Go to the wonderful Buzzfeed article from 2015, “129 of the most beautiful shots in movie history” and you won’t find those images. What you will find are lots of “The Image Is No Longer Available” notices.
Fortunately, I did save some of them from this post five years ago. I wondered what the scripts for each of these frames would look like. Film, being a visual medium, places the director’s place at (or near) the top of the priority pyramid. While the screenwriter’s place on that priority pyramid can be debated, the point is that the frames don’t exist without the writer either. But how far from the original vision is the final vision? I will attach the screenplay portion of these classic moments in film history and let’s see how they hold up. Are they flat as the paper they are typed on or do they do the images justice? Let’s find out…
**Like the first time around, I cut, paste, and spaced(yes, for hours) to no avail on a couple of these. The format is off. They have a mind of their own and sometimes the technology just wins. Still, I hope you enjoy them. Que sera sera, Good Reader!
- AMERICAN BEAUTY
The ROSE PETAL drifts into view, landing on his pillow.
LESTER (cont’d)
I feel like I’ve been in a coma for about twenty years, and I’m just now waking up.
More ROSE PETALS fall onto the bed, and he smiles up at…
His POV: Angela, naked, FLOATS above us as a deluge of ROSE PETALS falls around her. Her hair fans out around her head and GLOWS with a subtle, burnished light. She looks down at us with a smile that is all things…
Lester smiles back and LAUGHS, as ROSE PETALS cover his face.
LESTER (cont’d)
Spec-tac-ular.
- PLEASANTVILLE
115. EXT. ELM STREET – NIGHT David and Margaret stand beneath the big Elm tree outside Margaret’s house: a statue of two young lovers. They wrap their arms around each other in a classic silhouette. The meeting across town seems a million miles away. After a moment or two, David reaches behind the tree and pulls out a beautifully wrapped gift. It is three feet long with a bright RED bow. DAVID (softly) I got you something. Margaret’s eyes widen. She beams at him, then tears off the wrapping paper revealing a great big umbrella… a real umbrella. She looks up at him thrilled. MARGARET It’s beautiful. Where’d you get it? DAVID It was a prop for the school play… She looks down and giggles. MARGARET Can I open it? DAVID Sure… Margaret gives him a quick kiss then opens the umbrella.
- GOODFELLAS
EXT. CONNECTICUT WOODLAND - NIGHT
WE SEE TOMMY, HENRY and JIMMY burying BATTS.
HENRY (V.O.)
Before you could touch a made guy,
you had to have a good reason.
There had to be a sit-down. And
you better get an okay, or you'd
be the one who got whacked.
HENRY slams down trunk.
- A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
INT. PEDESTRIAN UNDERPASS TUNNEL – NIGHT A Tramp lying in tunnel, singing. TRAMP In Dublin’s fair city Where the girls are so pretty I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone As she wheeled her wheelbarrow Through streets wide and narrow… Shadows of the boys approaching fall across Tramp. TRAMP Crying cockless and mussels alive, Alive O… Alive, alive O… Alive, alive O… Crying cockless and mussels alive, Alive O… ALEX (V.O.) One thing I could never stand is to see a filthy, dirty old drunkie, howling away at the filthy songs of his fathers and going blerp, blerp in between as it might be a filthy old orchestra in his stinking rotten guts. I could never stand to see anyone like that, whatever his age might be, but more especially when he was real old like this one was. The boys stop and applaud him.
- THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
INT. CLOUD CITY - CARBON-FREEZING CHAMBER Luke rises into the chamber, borne by the platform. The room is deathly quiet. Very little steam escapes the pipes and no one else seems to be in the large room. Warily, Luke walks toward the stairway. Steam begins to build up in the chamber. Looking up through the steam, Luke sees a dark figure standing on a walkway above him. Luke holsters his gun and moves up the stairs to face Vader. He feels confident, eager to engage his enemy. VADER The Force is with you, young Skywalker. But you are not a Jedi yet. Luke ignites his sword in answer. In an instant, Vader's own sword is lit. Luke lunges, but Vader repels the blow. Again Luke attacks, and the swords of the two combatants clash in battle.
