Remembering Ernest Lehman- a screenwriting genius

All too often, the general public overlooks the contributions to cinema of those who are not actors or directors. In 2004, the film world lost Jerry Goldsmith, one of the cinema's greatest composers with works ranging from "Planet of the Apes" to "Hoosiers." In 2005, Ernest Lehman, a screenwriter who penned the screenplays for such classic films as "North by Northwest," "The Sound of Music" and "West Side Story" passed away at age 89. One of the directors he most collaborated with, Robert Wise, also died in 2005 at the age of 95. All too often, screenwriters get overlooked except at Oscar-time. Therefore, I was delighted to hear that the American Film Institute in Washington DC is showing a retrospective of his films, including the intriguing "Family Plot" (1976) which was also the last film that alfred Hitchcock directed. For those of us who are not near DC, and being in Colorado at the moment, I am quite far from there, these films can be enjoyed on DVD. I have yet to see some of his films myself and look forward to having that chance. Alas, i must profess that I opted to see an experimental filmmaker, whose work is very interesting, instead of listening to Lehman speak at a Va. Film Fest screening of "North by Northwest"  a few years ago. I guess for such reasons, I can make a new Year's resolution to seek out those people who have contributed so much to our culture- and to our overall lives- who alas may not be with us much longer.

The American Film Institute's web site is:

http://www.afi.org

(I hope!)