The Great American Screenplay

Does "The Great American Screenplay" exist?

One of the most under-appreciated elements of film-making is good writing. While this is slowly changing, screenwriters have had very little clout in the past. Unlike any other form of writing, such as fiction and drama, the author of a screenplay (in almost every case) doesn't retain any rights to the work once a studio buys it. Only if the studio gives consent, is the writer able to follow through with the work to production. In many cases, the screenplay is handed to another writer, who will rewrite it and, though they are paid, will likely receive no credit. Other times, the director will make changes wherever he deems fit.

In Billy Wilder's 1950 classic, Sunset Boulevard, the main character, Joe Gillis (excellently played by William Holden), mentions a script he wrote. He says, "The last one I wrote was about Okies in the Dust Bowl. You'd never know because when it reached the screen, the whole thing played on a torpedo boat" (Wilder, Brackett, Marshman Jr.--Sunset Boulevard). While this is intentionally pushed to the extreme, it is entirely possible for the final "shooting draft" to be massively different than the original writer intended.

I wanted Okies, but, no, they wanted seamen. Thanks a lot.

As you can guess, writers may sometimes feel like Joe here, drowning in Hollywood's producer driven system. Other avenues like playwriting or good old fashioned prose fiction seem much more attractive. There, the writer is in control...at least of their creations.

The by-product? There is no mention of the "Great American Screenplay," the one that will enlighten us beyond our wildest dreams and save us from doom. The idea of film writing being a category of literature is completely foreign. No one studies them outside of film school. Screenwriting is viewed as the illegitimate child of classic dramatic writing--a tradition dating back to ancient Greece.

That being said, screenwriters have to study many of the same things that playwrights do. Chief among these is Aristotle's Poetics, the ancient philospher's rules of drama. The little pamphlet that governed the stage for centuries and now governs what happens on the screen. Of course, many self-respecting writers wish to break these rules, as Shakespeare did, but they are acutely aware of the game. They bite the bullet until finally their clout allows them to step outside the rigidly defined box. The same problem playwrights face.

Also, the quality of writing in Hollywood is not non-existent. Yes, like every other medium, there are mountains upon mountains of poor material, but there are those few pieces of brilliance every writer would be proud of.

One example is the aforementioned Sunset Boulevard. The story simply sings with its sharp, witty dialogue, its satirical viewpoint, and even its film noirish elements. Under the skilled hand of Billy Wilder, who helped write the screenplay, the characters are wonderfully brought to life. Nothing in the writers' collective vision is mangled or destroyed.

Other great screenplays include: Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and Chinatown. Those are the classics. The works that provide an excellent showcase for the craft. For those of you who want more modern examples, you need not look any further than Good Will Hunting, The Social Network, and Argo. 

This brings me to my original question: Does "The Great American Screenplay" exist? Is screenwriting merely the illegitimate offspring of dramatic writing? Ladies and Gentlemen, I leave that up to you.

As for myself, I will be presenting, one at a time, a top ten list of the films I believe to be expertly written.