Pick one must read screenplay

Rushmore

Witness

basic instinct

Chinatown

The Player

Maybe To Kill a Mockingbird because Horton Foote was able to create a screenplay that was faithful to the book in both storyline and feeling. That's not always an easy task when someone is turning a novel into a screenplay.

By the way, I'm surprised you can get folks here to go along with the "only one" edict. We normally ignore such "rules" without a second thought.

jessegrillofilm said:

Was Basic Instinct a good script? Please feel free to tell why you feel this is your favorite.

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I've heard Basic Instinct cited as 'the perfect spec script' a couple of times.

Off the top of my head, I choose the Matrix, for its perfect structure. I read an analysis of it online once and it really does hit every beat right.

stuckupmyownera said:

I've heard Basic Instinct cited as 'the perfect spec script' a couple of times.

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there you go. i've read it a couple times and nearly all its elements are textbook. the author of Alternative Screenwriting had a few genre-issues with it (he claimed Basic Instinct didn't live up to proper film-noir structure), but I think the real value of the script lies in its dialogue and subtext.

krano said:

there you go. i've read it a couple times and nearly all its elements are textbook. the author of Alternative Screenwriting had a few genre-issues with it (he claimed Basic Instinct didn't live up to proper film-noir structure), but I think the real value of the script lies in its dialogue and subtext.

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And the opening scene was perfect. It grabs you by the throat and makes you pay attention to what's going on. It's visually compelling and you're drawn into the story, both as the reader and the audience.

Back to the future....... Outstanding, a study in just about everthing you would need to produce a movie today....

Toy Story.

My favorite script to read at this time is... Children of Men

Stranger Than Fiction - Zach Helm

American Beauty

Joe Calabrese said:

My favorite script to read at this time is... Children of Men

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I only found a first draft of that. Could you point me to the final version?

krano said:

I only found a first draft of that. Could you point me to the final version?

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Sorry. Someone gave me a hard copy of the the shooting script for my Birthday that year. Try the script shack. They have it, $15, but they don't say what draft. Email them and ask first.

jessegrillofilm said:

The final script of American Beauty? That script was rewritten so many times I think the producers should get a writing credit for the amount of influence they had over it.

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So what?

Shakespeare In Love

Philadelphia Story