Tag Archive - Strictly Ballroom

Universal Themes That Can Be Found in Movies

Here’s another post I wrote ten years ago on theme. Enjoy!

I can’t resist talking about my favorite movie—well, my entire family’s favorite movie. We have to get our fix, watching Strictly Ballroom, nearly every time we’re all home for a weekend. Although we can mouth and act out every line (can’t quite master all the dance steps yet!), we never tire of this movie. We sit, absolutely transfixed, as we watch Francesca and Scott dance the Paso Doble.

There are a few movies that hold the same fascination for me—and they all have one thing in common—great themes.

Themes That Recur throughout the Story

Despite the variety of genre, style, writing, and tone, these movies have a recurring universal theme that drives and weaves through the story. Authors can learn a lot from movies, but it’s important to look beyond the spoken word—the dialogue presented—to see what’s really going on.

And that’s what happens in a great book. The universal themes waver just below the surface, occasionally rearing their heads when a character voices a question or makes a choice. Continue Reading…