More on Movies

Given all my recent movie-related musings here at Rodwan Writes, it seems only appropriate that my latest Open Letters Monthly essay addresses my and other writers’ attitudes toward the cinematic arts. Certain authors I discuss, such as E.L. Doctorow, have fairly negative views about film, while others, such as John Irving, look on it more favorably. The quality of the movies adapted from their work is not the only factor in their opinions, though it probably is one of them. Writers’ commitment to language makes it understandably difficult for some to credit an art form that does much of what it does without relying on words. I once held a dismissive attitude, but the work of Werner Herzog (among others) helped me develop a regard for what film can do that books cannot. Because it took me an inordinate amount of time to develop this appreciation, I call the piece “Late to the Movies.”

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