The Big Influencer — Stagecoach
on January 31st, 2012 at 6:00 amNo big spoiler here, but there is a pretty big chase scene in The Way of the Sword and Gun, and aside from being a whole heckuva lotta fun to write, the scene is a great example of how other media can influence a writer’s work. A few people, especially those who have heard me pitch The Malja Chronicles as “Xena meets Mad Max,” might logically conclude that the big chase scene is heavily influenced by the big gas truck chase in The Road Warrior. And they would be both 100% right and 100% wrong.
See, that phenomenal bit of SF movie action is wonderful (and still holds pretty well today) and without a doubt, inspired the idea for the big chase in my book. However, the scene in the Mad Max movie is itself inspired by another film, one that I happen to watch not knowing the connection. That movie is Stagecoach.
Stagecoach is an old, black & white western starring John Wayne and directed by the incomparable John Ford. One evening during the planning stage of The Way of the Sword and Gun, I decided to watch this film. I have always been a big Clint Eastwood western fan and never cared much for John Wayne, but I also never gave John Wayne that much of a try. Couple that with the fact that the movie Stagecoach is referred to as one of the all-time greats by many living all-time greats (such as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Francis Ford Coppola), I figured I should check it out.
And what do I find?
There’s a crucial, exciting, and huge chase scene. While watching it, I recognized this movie as the source material not only of The Road Warrior, but just about any big action chase scene. It made me rethink my little chase scene, look closer at the rhythm of the scene, and add elements that I think turned the whole piece into an exciting, action-packed experience.
Besides revealing some source material here, I wanted to bring this up because it illustrates the way multiple influences can layer atop each other. In this case, The Road Warrior and Stagecoach. But those are only the ones I’m conscious of in this regard. Considering the far-reaching influence Stagecoach has had on film-makers and storytellers, I wouldn’t be surprised if my scene enjoyed deeper connections that I’m not entirely aware of on the conscious level.
Point is — even when we know why we do things in the work we create, we don’t always know.