How do you sum up a lifetime love of film? Simply put, you don’t. However, this is my attempt to publish a few words on a semi-regular basis about my feelings for what has indeed been a lifetime infatuation. I wasn’t the kid who grew up and surrounded himself with people, pushing for as much time as I could have in the spotlight. Nope, that wasn’t me. My happy place was in front of the glow of a television screen or in a movie theater. Soda and candy weren’t necessary. All I needed were the moving images and sounds on screen to hold me captive for a couple hours, or longer if I were lucky. I would scrounge together as much money as I could and go on movie-hunting trips. My younger brother and I, who shared our love for film would go to the local movie store and shuffle through the seemingly endless selection of what could be our next big purchase. We would show off our findings to one another, and go home to place our purchases on old dusty bookshelves. Late into the night, we would enjoy watching films. My alarm clock would be set for 3:00AM so that I could go to my Dad’s office in the basement where we had cable television and a VCR so that I could record the classic Disney film of the night, featured in the “Vault Disney” line of programming that used to be aired on the Disney Channel. Ya, those were the good old days.
In a moment of honesty, I should note that not much has changed. I talk about this as if it were something I used to do. My wife can certainly attest to my continued love for the art form of film and the collection that graces the bookshelves in our room.
What is it about film that I am so enamored with? I think its a mix of nostalgia, good storytelling, and pure wonder at how these magician filmmakers do what they do. I think it is human nature to be drawn to something that seems magical, that accomplishes something that holds us tightly in that feeling of astonishment and curiosity.
My taste has always been wide, and over time I have explored more and more within the world of film. I grew up on classic Disney films, Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, and Frank Darabont. In more recent years I have come to appreciate the work of Clint Eastwood, the Coen Brothers, and Christopher Nolan. Of course that doesn’t even begin to do justice to the list I could create.
In companionship with my love for film, I have held great interest in television and literature. I have spent countless hours obsessing over the work of Rod Serling’s “The Twilight Zone”, and reading over and over again, the words of Harper Lee’s literary masterpiece, “To Kill a Mockingbird“.
My hope here is to shed some light on my thoughts on film, television, literature, and other things that I have an interest in, and to draw in good conversation about the topic at hand. This really is essentially “The World According to David B. Harrington”. I invite all comments that you as the reader have, and hope that you will feel that you can share openly and honestly, because to me that is part of the magic of the arts, the freedom of expression.
-David B. Harrington
