I love to catch up with one of my best friend’s, Sarah, we had a fabulous meal at The Ivy in London last night and as usual, spoke about films we’d seen.

As a BBC film reviewer, Sarah is like an encyclopedia on film, she knows so much about it in all aspects, directors, actors, random facts – that it’s always a pleasure to chew on the latest releases and how we feel about them.  Sarah’s taste in film is much wider than mine, she enjoys most genre of film – although we do both enjoy horror films!   I respect and am always amazed at Sarah’s capacity to reel off a list of films by a certain director – on a side note, I am so pleased she has found her niche in movie reviews, which she deserves, and with no doubts go onto greater things with it.

I was lamenting about Solo last night, as a 1st generation Star Wars fan I was probably brain-washed as a child and my high expectations of Star Wars is probably linked with the warm recollections of watching the original trilogy as a kid.  Specifically the excitement of waiting outside the cinema in my flares with my Mum and friend Peter to go and see the films.  Something Mum still recollects now, as she hated the films!

However, last night speaking with Sarah, I noted that she quite rightly refers to the films as the director’s film. For me, I always associate films as the writers! Say M.Butterfly – this, to me, will always be David Henry Hwang’s story – always, even with a director such as David Cronenberg.  Stephen King’s The Shining, rather than Stanley Kubrick. JK Rowling’s Harry Potter rather than Chris Columbus.

I guess the writers will always be the place I look for inspiration or be the beating heart of the story inside – rather than from the director’s view.  After all, they gave birth to the story and drove all their energy into creating it.

Wondering if I was the only one who felt this way?

Further resources:

Interview with Sarah Moore, BBC film reviewer
M. Butterfly review #inspiration
David Henry Hwang interview