...once upon a time

National Storytelling Week was Feb 1st - Feb 8th.
And it made me think about how stories come to us from all directions, not just from between the pages of books. Although I'm constantly reading, I wanted to share some of the best stories I've seen and experienced over the past few months, not just read.

There's an age old debate over whether a book or movie is better. Frankly, I don't think you have to choose.

When an actor conveys a story, it's like seeing a book brought to life. Which is exactly how I felt when watching Little Women in December. There are so many adaptions of Louisa May Alcott's book, and I've seen them all, but there is something uniquely special about this one. It felt like I was experiencing the story anew through the eyes of each individual character, and emoting with them all! An amazing feat on behalf of the actors, and the director, Greta Gerwig, (with whom I am now obsessed!)

If you've ever walked out of a cinema feeling strangely bewildered to find that you are still in our own realm and time, because a film just transported you so thoroughly into a world that had until now only existed on paper and in your imagination - then you'll understand how I felt after watching Little Women!

This is one of my favourite classic novels, and to see such a convincing recreation made my heart swell.

It left me waiting with bated breath to see another of my favourite books brought to life in April this year, The Secret Garden originally written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I'm in love with the 1993 adaption. It's nostalgic; made the year I was born, and re-watched every spring when I get the itch for being out in nature and hoping I might stumble upon a secret door behind some ivy.

Ballet is another form of story telling that I love. Having come from a theatre background myself, I'm intrigued by dancers' ability to tell stories without words. In September last year, I saw Matthew Bourne's Romeo + Juliet at The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury. Set in a mental institution, it's told from a fresh and fantastic new perspective. I was unable to look away.

Another adaption I enjoyed at the end of last year was a BBC series, His Dark Materials.
I appreciated the extra details that a tv series over a film allowed for. My family watched this together over the festive period, and we've all read the books by Phillip Pullman, so there was much discussion about how it measured up. Admittedly, small indescrepencies irked me, but overall the series was magical and detailed. I recommend watching if you have not done so already - especially to those who have read the books.

If there's a story out there that you want to read, watch or experience, but that doesn't yet exist, I suggest writing it. The dependable pen and paper are the original tools of story telling (unless we count cave drawings). Without new authors and voices, no new stories would be contributed to the world. So please, read, write, listen and pass stories on.

The End...

~ Zuzu
find me on Facebook @zuzuspages