A Movie Review -Art of Writing [ 4 ]

  4- ] Art of Writing .

Chapter Four .

Other Kinds Of Writing .

Writing A Movie Review .

A movie review is one person’s evaluation of a film . Although critics may differ in their opinions , most critics go through a similar process in writing their reviews .

The Elements Of a Movie .

1-] Meaning : What to write .

2-] Plot : What happens in the film . Does it hold your interest ? Does it seem plausible or contrived ?

3-] Theme :  The main idea or message that the film conveys . Is the movie’s theme significant ? Does the film develop the theme , or does it over-

-simplify a complex subject ?

4-] Characterization :   The way the characters are developed by the script writer and the director . Do the characters seem real ? Believable ? Are their motivations and actions true to their backgrounds and personalities ?

5-] Acting .  The way the actors portray their characters . Do the actors create believable characters ? Do they evoke the intended responses in the audience laughter , fear sorrow etc. ?

6-] Special Effects :   Techniques used to create illusions . Do special effects create the desired illusions ? Do they enhance or overpower the story?

7-] Sound Track : The music that accompanies the visuals . Is the music appropriate to the scene in which it is used ? What is the quality of the music? Is the sound track well recorded ? Clear ?

To Write An Effective Movie Review You Should :

1-] provide background information . 2-] discuss whether special effects enhance or overpower the movie 3-]explain whether the special effects create the desired illusions . Compare the special effects to those in another movie . Explain the audience’s response to the movie .

- Short Story , I Never Forget A Face -Art of Writing [3 ]

3- ] Art of Writing .

Examples Of Short Stories .

I Never Forget A Face .

By : Cyril Hare .

I’ll tell you a strange thing about me – I never forget a face . The only trouble is that usually I’m quite unable to tell you the name of the person . I know what you’re going to say – you suffer from the same thing yourself . Lots of people do , to some extent . But I’m not like that . When I say I never forget a face , I mean it . I can pass a fellow in the street one day and recognize him again months after , though we’ve spoken to each other . My wife says sometimes that I ought to be a reporter for the newspapers and wait about at first nights at cinemas , looking for all the famous people who go to see the films . But , as I tell her , I should not be able to do very well at that . I should see the famous man or woman , but I should not be able to say which one it was . That’s my trouble , as I say – names .

Of course , this trouble with names has put me in difficulties from time to time  But with a little skill one can usually get out of the difficulty in one way or another . In my work , moving round the City doing bits of business , I have to be very clever not to let a man see that I can’t remember whether his name is Smith or Moses . I’ve annoyed people in that way and lost good business more than once . But on the whole , I think I gain more than I lose by this strange memory of mine .

Quite often I’ve approached a man who didn’t know me at all . I’ve said :    “ I think we’ve met before ,” and I’ve been able to give him some idea of where it was . I can always connect a face with a place , you see . Well , as I was saying , I can approach this fellow and remind him of a big dinner or a football match or whatever it is that his face reminds me of , and probably within five minutes we’re talking about business . I can usually find out his name late on . My memory for faces helps me a lot in business .

You can guess that there’s not a man , woman or child here in Bardfield that I don’t know by sight . I’ve lived in Bardfield ever since the Second World War . I like the place ; although it’s only forty minutes from London , there’s a lot of country here . The village is almost a mile from the station , and that’s rather troublesome . But quite a pleasant crowd of men travel up and down to the City most days , and I needn’t tell you that I don’t know the names of half of them , though we speak to each other cheerfully enough . My wife complains that I don’t know the names of our neighbors in the next house , and that’s true .

 Well , on this particular evening I’d been kept a bit late at the office , and it was difficult to get to the station in time to catch the train . There was quite a crowd on the train at first , but they gradually got out ; and by the time we reached Ellingham – that’s two stations before mine – there were only two of us left in the carriage . The other fellow wasn’t one of the regular travellers , but I knew he was a Bardfield man . I knew it as soon as I saw him , of course . I’d smiled at him when I saw him get into the carriage in London , and he had smiled back . But that didn’t tell me his name .

 The annoying thing was that I couldn’t remember where I knew this fellow’s face from , if you understand what I mean . His face told me clearly that he was connected with Bardfield , but that was all it told me . I could not think where in Bardfield I had seen it . I guessed he must be one of those fellows who’ve come to live lately in the small houses by the bus-stop , but I couldn’t be sure . Some of us who’ve lived in the place for a long time are rather unfriendly towards  newcomers , but that’s not my way – never has been . I never know where the next bit of business is going to come from , and it may come from one of them . I can’t afford to neglect chances .

