An Idea For A Pool Movie

mnorwood

mnorwood

Moon
Silver Member
I am a movie buff and someone who likes a good story. Occasionally I have an idea for a story but never take the time to write it. Off and on there is talk on this board about the next great pool movie. Today I started thinking about the movie the Red Violin. If you have never watched it you should. Its the story of a violin from the time that it was made through the time that is auctioned off in modern times. The movie chronicles what happens to the different people that possessed it. I think it would be interesting to have a movie that chronicles the life of a pool cue. Start the movie by showing a tree being cut dow and the cue being made and then the rest of the story could be a summary of the pool world for the last 70 years. It could examine the lives of very different people who own the cue with it having some roll in important aspects of these people's lives. It would be a nice switch from the attempts to equal the Walter Tevis movies.
 
Interesting concept and it it was a good movie. Could use or pretend to use one of those unfinished Gus splices. I'm not sure pool players has patience for the same type of movie. They want action but it sounds interesting. Would the end be a Gus up for auction? Would it be real? Well OK get started I'd want to watch it if it was anywhere near as good as the Red Violin. It would be a much better offering than any recent pool movies.

Rod
 
great idea, sir.

although it would take a tremendous effort to make audience realize the value of the cue, as to the Red Violin, music is a global language/art, while pool is not so appreciated. and it would also require a stunning design to the cue also, and a long list of pool legends.
 
mnorwood said:
I am a movie buff and someone who likes a good story. Occasionally I have an idea for a story but never take the time to write it. Off and on there is talk on this board about the next great pool movie. Today I started thinking about the movie the Red Violin. If you have never watched it you should. Its the story of a violin from the time that it was made through the time that is auctioned off in modern times. The movie chronicles what happens to the different people that possessed it. I think it would be interesting to have a movie that chronicles the life of a pool cue. Start the movie by showing a tree being cut dow and the cue being made and then the rest of the story could be a summary of the pool world for the last 70 years. It could examine the lives of very different people who own the cue with it having some roll in important aspects of these people's lives. It would be a nice switch from the attempts to equal the Walter Tevis movies.
Click to expand...

I think this might have some potential if it's a house cue.
 
Considering how many bad movies get made every year, this one is at least original in the pool world and would give a lot of artistic license of plot lines.

It can be a cue that is won and lost over and over and how that win or loss affects each person.
 
I like it.. write a script and send it to hollywood:grin:
 
I agree... Depression era Brunswick house cue could have seen a lot of legends, and a lot in general. You could bridge to modern times by converting it... Maybe use it's degradation and restoration as a cue-sports metaphor. Cameo shots of said cue being used in the background of replicated scenes from other pool movies... You could put enough human interest into a movie idea with such an open plot that it could be great as a movie in general and have appeal for people beyond the confines of pool rooms and forums.
 
I have not saw the Red Violin yet, so I can't say one way or the other. One thing I know for sure is if there is ever going to be a pool movie to give a good pop to pool (and a good one will) it has to have big names for the leading rolls. Johnnyt
 
LAlouie said:
And would the cue be stained with red blood?
Click to expand...

How's this?

The Blood-Red Cue - David E. Malone - Mar 16, 2002

Back in the days when the old Gods ruled amid ignorance and strife
A cue was built of sacred wood from a branch of the tree of life.
The ferrule was carved from the bone of a roc and the points were unicorn.
And the stain was made from the blood of a child who had died while being born.
The shaft was as straight as a willow wand and the tip was hard as stone,
It was leather cured from a Minotaur's hide before it was fully-grown.
There were runes upon the shoulder and the joint was silver chased
And the wrap was the silk from a golden worm with damask interlaced.
Some say it was built by one of the Gods. Some say a craftsman true.
But the maker gave his heart and soul in the birth of the blood-red cue.

I first saw the cue when money was tight and the pawnshop had some cues;
It was one of a parcel of Brunswick sticks that nobody else would use.
But I needed some cues to put on the rack... for the local bangers to try.
I was just about to throw this one out when the blood red caught my eye.
I cleaned it up with mineral oil and I could see that it was old
And something about the way it felt made me take a tighter hold...
No-one was there but the bartender Nat as I set-up a 9-ball rack
And I broke 'em up with a house-cue and then put the sucker back.
The first shot I played I felt this surge... like wild music in the night...
And my shaking hands were firm again and my eyes were clear and bright.
I ran that rack, and then again... I've never played so well.
That blood-red cue had come alive - just like a magic spell.
I took it home in trembling hands and late I pondered this...
Would my troubled conscience let me use a cue that couldn't miss?

Now I am old. I've had my time as the world's best billiard pro.
I never lost and rarely scratched, and I watched my legend grow.
But before I die I have this need to set the record straight.
My whole life has been a sham - you wouldn't want my fate.
I felt no pride when I took each prize, no pleasure when I won,
My conscience *****ed me every time when I thought what I had done.
So I found a brat called Willie who was hard-up for a cue.
I figure there's not much an Italian kid with one bad eye could do...

And if you ever come across that enchanted blood-red pole,
I'll leave it to your judgment and the scruples of your soul.
Think of this my youthful friend, if my life you would repeat,
It ain't worth the fame and fortune... because you'll be a cheat.
I'm lying here in a feather bed - but still I cannot rest.
I'm haunted by this secret that weighs heavy on my chest.
And when I die, will I rest gentle in that hearse?
And is that ancient blood-red cue a blessing... or a curse?
 
I like the idea, but I am seeing it as a kids or family movie. The cue talks, and narrates the whole story.
 
