Writers come in all varieties. Playwright. Diarist. Journalist. Blogger. Novelist. Screenwriter. Ghost writer. Satirist. Poet. Memoirist. Historian. Just to name a few.
Writers write. Writers make up the story or base it on actual facts. Writers breathe life into the characters. Writers move the action forward until its eventual resolution. Whether the words came from the wellspring of a novelist who also wrote the screenplay, a story that was turned into a script, or an idea that became a screenplay, it is a
who scribbles the words that were performed by actors and recorded on film for our entertainment.
Writing is hard work. You reach inside yourself to write things that will lead culture, reinvent art, provide society with insights about the world. And what has writing done to repay writers? Not much. The world hasn't always been kind to writers, the unsung wordsmiths. History is full of stories of low-paid, struggling-but-brilliant writers taken advantage by unscrupulous publishers or others who try and take horn in and take credit for someone else’s blood and sweat that was poured onto the page.
When it comes to movies, writers take a beating. They are the forgotten few who toil behind the scenes while it is the on-camera talent ends up trending on Twitter and get the advertising endorsement contracts.
It's just one of life's little inequities that the fame and glory falls at the feet of the actors. Actors often get
all the credit for delivering dialogue in film. It's just a natural consequence of the film-making process. Humphrey Bogart, for example, is linked forever to the line from
Casablanca, "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." But that line didn't pop
out of Bogart's brain. He was just an actor spouting the dialogue written into the script by writers Julius Epstein, twin brother Philip Epstein (both pictured prominently at right) and Howard Koch.The trio won the 1943 Oscar for best screenplay for their efforts. (But they are not as well known as Bogie or Ingrid Bergman for their part on the film. And even less-known are Joan Alison and Murray Burnett who wrote the unproduced play, "Everybody Comes to Rick's," on which the movie is based.)
Writers and actors have a mutually symbiotic relationship where one supports the existence of the other. I don't begrudge actors making the most of their position. After all, their career can have a short shelf life and they are the so-called "beautiful people" of which the audience is enamored. Writers, however, are usually quirky and lacking in the charisma needed to pull off leading a film cast and driving a story. A writer's career also can span decades. I just wish the glory, fame - and paychecks - of the two parties were more evenly distributed.
Therefore, I want to give credit where credit is due for the film quotes I've compiled and edited for Filmosophy: Advice from the Stars. I may write the blog entries, like this one, but the dialogue, the "filmosophical" jewels that are offered here in memes to educate and illuminate those willing to take the time to notice them, is written by often-nameless, faceless writers.
So, it is for the writers that each quote on this Filmosophy blog is cited. Along with the film title, year of release and the character who said it, the writer(s) who put the words down on paper is credited.To the writer, who sometimes works in obscurity, we salute you!
NOTE: This week's Oct. 2, 2013 blog happens to coincide with the death of novelist and writer Tom Clancy who, among other things, wrote "The Hunt for Red October" - a great book and wonderful film adaptation starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin. Mr Clancy's Hunt for Red October also happened to be featured in a Filmosophy released this week. We honor his body of work. We will miss his creative contributions.
Enjoy daily Advice from the Stars Filmosophy is a compilation of carefully collected lessons in life and eternal truths. Told to us via
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Advice from a Star? What difference did it make in your life? When life gets you down, what films do you watch to pick yourself up again? What film restores your calmness and composure, validates your belief system or gives you the inspiration to go on another day? We'd love to hear your suggestions, at
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