101 Greatest Screenplays

A fascinating, factoid-full, annotated guide to the first-ever Writers Guild's list of best-written screenplays, from Oscar winners to Hollywood classics to influential indies, from the 1930s through the present--a must for all who are interested in film and writing. The results are in. In a joint venture between the WGA, West, and WGA, East, ballots were sent, for the first time ever, to their professional membership in order to compile the finest accomplishments in screenwriting. Up to ten screenplays could be cited. Any produced film, past or present, English-language or otherwise, was eligible. The final list was announced in April 2006 and is like a travelogue of the greatest films of all time, with all decades represented from the 1930s onward. The Writers Guild's list features playwrights, novelists, film critics, writer-directors, writer-actors, three blacklisted writers, and four sets of brothers. Among those named are Woody Allen, William Goldman, Billy Wilder, Nora Ephron, Mel Brooks, Charlie Kaufman, Ernest Lehman, Steve Zaillian, Budd Schulberg, and Frances Goodrich. With features about the writing of the films, bios, review extracts, and stills, 101 Greatest Screenplays not only celebrates the greatest achievements in screenwriting, but brings well-deserved recognition to the men and women who wrote the greatest films of all time. 50 b/w photos. Some "factoids" about the 101 greatest screenplays featured in the book: Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, and Billy Wilder tie for most films on the list--4 each; William Goldman, John Huston, and Charlie Kaufman have 3 each 29 writers directed their own scripts 34 of the screenplays are based on novels 5 writers are well-known novelists: Peter Benchley, James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler, Graham Greene, and Mario Puzo 6 are foreign films; 6 are westerns; 14 are showbiz-related; 17 deal with political/social issues of the time; 18 are about crime 6 films are notable for their unusual story structure (Citizen Kane, Annie Hall, Groundhog Day, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich, Memento)

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