Oh, sure, one will rise to the surface occasionally to garner an Oscar and spark respectable returns at the box office, but these are the exception. In general, the majority of recent films are little more than pitiful attempts to cash in on salacious storylines, on explicit sex scenes, on special effects, on computer animation... elements that may well lure the sensation-seekers into the theater, but which are nevertheless sadly lacking in the basic essentials like a good dramatic script, memorable characterization and above all, good production values - and by that I mean a camera that is firmly planted on a tripod to record images that do not annoy and disorient the viewer by being out-of-focus and poorly composed, as well as editing that allows a scene to remain in view long enough to be identified and not be totally confusing like most TV commercials.

I suspect when film historians of the future look back, they will realize that films in the first half of the 20th century were infinitely superior to most produced during the second fifty years. There may have been major technical improvements as the millennium approached, but these have taken over at the expense of solid dramatic content. Too many of the 90's movies violate all the basic rules of cinematography with blurred imagery, impossibly fast editing and confusing visual continuity.

Frankly the bulk of the industry's recent output has been pitifully lacking in quality, both in writing as well as directing and good production value. This criticism includes major studio productions as well as the so-called independent attempts, most of which are contemptibly amateurish efforts that rely on excessive publicity to drag the public into the box office. Witness the current "Blair Witch" project which is pitiful in every way, a sickening example of what a movie should NOT be......

If by now you're thinking that I have become totally disenchanted with movies, you're right. I have been for several decades. This is understandable when you take into account the fact that I grew up watching films made during the golden era of Hollywood - that era which gave the world such glorious epics as "Gone With The Wind"....."Casablanca"..... and "Singin' in the Rain"... to quote examples from three different genres.

No wonder they call it "the golden era"... that glorious period ruled by screen immortals such as Bette Davis, Spencer Tracy, Cary Grant and their contemporaries... when films were guided to immortality by such men as William Wyler, Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean, Billy Wilder and other directors whose talents by far exceeded any of today's graduates from film school who have the gall to precede the credits with the revoltingly pretentious phrase "A Film by So-and-so." (The credits on all films today verge on the ridiculous with listings of individuals who have nothing to do with the creative process. Why should the nurse be listed? Or the accountant? )

Let us not overlook the fact that while the director guides the actors through their paces, without the writer, there would be no film for a director to claim credit for. The basic foundation of any and every film is the script, yet today it would seem the bulk of the praise is lavished on the director. Certainly the director makes a valuable contribution, but were it not for the writer's imagination, talent and perseverance, there would be no story for the director to play with; and it is so often regrettable that the writer's words are changed, ignored or otherwise violated by a director who considers his ideas better, or an egotistical actor who feels he can ad-lib a better line that the one the writer labored over for hours...

I remember sitting in a darkened theater when I was (I think) five years old, and watching Erich Von Stroheim in "Greed." It was, for those who need to brush up on their film history, a silent film. As I grew, so did my appetite for films, which now had sound tracks. During my school years, I think I went to a movie almost every day. A matinee, of course. Unlike today, kids in the 30's and 40's were not allowed to attend a movie at night unless accompanied by an adult. At least not where I came from...

My writing career began when I was twelve, and my imagination was kindled by the wonderful movies I viewed back then... films with solid storylines about human rlationships and good dramatic structure. Plus, films back then featured true actors and actresses in the leading roles, not graduates from television whose names and faces are destined to be soon forgotten. Having grown up viewing some of the finest films ever made, is it any wonder that I have become so disgusted with the pap that Hollywood is spewing forth today? Frankly, it should be called "Horrorwood"... The movie moguls are no longer interested, as Louis Mayer was when I worked at MGM, in producing a good movie. They're only interested in how many millions it will make the first week...

Being a writer for over 60 years, both of scripts and books, I feel a great sadness for those who are trying desperately to break into the hallowed halls where film producers hang out. It is little short of a miracle today for a beginning writer to have his script sold. Unless you know someone who can funnel your screenplay into the right hands, it is most unlikely that it will ever sell. I know from experience. I've worked with a literary agency for nine years, pitching some outstanding scripts, none of which have ever sold. When I see what is playing at the local cinema, my heart bleeds...

Certainly if your script sells, and gets made by a competent director and your film winds up achieving great success, the rewards can be staggering. No wonder so many reach out for the brass ring. Many of my young screenwriting students at Richland College in Dallas often voice their belief that after they write a script, it will sell and overnight they'll be rich and famous ... Yeah, man, that's a real cool ambition...but I cringe every time I hear this because it probably will never come about. And believe me, I've heard it dozens of times.

My experience, and the way the industry is going, only make me more firmly convinced that writing movies is not the way for this veteran scribe to continue in future. In fact, I am working toward a lifelong ambition - to move back to Europe, find a cottage on a small Greek island where I shall sit and write nothing but books for the rest of my life. I've always preferred writing books, all 92 of 'em so far. But write more movie scripts? No, thanks. I've spent enough time doing that, and my nerves have been frazzled enough to ever want to continue...

Preston Index

Harry Preston, a veteran author/screenwriter, formerly with MGM in Hollywood, now lives in Garland, a suburb of Dallas, where he teaches screenwriting at Richland College and works closely with the Texas film and literary communities. His web site