Some Folks Don’t Like Shakespeare
Some folks don’t like Shakespeare.
Some folks hate Beethoven.
Some folks despise Rembrandt.
I’ve always felt that there was an absolute standard for art. Do it right, take care, use your craft and knowledge and experience, and everyone should agree that what you did was mighty fine. But a recent incident with a friend reminded me of what I already knew: that such a view is naive. No matter how brilliant and flawless a work of art is, somebody somewhere won’t like it because tastes and perceptions and backgrounds differ. Indeed, there will always be people—bright, intelligent, well-read, cultured people—who don’t like Shakespeare or think he’s greatly overrated.
The moral? It’s simple: whether you’re a writer, painter, musician, composer or whatever, you should be prepared for bad reviews and negative critiques no matter how hard you strive to make it perfect.
I recall one of my stories, “Only a Stone,” which two editors disagreed on. One editor gave cogent reasons why the ending was too subtle. Another editor gave cogent reasons why it was too obvious. What do you do with that? Well, what you do is weigh both their opinions and judge for yourself what to do. My point is, that intelligent folks will often disagree and you alone must decide who is right. Just remember that writing a flawless masterpiece does not always mean others will see it your way or give you rave reviews. Or even one rave review, for that matter.
Be prepared to be slammed.
Recently I saw a 2007 science-fiction movie, MAN FROM EARTH, which is based on a Jerome Bixby short story. I dug the guts out of the movie. I loved it. The Providential Journal said that the movie “Quietly Restores Dignity to Science Fiction Of The Mind.” The movie won the Grand Prize for Best Screenplay and First Place for Best Feature at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. It was also an Official Selection of the San Diego Comic-Con International Film Festival. Okay, these aren’t Academy Awards, but the movie has received some critical acclaim.
Having seen the movie three times, I decided that it was one of my four favorite movies of all time. (The other three are the 1939 The Wizard of Oz, the 1953 The War of the Worlds, and the 1950 Cyrano de Bergerac.) I realized that for those who like action and scenery, Man from Earth is static and probably won’t fly. It involves “talking heads” – that is, people basically just talking to each other, and it takes place almost exclusively in the main character’s house. There’s no eye candy; nothing blows up; there’s no X-rated bump and tickle. But I loved it. For perhaps the first time I could remember, there was a prolonged and intelligent exchange of ideas and concepts, which is what the best science fiction is often primarily about. According to the DVD, Professor John Oldman informs his incredulous colleagues that he “has migrated through 140 centuries of evolution [which means he is 14,000 years old] and must move on.” Is he Real or Memorex? Sane or nuts? The movie builds and rebuilds on its premise, discusses historical patterns and events intelligently, presents interesting, well-drawn characters, and builds “to a final” and shocking “revelation” and a satisfying conclusion. Plus, it is so rich and dense, that you can watch it multiple times and continue to find something new. What more could you want?
And all this in just 87 minutes.
I lent this movie to my good friend and fellow writer, Richard Rowand. We don’t always agree on things creative, but often we do. I thought he might be put off by the static, talking heads, dialogue-heavy quality of the movie, but to my mild surprise, he offered a more critical, all-encompassing critique, which he had posted online at www.recipedujour.com. I offer it in toto, with his permission, for your consideration.
Rich’s Note: “Try it. You’ll Like It.”
Ever see or hear or experience something you liked so much that you urged everyone you know to see or hear or experience the same thing because you were just positive they would love it as much as you did? You raved, maybe? Went on and on until you became a bit of a bore on the subject? Urged and cajoled until you finally wore them down and they just weren’t as impressed as you had been? It’s happened to me a million times. Sometimes we build something up so much it can’t possibly live up to the expectations we’ve planted. Sometimes others just have different tastes. Sometimes their minds just weren’t as ripe as yours was. No one quite likes the film The Legend Of 1900 as much as I do. It’s okay. I’ve come to accept that. Susan [Rich’s wife] doesn’t share my fascination with Cool Hand Luke or The Godfather. I’ve come to accept that too.
Tim kept a film recorded on his DVR for over a year, waiting for Walt and me to visit so he could share the movie with us. Walt and I didn’t like it at all.
Recently, my friend John leant me a DVD of the film Jerome Bixby’s Man From Earth. He explained that it was a thinking person’s film with very little action: just a bunch of characters sitting around having a discussion. Most people, he claimed, wouldn’t like the movie, would be bored.
Now I have to tell you that Jerome Bixby wrote the most frightening story I have ever read, which was “It’s A Good Life.” There have been a couple of attempts to translate that story to television and they have not worked for me. It wasn’t the commercial interruptions so much as the fact that sometimes the printed word, and the way the words are used, can convey so much more than a director and actors can portray.
Such, I’m sad to say, is what I thought as I watched Jerome Bixby’s Man From Earth. I have to tell my friend John that the direction and acting ruined what might have been a pretty good story. . . had I read the story first. Though made in 2007, it seemed like they were presenting something as it would have been shown on television in the late 50′s or early 60′s. Even some of the characters were more caricature than fleshed out, almost as if they were lifted from a street corner in a frame from an old comic book, their clothes more props than costumes, their make-up more masks than reflections of their inner thoughts. For me, the director (with, I’m sure, others) just didn’t have the vision needed to captivate me.
I wanted to like this film. I wanted to share John’s enthusiasm, but I just couldn’t.
There you have it: two (supposedly intelligent) people sharply disagreeing. It happens all the time. In the end, whether as creators or consumers of art and literature, we have to be prepared for the reality that we are human beings who have different tastes and perceptions. Also, we come to our experiences with different backgrounds, experiences, and histories. Wouldn’t it be a boring world if we all agreed and felt the same way about things? Yes, it would, and I tell my students that frequently. Different strokes for different folks. Vive la difference! No matter how good you are, or think you are, somebody’s gonna disagree or cut you down. Accept it.
So how do I feel after reading Rich’s intelligent review? Well, I’m a little more disposed to accept the possibility that Man from Earth is flawed and imperfect and isn’t The Movie of the Century.
But I still like it . . . a lot!
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