I think, in another life, I might have wanted to work on a set, even if only in a small supporting role behind the camera. But then, I love storytelling too, and the fantastic thing about novels and poetry is you need no permission or producer to bring it into being! Of course, the brilliant independent filmmaker Joel Haver would argue that you don't need those for film, either, but that's a huge topic for another time. Collaboration and constraint often breed creativity and solutions, and thus films can offer us a very unique narrative insight.
In this article, I wanted to talk about my five favourite films of all time, and what they—surprisingly—have in common that we can learn from as storytellers. I want to make two things clear, however, before I begin. Firstly, there is a certain film I love that is notably and auspiciously absent from the list.
Namely, The Lord of the Rings. The reason for this is twofold. Secondly, I regard The Lord of the Rings as really being in a category of its own—totally unique and unassailable.
The second thing I want to make you aware of is there will, by necessity, be spoilers for the five films I have chosen, so read on at your own peril if you do not want to know what happens, and want to check out these astonishing films for yourself.
In no particular order:. Dir: John Michael McDonagh. Set in , stuntman Roy Walker Lee Pace lies paralysed in a hospital bed. However, the Japanese inquisitor, Inigo-Sama, wishes for Christianity to be utterly stamped out from Japanese soil…. Dir: Quentin Tarantino. The Bride sets out on a quest for revenge against Bill, her master and former lover, after he shoots her through the head on her wedding day whilst she is still pregnant with his child.
