Inspiration, Part 2

At last, part two of my post on inspiration. I've been thinking on this one and the answers just don't come quite as easily to me as the music answers did. (Suppose I'm more musically inclined.) Yet here are a few things that came to mind.


MOVIES:
Finding Neverland -- A very sad film in many ways, but there is one precise moment that has always been very striking to me. It's near the beginning of the film and Mrs. Barrie has once again been disapproving of Mr. Barrie. The camera pans back and we see two doors, one to Mr. Barrie's room and one to Mrs. Barrie's room. Mrs. Barrie opens her door first and we see the typical furnishings of the time period peek out from our little window into her world. Just a second later Mr. Barrie opens his door and the most fantastical world lies within. It's not in what you have, it's in your perception of it. He chose to believe in magic and so magic believed in him. These few seconds of the entire film summarizes so much of its meaning.

Sweeney Todd -- I don't have a poetic description of this film and why I love it, I only know that I do. I love the artistry, the characters, the music, the costumes, the story, and every moment beginning to end. Despite so much death, it always fills me with great energy. Perhaps the energy of the dead? "Food" for thought. (haha)

Brick -- This is much less well-known than the prior two films. I was sitting in an art of film class in college, being introduced to all sorts of new films and reacquainting myself with old favorites. Then the final week came. We'd taken our exams, there was nothing left to "study" and yet the school wanted us there one last week. What to do? Why not take a poll of movies to watch, pick one, and use what we'd learned while watching it. Someone suggested "Brick" and all but about three of my classmates hadn't the slightest idea what they were talking about. My teacher hadn't even heard of it. Yet it sounded promising and artsy and she promised to find a copy and bring it for us. I'm so glad she did. This film is difficult to describe, but incredible to watch. It's a mystery/detective film, based in high school with drugs, murder, gangs, love, and misunderstandings. That paints such a negative picture and encourages one to think of an overly bloody or overly campy flick. Both are wrong. It's rare I see such pure artistry in film and while yes, it is high school, "Brick" is nothing of what you'd expect. Watch it. Please.

BOOKS:
Ella Enchannted -- A favorite since childhood. Why? Perhaps because I have so much of Ella in me.

Pride & Prejudice -- I read this in the fourth grade with a dictionary by my side and loved every moment of it. To this day Jane Austen is a favorite author and while her list of works was cut tragically short by her early death, each one is precious. Mansfield Park is another dear favorite.


The Alchemist -- Or really anything by Paulo Coelho. As an author he is probably the one that moves the most. He does not write stories you read through in a rush, he writes stories you want to contemplate for days and weeks to come. Yet it's a calming contemplation. Even his daily blog is calming and enlightening. The man is a spirit on earth who exists on a whole other plane above that which the rest of us does.




There's certainly more than just three entries in each of those categories, but those are some of the most important to me. Now that I've conquered the search for my inspirations, it's time to conquer the next step: meeting my characters for more than just face value. Wish me luck.


Yours Truly,
Mrs. C