So when the two of us found ourselves alone in the carriage , with room to stretch our legs and a bit comfortable . I started to talk , just as if we were old friends . But I can’t say that I got much information out of him . He spoke well with a quiet friendly manner , but he told me very little . I can generally find out what a man’s work is in ten and a half minutes – that’s the time it takes from Ellingham to Bardfield by train – but I failed this time.  He looked a bit tired , I remember , as if he’d been working too hard lately , and I thought maybe that made him unwilling to talk much .

“ Do you generally travel down on this train ?” I asked him . That’s usually a safe opening to a conversation , because either they do travel or they don’t , and nine times out of ten they’ll tell you why, and what hours they work , and what their work is . It’s only human nature . But he just smiled and shook his head and said , “ Not generally,” which wasn’t much help .

Of course , I went on to talk about the train service in general , comparing this train with that , but still he said nothing . He just agreed with all I said , but he didn’t seem to have any opinions of his own . I told him I sometimes went up to the City by road , but that didn’t make him talk either . I didn’t think it would , because you don’t expect a fellow who lives in a cheap house to own a car .

 Well , in the end , I had to give up. I’d told him a lot about myself , of course , so as to make things pleasant . I’d boasted a little about a rather nice bit of business I’d done that morning . I’ve always found that there’s nothing as good as boasting to start a fellow talking . It makes him want to boast too . He seemed interested in a quiet sort of way , but it was no good . So I stopped talking and started to read my paper . And the next time I looked at him , he’d put his head back and gone off to sleep !

We were just coming into the station then , and though the train stopped rather suddenly , it didn’t seem to wake him . Well , I’m a kind-hearted fellow and I wasn’t going to let a Bardfield man be carried on all the way to the next stop if I could help it . So I touched him sharply on the knee .

“Wake up , old fellow ! We’re there !”I said .

He awoke at once and smiled at me .

“Oh , so we are!” he said , and got out after me .

You know what the weather was like just then . When we came out of the station together it was quite dark and raining heavily . There was a wind blowing strong enough to knock you over , and it was bitterly cold .

Well , what would you have done ? The same as I did . I turned round and said to him :

“ Listen . There isn’t a bus for a quarter of an hour . I’ve got my car in the station-yard , and if you’re in one of those small houses I can take you there. It’s on my way .”

“ Thanks very much .” he said , and we walked through the water to where my old car was standing and off we went .

“ This is very kind of you ,” he said as we started , and that was the last thing he said until we were halfway across the open country .

Then he suddenly turned round and said , “You can let me get out here .”

“What , here ?” I asked him . It seemed mad , because there wasn’t a house within five hundred yards and , as I say , it was raining and blowing like the end of the world . But I slowed down , as anyone would .

The next thing that happened was that something hit me really hard on the back of the head . I fell forwards and then everything went black . I can half-remember being pulled out of the car , and when I came to my senses again I was lying in the ditch with the rain pouring down on me , with a bad headache , no car in sight and my pockets – as I found out later empty .

I pulled myself up at last and somehow managed to walk into Bardfield . I went straight to the police station , of course . It’s the first building you reach if you come that way . And there I reported that someone had stolen my car , a new umbrella , a gold watch and a hundred and fifty-two pounds ten shillings in notes .

Of course , as soon as I got there I remembered who the man was . His picture was on the wall outside . I’d seen it every day for a week . That’s why his face reminded me of Bardfield . Under the picture were some words: “ Wanted for Robbery with Violence and Attempted Murder. John” Oh dear , I’ve forgotten the name again . I just can’t keep names in my head. But that’s the man . I tell you – I never forget a face .

Commentary

These two short stories are good examples of the elements of short story. Both of them have the exposition , the complication , the climax and the denouement or the resolution of the conflict – a beginning , a middle and an end .They have setting , characters , conflict , plot and theme . As for the first story “ The Man With The Scar ” , in the exposition a man with a scar is introduced . We do not know why he has this scar . Then , we know that he was a general from Nicaragua and was exiled as the coup in which he took part failed . In the climax he was to be executed . In the event of the execution the lady whom he loved came . He loved her so dearly that he killed her while his lips were pressed to hers . In the end or the denouement  the general to carry out the execution saw that and admired their love and his character . He commanded they take his car and led him to the frontiers with Guatemala where he was exiled . We know at the end that the scar was as a result of a cut from a bottle .

In the second story , in the exposition a man is introduced who can remember faces not names . Then , in the climax he meets a man in the underground . He feels that he saw  this man somewhere  in Bardfield . He tries to know or remember , but he failed . In the climax the man hit him and robbed him of all his belongings . In the end or the denouement when he goes to inform the police he finds the picture of the man on the wall of the police station wanted for robbery with violence and attempted murder .

The two stories have two different themes , the first has the theme of “ true love and faithfulness” , while the other has the theme of “ self-deceit”. We find out that the man does not even remember not only names but also faces.  The thief hit him and robbed him of every thing.

