Comments on: The purpose of drama, and its relationship to Cameron Diaz’s ass

By: Jim K

Jim K — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:17:55 +0000

In 1996, on an airplane from Toronto to LA, I saw the movie “Babe” on a tiny screen. Never ate meat again.

By: Michael Flessas

Michael Flessas — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:55:46 +0000

For David Mamet:

"The only thing the dramatic form is good for is telling a story.” Huh? That's it? Nothing else? Mr. Mamet, doesn't dramatic form...

...create jobs within the film industry?

...give people a vehicle from which they can examine their own lives and the world around them?

...teach people?

...offer a vehicle for hope?

(Hm, Mr. Mamet, did you write your piece regarding dramatic form just to provoke people?)

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:01:34 +0000

I agree and I disagree with Mamet. I agree that a movie will not change people's lives. However, movies will. Movies, or any mass media for that matter, have a tremendous effect on people. It's like eating a donut. Eating one donut will not make you fat. Eating hundreds of thousands of donuts over the course of your life probably will.

"There’s no question that you can write a movie about how shitty your parents were. Mamet isn’t really denying that. He’s saying drama isn’t good for this purpose, the same way you can pound a nail in with a wrench, but it’s not the ideal tool."

Writing a movie about how shitty your parents were is exactly what Mamet says drama is good for. That's telling the story of your shitty childhood. What drama is bad for, according to Mamet, is making other people into better parents, or hell, even making your own parents better.

And to be honest, Cameron Diaz's ass doesn't get in the way of telling a story. It just gets in the way of telling a good story.

By: Phi.Sanders

Phi.Sanders — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:50:29 +0000

Nick – I love “Chuck”, by McG, absolutely think it’s brilliant. “Supernatural” also seems like a very well done show (compared to say, Charmed, in it’s genre, it comes out head and shoulders ahead, although I’ve only seen a few eps of each.)

Maybe McG is not good at movies, but his genre series seem to work for me. Just not PC Dolls…

By: Spencer B.

Spencer B. — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 07:07:53 +0000

One of the main purposes of art is to stimulate thought. Whether or not that changes people’s lives is the responsibility of the stimulatee (OK, I know that’s not a word).

By: JamaicanInToronto

JamaicanInToronto — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 08:48:58 +0000

We write because we think we can make a difference, otherwise, why write? We can find other ways to make money. Surely.

By: John Paul Johns

John Paul Johns — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:16:44 +0000

In my understanding the root of the problem is in what Roland Barthes called “the Death of the Author”. The problem isn’t the lack of influence of the movie on the movie goer. But rather the lack of influence of the writer on the influence the movie will make. Even a novelist can write a great story but is own view on it will be is reading of the text. In my own view it means that you cant read too much into your own writing – just write and hope that the outcome will please you(be it a poem, a movie, or a comment in a blog ;) ).

By: Gustavo

Gustavo — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:35:46 +0000

You know, I actually stopped eating junk food after I saw “Super Size Me”.

By: Nik G

Nik G — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:12:40 +0000

I know I’m late on this, and perhaps no one will read it because of that, but I thought I’d throw in my hat as a personal experience–regarding the movie Good Will Hunting. Growing up in a less-than-decent part of San Antonio, I always envisioned I would stay pretty close to the city, eventually going to college there and even staying there afterwards for who-knows-how-long. But yeah, I found a lot of similarities in the movie to my situation. I’m not saying I’m a genius or anything. Even more, I’m not saying my friends are stupid or anything. But after being told I had the chance to go for ivy league/high tier colleges, I went back to Good Will Hunting and remembered Ben Affleck (oh boy) and the speech he gave to Damon’s character. That was what pushed me to take the chance. No one around me affected the decision–if they tried, it was going to be a call to stay.

It feels weird that one of the most important decisions of my life was decided by a movie, and when I tell people that, I get awkward silences–but I’m glad I did. I also end up citing it whenever I’m trying to motivate someone, too, which probably gets annoying very fast.

By: Scott W

Scott W — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:53:21 +0000

Mamet said: "People have tried for centuries to use drama to change people’s lives..."

Maybe drama doesn't change us, but is there to greet us when we arrive. "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."

I think when I have "a-ha" moments watching movies it's because I had already turned that ideological corner (for instance, I already accepted that there are horrible things going on outside our country that we could affect), and then saw Hotel Rwanda which brought it home for me. If I hadn't turned that corner already, I might have chosen not to see that movie in the first place, or simply not absorbed the important themes. Therefore, dramatists are preaching to the choir.

It’s one of the reasons I enjoy “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart and SNL. Those writers articulate ideas from current events that are swimming around in my mind. Their drama gives these concepts mooring for me, and, alas, surcease for my mild anxiety. (It’s weird how writing about drama makes me want to sound literary in a stuffy way!)

This is my first post – thanks for all you for us.

By: Ali C

Ali C — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:35:28 +0000

I watched Gandhi last week – and for the rest of the evening I wanted to go out and change the world (really!). Unfortunately I had to get up at 6.30 the next day and go to work…

On another tack, Ken Loach’s ‘Poor Cow’ so shook Britain in the 1960s that it lead to a change in the law regarding the child protection agencies. A film maker just needs to set his/her sights on an area of life where bad things are happening and an affecting film will make people think about more important things. Of course, someone should explain to Mr Mamet that Hollywood invading a small town to make a film is not exactly going acheive this…