A perfect end to a day? Watching Midnight in Paris with my husband. I know it wasn't his favorite movie--but he sat through it, pausing the movie every now and then so I could record quotes I found insightful. In fact the title of this post is adapted from a quote in the movie by the character who plays Hemingway. He states (regarding Farewell to Arms), "It was a good book because it was an honest book..."
The movie is a nice blend of honesty, longing, and intellect. Not only is the script tasteful and the camera shots beautiful, but I love the romance behind the film. I loved Owen Wilson's character--a writer and a dreamer. I'm sure many writers identify with his character. I've always had big dreams...when I was a 17 year-old, I longed for city streets, for the stage by night, and poetry by day. I pictured myself in the plots of Kerouac books, meeting interesting people who spoke in poems. And in college when I realized I couldn't make it as a full-time actress, I planned on teaching to support my writing habits. That was when I scrawled lines on napkins, in the margins of newspapers, on coffee sleeves, and anything else that would absorb ink. Now as a teacher, I start every class period with writing---and when I transition students from journaling to class time, I can't help but smile at the students who continue to madly finish their lines as I begin teaching the day's lesson wishing secretly that I too was writing.
I digress. I loved Midnight in Paris. When it ended, I went back to the scene where Gil (Owen Wilson) first meets Hemingway....that conversation is so saturated with priceless lines...I'll end with my favorite from Hemingway: "No subject is terrible if the story is true, if the prose is clean and honest, and if it affirms courage and grace under pressure."So beautiful. Bottom line: pick up a copy of Midnight in Paris, and if you're a literary nerd like me--you might as well just buy a copy because you won't want to return your Netflix rental!
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