Friday

I typically split a film into three elements: picture, music, script. I don't know if these are critically valid terms, but I find them quite useful. The best films achieve a balance of all three of these elements. More commonly, however, the result is uneven. Ingmar Bergman's films, for instance, have good script and picture but sometimes little or no good music. A lot of the Star Wars movies have great picture and music, but terrible scripts. The first Star Wars film, however, might be said to be a perfect balance. Normally, it is the music that lets a movie down. Why is this? I think because a director can control the picture and usually has some ability to edit the script, but can do little about the music. Only Chaplin and Carpenter spring to mind as original composers. For the rest it is either selection of music that sets them apart, Kubrick being a prime example, or relying on the ability and sympathy of a composer, such as Zimmer. This, at least, is the basics of what I do when I see a movie.

I've now got five free tickets to see films next week. I don't know what I'll see, or even if I'll manage it. You, as always, will be the first to know.