for independence in that?" Yet all the details shaped the story line rather than merely serve as a backdrop for the actors. It was if the screenwriter envisioned the setting as a character-- just as flawed as the men who would die for independence. However, not all scenes are gritty. When Davy Crockett plays the violin to counter the Mexican army music, he becomes more than a backwoods legend. As the music fills the evening air, his leadership of a motley group takes on a more sensitive and poignant demeanor.
Another sense of place film is Anna and the King (2000), starring Jodie Foster. Again, the rich cultural details are part of the fabric of the story that helps the viewer to focus on the relationships between the characters. The dance scene Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr made famous in The King and I is more tightly drawn in this version, and as a result, it expresses more depth and emotion. This also helps to heighten the contrast between the king and Anna whenever they clash.
Central to writing is developing believable characters. The Time Machine (2002) and War of the Worlds (2005) are two remakes that actually began as novels. With this literary history, both films are major lessons in character development. However, they approach it from two different angles. The Time Machine has an extended introduction that reveals the main character's motivation. This in turn helps the viewer to see his idealistic as well as romantic side. Thus we learn what drives him-- not only as a scientist but also as a human being. As an aside, the writer in me relished watching the movie because I knew H.G. Wells' grandson, Simon Wells, had directed the movie.
While action speaks louder than words, unfortunately War of the Worlds seems to be unconcerned about character development until the special effects begin. Then we discover a man who will do anything to save his children. Yet his growth as a personality is shortchanged because the viewers know little about him before the alien invasion. While action can speak loudly about character, you, the writer need to decide what actions will help the reader care about who that character is.
As you watch movies, let the scenes teach you.
Movies can be more than enjoyed. Remakes remind us what rewriting can do to enrich a story-- your story, article, poem or even the next great American novel. So make time to watch and learn.
Sister Lou Ella Hickman, I.W.B.S., is a part-time freelancer, having published more than 150 articles as well as more than 150 poems. In January, she will be teaching part-time for the University of the Incarnate Word.
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