Bend It Like Beckham
In his introduction to "McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales" award-winning, acclaimed writer Michael Chabon bemoans the apparent demise of the short story by suggesting the reason for thus is the average reader, who no longer knows how to have fun reading a short story.
While I agree with this I would suggest this be taken a step further: Not only does the average reader no longer know how to have fun reading a short story but the average writer no longer knows how to have fun writing a short story.
Let me now take this a step further: What goes for literature goes for the cinema as well.
Which may go to explain the slow death of the Hollywood Machine. For a number of years the denizens of the Hollywood Machine have demonstrated, without fail, that they do not know how to tell a good story. The reason for this is simple: Because they do not know how to tell a short story. They do not know how to tell a short story because they do not know how to have fun telling a short story. It is far better, they might suggest, to preach and teach than to merely entertain. After all, entertainment, in and of itself, holds no true value or merit.
Oh, really? Then explain why it is when a film or movie comes along, a film or movie built around a good, albeit short, story, moviegoers will watch it again and again.
The reason for this? I suggest it is so simple: Because people want to have fun, and they want that fun by way of the short story.
Consider as example, as proof of this the film "Bend It Like Beckham". Superficially this film is uninspired. Anyone could have made it. But, thankfully, not just anyone did, and the 'anyone' who did came armed with, thankfully, an understanding, an appreciation, a respect, a knowledge of the short story and how to have fun with it.
That individual is director Gurinder Chadha, who is also a credited screenwriter on this delight.
But I get ahead of myself. Again, superficially this film is a teen-age coming-of-age flick. Anyone could have produced. Blessed be the fact not just anyone did. As a result we get a wonderful cinematic adventure involving a beautiful young actress of some talent, romance, sports, a wedding, two disoriented but well-intending parents, and--well, I'll leave that much to you to find out.
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