Rating: 
Summary: The Journey Continues
Review: Stuart Voytilla's "Myth and the Movies" is a must read for anyone interested in screenwriting, story telling, or simply enjoying movies. Standing on the broad shoulders of Joseph Campbell, Christopher Vogler, and others who have demonstrated how mythology is used, Voytilla brings fresh insight and clarity to the subject. Voytilla's effort is painstaking and enormous. "Myth and the Movies" explores the mythological structure of 50 great and familiar films. Voytilla's vision is clear and precise--demonstrating a great mastery of the art form as well as possessing a lucid and incisive writing style. Voytilla's book is better than any graduate film school curriculum. Best of all, the author wastes no time focusing on non-essential elements. He cuts straight to the chase and doesn't let up throughout this marvelously insightful tome. If you want to learn how to write a story more efficiently, or even if you simply wish to derive more pleasure from watching films at your neighborhood theater, "Myth and the Movies" should be at the top of your reading list. Stuart Voytilla has written a masterpiece for all who are interested in film--whether novice, pro, or fan.
Rating:
Summary: The Journey Continues
Review: Stuart Voytilla's "Myth and the Movies" is a must read for anyone interested in screenwriting, story telling, or simply enjoying movies. Standing on the broad shoulders of Joseph Campbell, Christopher Vogler, and others who have demonstrated how mythology is used, Voytilla brings fresh insight and clarity to the subject. Voytilla's effort is painstaking and enormous. "Myth and the Movies" explores the mythological structure of 50 great and familiar films. Voytilla's vision is clear and precise--demonstrating a great mastery of the art form as well as possessing a lucid and incisive writing style. Voytilla's book is better than any graduate film school curriculum. Best of all, the author wastes no time focusing on non-essential elements. He cuts straight to the chase and doesn't let up throughout this marvelously insightful tome. If you want to learn how to write a story more efficiently, or even if you simply wish to derive more pleasure from watching films at your neighborhood theater, "Myth and the Movies" should be at the top of your reading list. Stuart Voytilla has written a masterpiece for all who are interested in film--whether novice, pro, or fan.
Rating:
Summary: Myth-ter Voytilla Reels in Central Storytelling Concepts
Review: Stuart Voytilla's analysis of 50 films is incredible. People who are critics of myth as story structure's basic building blocks will find themselves amazed at how brilliantly Voytilla structurally disects such ungraphable movies as Almodovar's WOMEN ON THE VERGE...! Voytilla has structured it so you need not read the book from beginning to end, just flip to whatever movie structure interests you. The chapters are separated by genre, which makes referencing easy. A MUST HAVE reference book for storytellers of all kinds-- especially young filmmakers.
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Gift
Review: Stuart Voytilla's book "Myth and the Movies" is the ultimate gift to a writer. As a recent student of Voytilla's I can't even being to explain how helpful this book was in developing my screenwriting skills. I highly recommend this book to writers of all ages and levels.
Rating: 
Summary: OK for the perceptually challenged.
Review: The "information" contained in this book as well as its
close relative, Vogler's 'The Writer's Journey, may be of use to some readers and aspiring writers, but it should not be
mistaken for "knowledge"--the internalized recognition of
patterns and archetypes acquired as a result of experiencing the
original texts. It was only AFTER I had noticed repeated themes and
structures in The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Beowulf, The Divine Comedy,
Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, Heart of Darkness that the similar
discoveries of great teachers like Freud, Jung, Weston, Frazer, and
Campbell confirmed a sense of the unity (despite the arguments of the
post-structuralists) of human experience and great literature. Soon
it became impossible not to see "It's a Wonderful Life" and
"The Maltese Falcon" as anything other than variations of
the same story. And now we've got these patterns codified and
reduced to skeletal formula, empty maps practically offered as
surrogates for the actual experience itself. I seriously question if
the consumer of these reductive catalogs and outlines will, like
Coleridge's Mariner, emerge "sadder but wiser" or, like
Conrad's Marlowe, glimpse the underlying "horror" of
civilization in all its irony and mystery. In sum: Reader's Digest
culture for the new age.
Rating:
Summary: OK for the perceptually challenged.
Review: The "information" contained in this book as well as itsclose relative, Vogler's 'The Writer's Journey, may be of use to some readers and aspiring writers, but it should not bemistaken for "knowledge"--the internalized recognition ofpatterns and archetypes acquired as a result of experiencing theoriginal texts. It was only AFTER I had noticed repeated themes andstructures in The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Beowulf, The Divine Comedy,Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, Heart of Darkness that the similardiscoveries of great teachers like Freud, Jung, Weston, Frazer, andCampbell confirmed a sense of the unity (despite the arguments of thepost-structuralists) of human experience and great literature. Soonit became impossible not to see "It's a Wonderful Life" and"The Maltese Falcon" as anything other than variations ofthe same story.And now we've got these patterns codified andreduced to skeletal formula, empty maps practically offered assurrogates for the actual experience itself. I seriously question ifthe consumer of these reductive catalogs and outlines will, likeColeridge's Mariner, emerge "sadder but wiser" or, likeConrad's Marlowe, glimpse the underlying "horror" ofcivilization in all its irony and mystery.In sum: Reader's Digestculture for the new age.
Rating:
Summary: Enlightening and entertaining
Review: This spring along side the adventurous movie block-busters, I experienced an excellent guide to movie aesthetics and structure. The book 'Myth and the Movies' by Stuart Voytilla; Sheridan Books 1999, is an exquisite taste of film memorabilia.
From its opening paragraphs on the mythical hero's journey, to the archetypes and breakdown of over 50 block-buster movies; this book really focuses on film structure and paradigm.
All genres are covered, from the Western to the Action Adventure (the Action Adventure being the one with a golbal appeal), its all in the book.
I strongly recommend this book as a learning tool or guide to every serious film student.
Respectfully,
Mikey Jay / film student 'San Diego State University'
May 28, 2003
Rating:
Summary: Enlightening and entertaining
Review: This spring along side the adventurous movie block-busters, I experienced an excellent guide to movie aesthetics and structure. The book 'Myth and the Movies' by Stuart Voytilla; Sheridan Books 1999, is an exquisite taste of film memorabilia.
From its opening paragraphs on the mythical hero's journey, to the archetypes and breakdown of over 50 block-buster movies; this book really focuses on film structure and paradigm.
All genres are covered, from the Western to the Action Adventure (the Action Adventure being the one with a golbal appeal), its all in the book.
I strongly recommend this book as a learning tool or guide to every serious film student.
Respectfully,
Mikey Jay / film student 'San Diego State University'
May 28, 2003
Rating:
Summary: There's no myth about this book!
Review: What does it take to put a move together? A director, a producer, a cast of well-known actors and actresses, and a script, right? Are all movie structured the same? Myth and the Movies may help to answer some of these questions.Using 50 very famous films the author attempt to show that every movie follows a pattern or as the author calls it " the hero's journey". After reading this and renting a couple of the movies, the author may be onto something. Voytilla uses horror, war, drama, romance, comedy, science fiction, action, adventure, western and thriller films to illustrate his point, and he does this extremely well. Voytilla presents clear and convincing facts to back up his claims. The book is a valuable reference for those interested in screenwriting, becoming a playwright or the theatre in general. After reading this book you might even be tempted to take a shot at creating a myth or two of your own.
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