Short Story , The Man With The Scar - Art of Writing [ 2 ]

2- ] Art of Writing .

Examples Of Short Stories .

The Man With The Scar .

By : W. Somerset Maugham .

It was on account of the scar that I first noticed him , for it ran , broad and red , in a great crescent from his temple to his chin . It must have been due to a formidable wound and I wondered whether this had been caused by a sabre or by a fragment of shell . It was unexpected on that round , fat and good-humored face . He had small and undistinguished features , and his expression was artless . His face went oddy with his corpulent body . He was powerful man of more than common height . I never saw him in anything but a very shabby grey suit , a khaki shirt and a battered sombrero . He was far from clean . He used to come into the Palace Hotel at Guatemala City every day at cocktail time and strolling leisurely round the bar offer lottery tickets for sale . If this was the way he made his living it must have been a poor one for I never saw anyone buy , but now and then I saw him offered a drink . He never refused it . He threaded his way among the tables with a sort of rolling walk as though he were accustomed to traverse long distance on foot , paused at each table , with a little smile mentioned the numbers he had for sale and then , when no notice was taken of him , with the same smile passed on . I think he was for the most part a trifle the worse for liquor .

    I was standing at the bar on e evening , my foot on the rail , with an acquaintance – they make a very good dry Martini at the Palace Hotel in Guatemala City – when the man with the scar came up . I shook my head as for the twentieth time since my arrival he held out for my inspection his lottery tickets . But my companion nodded affably .

‘ Qué tal , general ? How is life ? ‘

‘ Not so bad . Business is none too good , but it might be worse .’

‘ What will you have , general ?’

‘ A brandy .’

He tossed it down and put the glass back on the bar . He nodded to my acquaintance .

‘ Gracias . Hasta luego .’

Then he turned away and offered his tickets to the men who were standing next to us .

‘ Who is your friend ?’ I asked . ‘ That’s a terrific scar on his face .’

‘ It doesn’t add to his beauty , does it ? He’s an exile from Nicaragua . He’s a ruffian of course and a bandit , but not a bad fellow . I give him a few pesos now and then . He was a revolutionary general , and if his ammunition hadn’t given out he’d have upset the government and be Minister of War now instead of selling lottery tickets in Guatemala . They captured him , along with his staff , such as it was , and tried gim by court-martial . Such things are rather summary in these countries , you know , and he was sentenced to be shot at dawn . I guess he knew what was coming to him when he was caught . He spent the night in Gaol and he and the others , there were five of them altogether , passed the time playing poker . They used matches for chips . He told me he’d never had such a run of bad luck in his life ; they were playing with a short pack , Jacks to open , but he never held a card ; he never improved more than half a dozen times in the whole sitting and no sooner did he buy a new stack than he lost it . When day broke and the soldiers came into the cell to fetch them for execution he had lost more matches than a reasonable man could use in a lifetime .

       ‘ They were led into the patio of the goal and placed against a wall , the five of them side by side , with the firing-party facing them . There was a pause and our friend asked the officer in charge of them what the devil they were keeping him waiting for . The officer said that the general commanding the government troops wished to attend the execution and they awaited his arrival .

‘ Then I have time to smoke another cigarette ,” said our friend . “ He was always unpunctual .”

‘ But he had barely lit it when the general – it was San Ignacio , by the way : I don’t know whether you ever met him – followed by his A.D.C. came unto the patio . The usual formalities were performed and San Ignacio asked the condemned men whether there was anything they wished before the execution took place . Four of the five shook their heads , but our friend spoke .

“ Yes , I should like to say good-bye to my wife .”

“ Bueno ,” said the general ,” I have no objection to that . Where is she ?”

“ She is waiting at the prison door .”

“ Then it will not cause a delay of more than five minutes .”

“ Hardly that , Señor General ,” said our friend .

“ Have him placed on one side .”

‘ Two soldiers advanced and between them the condemned rebel walked to the spot indicated . The officer in command of the firing-squad on a nod from the general gave an order , there was a ragged report , and the four men fell . They fell strangely , not together , but one after the other , with movements that were almost grotesque , as though they were puppets in a toy theatre . The officer went up to them and into one who was still alive emptied two barrels of the revolver . Our friend finished his cigarette and threw away the stub .

‘ There was a little stir at the gateway . A woman came into the patio , with quick steps , and then , her hand on her heart , stopped suddenly . She gave a cry and with outstretched arms ran forward .

“ Garamba ,” said the General .

‘ She was in black , with a veil over her hair , and her face was dead white . She was hardly more than a girl , a slim creature , with little regular features and enormous eyes . But they were distraught with anguish . Her loveliness was such that as she ran , her mouth slightly open and the agony of her face beautiful , a gasp of surprise was wrung from those indifferent soldiers who looked at her .

