I found the presentations on the film Word Play very interesting. I have never been one for crossword puzzles but I found this documentary intriguing. The film was an official selection in the Sundance Film Festival’s Documentary Competition in 2006. It was directed by Patrick Creadon.
Before the presentations in class I had never really had any interest in crossword puzzles, or known much about them. It was interesting to learn that they have an odd number of boxes on each edge and that it’s supposed to look the same no matter which direction you turn it. It was also fascinating to learn that at least sixty-six percent of the puzzles are white space.
I really liked Corbin’s idea about the crosswords. I found it interesting that they can be used to help patients that may be developing Alzheimer’s or suffering from mental degradation. I had known for a while that puzzles could help keep one’s mind active. I have even seen video games advertised to help adults keep their mind sharp. But Corbin made a good point when he said crosswords are free. All you have to do is pick up a newspaper. It does not even matter if you finish the entire puzzle, but just the mental workout alone is enough to keep your brain working.
I also found it interesting how they interviewed celebrity crossword puzzlers for this film. I definitely would not have expected John Stewart or Bill Clinton to be in a film about crossword puzzles. I found that I approach crossword puzzles in the same way as Bill Clinton. When working on a crossword puzzle I start with the clues I know and try to fill in the puzzle from there.
I also enjoyed hearing from the pianist about his experiences with crossword puzzles and how he compared them to reading a piece of music for the first time. When he approaches a puzzle he looks at it in the same way he looks at a new piece of music. He analyzes the puzzle word by word, letter by letter, just as he would pick apart a piece of music note by note. As a musician myself I can relate to this and understand how he looks at the music and the crossword puzzles.
I also had no idea that an American Crossword Puzzle Tournament existed. It was interesting to meet the characters and see how crossword puzzles play a part in their lives. Each year over 500 crossword puzzlers meet in Connecticut for the tournament. The tournament started in 1978 and has been going strong ever since. The tournament is celebrating its twenty-ninth anniversary and Will Shortz is the director of the tournament.
As I said earlier I have never been one for crossword puzzles. I’ve dabbled in word finds, word scrambles, and some others but I have never been an avid player. I have older family members that do crosswords from numerous newspapers religiously. Perhaps I will start soon in order to keep my mind as sharp as theirs.