It's all about the Intro

Script Cards are nice and all, but use them wisely.

In other words, don't take one of the most interesting parts of the story, and then just show a couple of text cards about it.

I loved Hawthorne's introductory chapter. It captured my imagination and drew me into the story. And really, isn't that also what the first ten minutes of a film are supposed to do? They always tell us to show, don't tell. Well, the creators of this film version of the House of the Seven Gables tell. Then after telling, they dream up what might have happened thirty years before the beginning of the novel. And they get it all wrong.

I would have started the film with visuals of Matthew Maule's modest home by Maule's well. I would then have shown Colonel Pyncheon, the accusations, the hanging, the tearing down of Maule's home, the building of the Colonels. The curse of Maule could have been the final sequence in the montage. But no. Insead, they show nothing at all.

And yes. This is only the beginning of diversions from Hawthorne's vision.

WC: 185

Holgrave the Artist

In many ways the character of Holgrave reminds me of most artists. He carries his work with him wherever he goes. He has it in his pocket, ready to whip it out and read it to whoever will listen. He will take any job that puts bread on the table and allows him to do his work. I found it very appropriate that no matter what job Holgrave took, he stayed the same. For the artist, the manner of the work is of little consequence. It is a means to an end. The artist will take nearly any job in order to fund their art. If only, if only, the artist could get paid for doing the work he loves. For his real job lies not in his education; it is in his art.

A good artist does his research. And my, but has Holgrave done his research. Somehow he seems to know a lot about the Pyncheons and the Maules, perhaps more than any living member of either family. He has taken up residence in the center of all the drama. He is here to observe, to document.

The daguerreotypist's interest in Clifford is a very interesting one. He observes Clifford closely; perhaps he is taking notes for characterization for his story. For Holgrave, as with any artist, the world around him, and the people around him, are extremely interesting. And who wouldn't enjoy a front row seat into the drama of the Pyncheons. Crazy people are just insanely interesting. I can't blame Holgrave for being curious.

Lastly, and here my rambling ends, there is a power in Holgrave's work, a power that every writer wishes to have. We all would like to mesmerize our audience, though perhaps not to the degree that Holgrave captures Phoebe. On second thought, I take that back; the power to hypnotize as such would be quite incredible, so long as we are not merely putting our subjects to sleep.

WC: 326