    ‘ The rebel advanced a step or two to meet her . She flung herself into his arms and with a hoarse cry of passion : alma de mi corazón , soul of my heart , he pressed his lips to hers . And at the same moment he drew a knife from his ragged shirt – I haven’t a notion how he managed to retain possession of it – and stabbed her in the neck . The blood spurted from the cut vein and dyed his shirt . Then he flung his arms round her and once more pressed his lips to hers .

‘ It happened so quickly that many did not know what had occurred , but from the others  burst a cry of horror ; they sprang forward and seized him.  They loosened his grasp and the girl would have fallen if the A.D.C. had not caught her . She was unconscious . They laid her on the ground and with dismay on their faces stood round watching her . The rebel knew where he was striking and it was impossible to staunch the blood . In a moment the A.D.C. who had been kneeling by her side rose .

“ She’s dead ,” he whispered .

‘ The rebel crossed himself .

“ Why did you do it ?” asked the general .

 “ I loved her .”

‘ A sort of sigh passed through those men crowded together and they looked with strange faces at the murderer . The general stared at him for a while in silence .

“ It was a noble gesture ,” he said at last . “ I cannot execute this man . Take my car and have him led to the frontier . Senõr , I offer you the homage which is due from one brave man to another .”

‘ A murmur of approbation broke from those who listened . The A.D.C. tapped the rebel on the shoulder , and between the two soldiers without a word he marched to the waiting car .’

    My friend stopped and for a little I was silent . I must explain that he was a Guatemalan and spoke to me in Spanish . I have translated what he told me as well as I could , but I have made no attempt to tone down his rather high-flown language . To tell the truth I think it suits the story .

‘ But how then did he get the scar ?’ I asked at length .

‘ Oh , that was due to a bottle that burst when I was opening it . A bottle of ginger ale .’

‘ I never liked it ,” said I .

Simple Narrative -Art of Writing [ 1 ]

1- ] Art of Writing .

Writing Simple Narrative .

                 A narrative is a story that relates a sequence of events . The story may be true [ nonfiction ] or imagined [ fiction ] . A successful narrative involves realistic characters and situations brought to life with specific details .

The Basics of Narrative .

All narratives contain characters , setting and plot . Characters are the individuals in a story . Setting establishes a story’s time and place . The events that occur in a story make up its plot . Narratives may contain a conflict , or a struggle that triggers the action . In a narrative as in a movie , it is often the conflict or struggle that keeps the audience interested . The conflict in a story is what sets events in motion and makes the audience want to find out what happens . In the movie ( Jaws ) for example, the uncertain outcome in the conflict or struggle between people and shark creates a gripping story .

A conflict plays the same role in a narrative that a main idea plays in other types of writing . Just as all supporting details help develop a main idea , all events in a narrative help develop its conflict .

 As a character grapples with the conflict the plot builds to a climax , the high point of the story . The resolution in which the aftermath of the climax is revealed brings the narrative to an end. 

The Progression of Conflict in a Narrative .

Plot

              The Progression of Conflict in a Narrative .

                                          Plot                                   climax                          

                              ^                                         ^                                  

                                       ^

      ^                      ^                                                                             ^                conflict builds                                                

                                                                   ^                              resolution of conflict        ^      

^   

Tension   Introduction to conflict

Time -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A narrative plot might look like this .

3-]Climax .

 [ The “ high point “ when you know how conflict will be resolved ]

                                         ^                                                                   

                                         ^                  

                                                                                                                    

2-]Complication .  

 [ Development of characters and setting ]

^

    ^     

1-]Exposition .

[ Introduction of characters and setting ]

                                                                             4-] Denouement

                                                                             [ Resolution of conflict ]             The Types Of Conflict .

Conflict can be internal or external . External conflicts involve one or more characters and an outside force .Internal conflicts occur within a character .

To write an effective narrative you should .

1-] Include events that develop the conflict 2-] Build your plot to a climax. 3-] Create a resolution to the conflict . It is also called denouement [ the very end of the story ] . The short story ranges from 500 [ in the short-short story] to 15.000 words . It is very tightly structured with a formal development .                                                                              

   The Definitions of The Common Elements of a Story.

1-] Setting = The place and time n which the action of the story occurs . The location can be real or imaginary . In a myth , the time is usually the past .

2-] Characters = The people , animals or gods [ myths ] that participate in the action of the story .

3-] Conflict  = The struggle that is central to the story . It can be external [ a struggle between characters or forces] . The external conflict can be 1-] Person against person . 2-] Person against nature . 3-] Person against society . 4-] Person against fate . The internal struggle within a character or characters . It is a mental struggle between opposing thoughts or feelings.

4-] Plot  = The story’s sequence of events . A plot revolves around a conflict and builds to a climax that is later resolved .

5-] Theme = The message or main idea of the story . The theme may or not be stated directly .