Great poem Hamster!

Regarding the movie...the cue (type, appearance, etc) is meaningless. It's just a vehicle to tell the stories of the people (in the Red Violin there was nothing special about the appearance of the violin; it looked like any other violin). It was the story about discovering how it was made (spooky suspense that was more about people - past and present - than the violin) and the otherworldly effect it had on the lives of the musicians who played it.

All things considered, it's a tough story line. It's much easier to write a story that focuses just on people. The Hustler was an all-time great movie about the struggles people encounter and the ones they make for themselves. It could have used horse-racing (Seabiscut), golf (The Greatest Game Ever Played), or anything.

Another way to look at it: Would The Greatest Game Ever Played been a better movie if it focused around a golf club? I doubt it.

In any case, Hollywood is a cut-throat, but very formulaic, business. Executives would take one look at pool-world demographics and conclude that any pool movie is a loser.

Unless, of course, Steven Spielberg plays pool.
 
mnorwood said:
I am a movie buff and someone who likes a good story. Occasionally I have an idea for a story but never take the time to write it. Off and on there is talk on this board about the next great pool movie. Today I started thinking about the movie the Red Violin. If you have never watched it you should. Its the story of a violin from the time that it was made through the time that is auctioned off in modern times. The movie chronicles what happens to the different people that possessed it. I think it would be interesting to have a movie that chronicles the life of a pool cue. Start the movie by showing a tree being cut dow and the cue being made and then the rest of the story could be a summary of the pool world for the last 70 years. It could examine the lives of very different people who own the cue with it having some roll in important aspects of these people's lives. It would be a nice switch from the attempts to equal the Walter Tevis movies.
Click to expand...

I think the movie would sprawl too much. A house cue could tell the story of everyone who uses it in a single Saturday night.

It might be a better idea to focus on a more narrow group. A pool player dies and, having been married twice, has five to six children, who then have to decide who gets his cue and case. The narrative then turns to one of the protagonists devising a murder plot when he finds out there is a cube of Kamui chalk in the cue case.
 
Interesting Movie Premise.

mnorwood said:
I am a movie buff and someone who likes a good story. Occasionally I have an idea for a story but never take the time to write it. Off and on there is talk on this board about the next great pool movie. Today I started thinking about the movie the Red Violin. If you have never watched it you should. Its the story of a violin from the time that it was made through the time that is auctioned off in modern times. The movie chronicles what happens to the different people that possessed it. I think it would be interesting to have a movie that chronicles the life of a pool cue. Start the movie by showing a tree being cut dow and the cue being made and then the rest of the story could be a summary of the pool world for the last 70 years. It could examine the lives of very different people who own the cue with it having some roll in important aspects of these people's lives. It would be a nice switch from the attempts to equal the Walter Tevis movies.
Click to expand...
I like the concept. It allows for a broad scope of movement in the story. Small vignettes that flow together. Pathos and ethos. Just like real life. Thanks for posting your thoughts.

cajunfats
 
I have the movie playing in my head right now... I wish I could translate those thoughts to photochemical right now.
 
What people fail to understand is that the Hustler was a success because of the characters and human interest. It was a story about people's choices and pool was just the backdrop. I see this story as a series of vignettes where the lives and interests of the characters intersect with the path of the cue. The appearance of the cue would be irrelevant. A brunswick titleist would do and I like the idea of it becoming a conversion at one point in the story. The cue could evolve with the times.
 
mnorwood said:
What people fail to understand is that the Hustler was a success because of the characters and human interest. It was a story about people's choices and pool was just the backdrop. I see this story as a series of vignettes where the lives and interests of the characters intersect with the path of the cue. The appearance of the cue would be irrelevant. A brunswick titleist would do and I like the idea of it becoming a conversion at one point in the story. The cue could evolve with the times.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure of the chronology here, but I envisioned a cue made around 1918-19, right at the pool boom. Following the cue and its story from the first peak, first decline, second small peak/decline, and recent history, with the conversion after the second peak. It sounds so dry typing the words out, but it's damn entertaining in my head, I'll tell you that :p
 
mnorwood said:
I am a movie buff and someone who likes a good story. Occasionally I have an idea for a story but never take the time to write it. Off and on there is talk on this board about the next great pool movie. Today I started thinking about the movie the Red Violin. If you have never watched it you should. Its the story of a violin from the time that it was made through the time that is auctioned off in modern times. The movie chronicles what happens to the different people that possessed it. I think it would be interesting to have a movie that chronicles the life of a pool cue. Start the movie by showing a tree being cut dow and the cue being made and then the rest of the story could be a summary of the pool world for the last 70 years. It could examine the lives of very different people who own the cue with it having some roll in important aspects of these people's lives. It would be a nice switch from the attempts to equal the Walter Tevis movies.
Click to expand...

I don't remember the name of the show but one episode was about an evil pool cue. Who ever owned and played with it ended up killing someone. Anybody remember that show? It was sort of like "Amazing stories" or something.
 
Last edited:
Reverse History Of The Cue

I like the idea. I think it would work best if the movie started with a scene with the current owner of the cue and worked it's way back to the cue maker or forest, just to put an interesting spin on the plot.
It is also best to make the story about the people who have owned the cue and not about the cue itself. The cue is just the common thread tying each of it's interesting owners stories together. I would also suggest to use a fictitious cue maker and or brand name of the cue so you don't artificially raise the value of any specific line of cues, unless McDermott, Lucasi or Meucci etc....were going to fund the movie.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top