Just by chance I picked up this collection of screenplays. Best American Screenplays, First Series was first published in 1985 but I never saw it. Then, just last week, I bought it at a Library Sale. I read the screenplays and enjoyed Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid the best. But, there are plenty of great screenplays in this volume. The Graduate by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry is a delight! I found Casablanca by Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch very moving.
How many of these movies do you remember? Do you have a favorite? GRADE: A
I’m afraid I’d be tempted to just watch the films.
Dan, you’re right. After reading these screenplays, I want to rewatch some of these movies!
I remember all of them. Looks like fun to read. MY library sale never has such gems.
Patti, since the Pandemic, Library Book Sales have been a hodgepodge. Sometimes gems, sometimes dreck.
“Arthur”? Seems like.a dubious entry in an otherwise pretty representative (although weighted in favor of ’60s and later selections) group. Goldman’s BUTCH CASSIDY screenplay also appeared from Bantam in 1969 as a paperback original.
Fred, I agree with you on ARTHUR. I was never a fan although I liked Dudley Moore (especially in 10). ARTHUR was a hit movie but it’s not as good as the other movies in this collection.
This looks like a rather arbitrary collection and about half of these entries (“Arthur ” and” On Golden Pond” in particular) are a stretch. “All Quiet-” still holds up but the screenplay is just a workmanlike adaptation, likewise “Miracle-” and I’d actually recommend the novel which is a clever, breezy read, over the film. I love “Meet John Doe” but I’d still give more credit to Capra than Riskin.
“The Graduate” is a solid enough piece of work but maybe more impressed with itself than is justified and I think Mike Nichols, while very talented, was in the right place at the right time more than anything else. Ditto “Butch Cassidy-” but William Goldman was ideed a brilliant writer.
I love, love “Casablanca” despite all its flaws and it is sadly more timely than ever but also a good reminder how populism was once an even more effective tool for progressive ideals than it is now for right wing stupidity. The Epstein brothers were Warner Brothers secret weapon and really saved the film from its troubled production. They were masters of plot and characterization and reportedly cooked up the “Round up the usual suspects” climax sitting at a stoplight while driving to the studio to shoot the ending.
Love that cover font. It must have graced half the covers of every book my mom had sitting around the house back in the day.
Byron, great analysis as usual! Yes, that font was everywhere! I’ve watched CASABLANCA at least once every year since I first saw it in the early Sixties. A true classic! THE GRADUATE was very popular when it was first released. “Plastic” has now been replaced by “Artificial Intelligence.”
“Plastics”…these days, we’re made aware of how much of them we’ve consumed. We soon will no longer need to be “plastinated” for museums…
Todd, plastic was a magic word decades ago. Now we’re seeing the Downside as our oceans are filling up with plastic debris.
How many do I remember? All of them, of course. I’d agree with those who say eliminate ARTHUR and the excruciating ON GOLDEN POND.
My favorite, of course, remains CASABLANCA. Read the screenplay already. I did read the novel of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT.
Jeff, I knew you’d seen all these movies. Like you, I’m not a fan of ON GOLDEN POND.
You were right, George. This IS interesting.
I have a copy of the Butch Cassidy paperback original screenplay that Fred mentioned.
I’m with Byron and Jeff. Casablanca is a perennial favorite. If I ever stumble across it on TV, I stay tuned no matter how much or how little of the movie remains. Ingrid Bergman was never more beautiful. If you haven’t already read it, I recommend Round Up the Usual Suspects: The Making of “Casablanca” – Bogart, Bergman, and World War II by Aljean Harmetz.
I was never a fan of The Graduate, probably because I’m not a fan of Dustin Hoffman.
Otherwise, all good stuff. Nice find, George.
Agree on the Harmetz book, Beth.
Beth, I promised you that would would find today’s post interesting! An odd mix of movies, but enough classics were included to make it worthwhile.
My favorite would be THE CANDIDATE, and it would be interesting to actually read the screenplay. I, like the rest of the At Least borderline cinephiles here, remember all the films, and will pile onto the dismissal of ARTHUR and ON GOLDEN POND, while the first film of ALL QUIET was a desperately stiff affair…one of the early cases of Read the Book Instead.
Todd, let me know if your would like a copy of BEST AMERICAN SCREENPLAYS so you could read THE CANDIDATE. I’d be happy to send it to you to add to your collection.
Sorry I didn’t see this till now, thanks for the kind offer!