Why Hollywood Relies On Great Short
Story Writers
by Ronald Borst
Written in the late hours of December
4, 2013
American Hollywood,
movies around the clock, is the epitome of excess, but the movie
business is actually dependent upon somewhat meager avenues.
Short story writers,
is what Hollywood really relies on, and John Cheever's “The
Swimmer,” an American classic, is one example. The fiction short,
and the movie, are easily found in the American pop culture, woven in
like the seams on a baseball.
Cheever wrote the
story in 1964, and in line with its quality, it is also very
literate. It has words I have to look up, and in regard to the class
in which the story was assigned, word knowledge is a hobby as well as
a commodity.
The story's writing
is not what I would consider “highbrow,” no, the language is
“educated.” The first looked-up words encountered in the reading,
especial and cassock, lend credence to this, as they appear in the
first minute of reading. And the story's history speaks for itself.
Regarded as a classic piece, and revered.
The movie, on the
other hand, did not receive the same sort of acclaim. But it is a
worthy effort, considering Hollywood's tendency to rewrite stories
for its own glory. Money is the reason for that rewriting fact, of
course.
But what is so
special about The Swimmer, that warrants a movie?
Well, if we continue
examining the text, more than just “educated language” becomes
apparent. The opening stanza, with its hangover hanging on everyone,
gets the distress going right away. Hangovers are hell, and this
point sets the tone. We get more than that from Cheever, however. The
scene explodes into vivid imagery once the reader has knowledge of
the priest's cassock, his clothing. This simple description, of a drunken and struggling-with-his-oversized-clothes priest, is telling. The point is taken easily by the reader. Good writers do this often. Great writers do it relentlessly.
This point is
obviously so beautifully written that Hollywood HAD to come
investigate. Meaning, they found a story, written with a palpable
heartbeat, that Hollywood considers a “moneymaker.”
But not every great
story can be made into a movie, so what, in addition to the initial
beauty, makes Cheever's classic short, a classic Hollywood flick?
The plot itself,
along with the intense “self-reckoning” the movie presents, is a
start to explaining Hollywood's love affair with great short stories.
In my own time, another American writer's short story, was made into
a movie. That story had self-reckoning too, and coming-of-age, which
Hollywood also adores. That story was “The Body” by Stephen King,
and the Rob Reiner directed movie was Stand By Me, filmed partially
in my home state of Oregon.
That brings us back
to The Swimmer, and its anticipated visual beauty. The story also has
scenes like “The Body,” with the concept of a constant swim to
visit old friends, a seemingly no brainer to adapt to the screen.
With its constantly changing, but strangely similar scenes, the story
is a perfect set-up for the movie medium.
In regard to the
writing, Cheever's extensive use of crisp English, with words such as
“especial” and “stertorously,” make the scenes dramatic and
ultra-realistic. The writing is so good, that the reader can “see”
Ned Merrill, long before any actor ever tried to breathe
stertorously.
This quality itself,
the way Cheever presents the story, the way the dialogue flows, is
attractive to Hollywood, because the material has already proven
desirable. And desire gets people spending money.
Money is what
Hollywood is about, but fiction writing is not. How does both
businesses handle each other? In the case of Cheever's story, there
isn't a lot to handle in the way of trueness. Interpreting Cheever
means, at the core, just read. Authors, meanwhile, also are sticklers
about accurate detail, and as long as Hollywood complies, generally,
authors are reasonable, much like a correct adaption.
And money is what
the fiction short is. Money in the bank, with scenes like Ned
floating graciously down a bannister early on in the story, and self
portraits like “a vague and modest idea of himself as a legendary
figure,” lend a certain visual quality that just seems to look good
on the big screen. Cheever's choice of words, repeatedly shows up in
The Swimmer, as larger than life, but oddly, the words are also
simply perfect descriptions.
This “perfect
description,” is a Hollywood dream, because reproducing stories
that are written with such sharp focus and precise exposition, means
much work is already done. The reader has been caught, essentially.
Keeping that reader on the line, translates into paying attention to
Cheever's detail, and reproducing it eloquently and accurately.
Good stories have
tension, and The Swimmer has the best, which only translates to
another solid reason why the flick folks love this kind of writing.
Take the “breach” early on, when the main character, Ned Merrill,
is thrown off-course by an empty swimming pool. This tension is
dramatically appealing, and visually contrasting, both endearing
qualities of an adapted fiction short story.
Stephen King once
said, “Description begins in the writer's head, but should finish
in the reader's.”
King hits the nail
on the head, and in Cheever's story, this if not learned voluntarily,
is learned forcibly. What this means is, that any level of reader
could see the depth of field in The Swimmer, as a vast panorama. In
extraordinary fashion, the description indeed does finish in the
reader's head. The people who make movies are not lost on this ease
of delivery. And those filmmakers are hungry, chomping at the bit, to
relay that vision to you, in an hour and a half big screen movie,
their own forte of course.
Even though The
Swimmer is SHORT fiction, a feature length movie is well within the
implied time expanse, since the many scenes and often encounters,
however brief, lead to a movie full of artsy landscapes and complex
critical thought.
The roller coaster
of emotion, is one of Hollywood top-standard, and how the scene
reaches a valley, out there on the Route 424, with Cheever's main
character “close to naked and waiting to cross.” If we examine
Cheever's passage here, what a scene it is. The drama and tension
here, in the words, is as vivid as a dream that one wants to go back
to sleep for. And in extraordinary(especial) fashion, Cheever leads
the reader deeper down the well, with Ned Merril having “no dignity
or humor to bring to the situation.”
It is the stuff
literary elite salivate over, and Cheever doesn't disappoint in any
fashion, nor at any time whatsoever. Anyone who claims a fiction
short is not feature film material, might not have read this story.
Anyone who thinks likewise AFTER reading this story, might not have a
pulse. The Swimmer brims with luminous scene, elegant grammar, and
captivating character study. Publishers, literary agents, and writers
themselves, all strive for this kind of status, this kind of
credibility. The Swimmer is not only believable, it is beautiful. It
is the essence of verisimilitude.
As Hollywood is
known for over-the-top productions, it is also known for its creative
force. There are simply some in the movie world, who want to turn
great stories into great movies.
After reading The
Swimmer, can anybody blame them?
Cheever's story, written in 1964, and the accompanying movie from '68, are a positive literary and film experience. I encourage all to take in both.
Attribution:
“The Swimmer” by
John Cheever (1964)
“The Body” by Stephen King (1982)
The Swimmer,
Columbia Pictures (1968)
Personal
reflection about fiction short stories and personal tastes regarding
movies
General
knowledge of the film industry and American film appetite
Turner Classic
Movies,
www.tcm.com, used for
reference and perspective, unquoted
“On Writing: A
Memoir of the Craft” by Stephen King (2000), used for writing tips
and perspective
Linn
Benton Community College, ENGLISH 104: Short Fiction, Instructor Jed
Wyman, Fall 2013
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