There’s something to be said about writing, in that it’s not something you can just automatically sit down and do. Okay, so there are some people that can do it, but not everyone. If it’s your sole job, and sole source of income, then yes – maybe you can absolutely do that. But for the rest of us, it’s quite a different process. I’ve been thinking since my last post about what gets me to write – what inspires me. And a lot of the times besides reading, it’s movies that really get my imagination going.
Being named Walter, a favorite movie growing up was Danny Kay’s ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty‘ from 1947. It was something I could watch as a kid, and enjoy a laugh. Danny Kay always captured the viewer’s imagination, so this role endeared him to many, myself included.
I was quite wary when I heard they were going to remake the movie, because typically remakes are soulless, corporate cookie-cutter patterns for maximizing profit. Many in the entertainment community have strayed away from the thought of entertainment and stayed in the realm of maximizing profit. That’s why there may be good movies here and there, but not behind every curtain. A movie is supposed to capture your imagination. Inspire you. Make you look at the world differently. But today, many movies are the exact opposite; just a 120-minute diversion from the mundanity of life.
That’s what made Ben Stiller’s ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ so very, very different. You saw Stiller’s portrayal of Mitty as someone like yourself (or at least I did), sitting in a sterile environment, wanting something, but never taking a chance. I won’t give away the movie (though it’s been out nearly four years; if you haven’t seen it, you should!), but I want to say the setting of Life Magazine was perfect. Walter Mitty worked at Life, but he wasn’t experiencing life – until he finally took the chance.
For me, the quote that originally came from Thurber’s short story and then adapted for the movie is the epitome of what it is to be alive – what it is to not just live life but to experience it.
To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.
Beautiful. Just beautiful! Not to mention inspiring!
