As if you needed an excuse to hit the couch and binge watch movies during lock down, Anthony Mullins book BEYOND THE HERO’S JOURNEY, if nothing else, gives you a list of notable films you should watch.
BEYOND THE HERO’S JOURNEY is subtitled A Screenwriting Guide For When You’ve Got a Different Story to Tell so the selection of films is actually a study guide if you have any inclination to become a screenwriter yourself.
BAFTA Award winning screenwriter, Anthony Mullins, dons his film fedora and becomes a trader in the lots of arcs.
The lots of arcs include the optimistic, pessimistic, ambivalent and minimalist.
They are all, of course, character arcs, either change characters or constant characters. Yes, when it comes to arcs, there are lots. And Mr. Mullins like to mull over them.
If you like reading about movies as much as watching them, you should enjoy reading BEYOND THE HERO’S JOURNEY. Mullins detailed and informative synopses of the cinema cited may well inspire you to revisit the films or discover them for the first time.
BEYOND THE HERO’S JOURNEY is a conspectus of twenty-four films, some of them Hollywood blockbusters like The Godfather, Star Wars and The Terminator, others are American independents like Paterson, Under the Skin and Winter’s Bone. There’s a smattering of non English language films like Shoplifters, Amour and Burning. Only two Australian films make the cut – The Nightingale and Sweet Country.
Seven of the films won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay – either original or adapted, and a further five were nominated.
BEYOND THE HERO’S JOURNEY is more a book of film appreciation than film application, with the “how too” stuff surfacing towards the end of the book with advice on discovering your own writing practice. The advice is sage. Practice. It takes time. Spend time writing and discovering your voice. And watch a lot of film.
The adage that writers should read holds true with a slight variation for screenwriters: they should watch and Mullins’ suggestions for watching are a very good place to start.
BEYOND THE HERO’S JOURNEY by Anthony Mullins is published by Newsouth
Featured photo: Screenwriter and author, Anthony Mullins
