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reviews
Badlands gets a workout in our new Review column
Our regular Script Factory Reviews offer a script-centred perspective on both classic and contemporary films. Appearing once a month, journalist and developer, Trevor Johnston, explores how a produced screenplay can help a screenwriter to better understand his or her own work.
In addition to the reviews below, you can also follow these links to read extracts from previous Script Factory Masterclasses, and find out what's on this month for filmmakers & developers.
The King's Speech
Wed, 4 May 2011
Bringing to light a little-known true story from the byways of the British royal family, has made this period drama a surprise box-office success and an awards-season favourite, but why should we care so much that King George VI masters his speech impediment? Trevor Johnston takes a close look at David Seidler’s screenplay, and discovers the dramatic potential and readymade story structure inherent in the doctor-patient relationship. Spoilers ahead, as we enter the consulting room…
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It's A Wonderful LIfe
Tue, 4 Jan 2011
A box-office flop met with mixed reviews on its initial release in 1946, Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life now stands enshrined as a Christmas tradition, the film which above all others seems to encapsulate the yuletide spirit. While other great movies from the same period have faded away, this one appears timeless in its themes – precisely because it confronts our darkest fears on the way to offering a comforting vision of community and belonging. Come with us now to snowy Bedford Falls, as Trevor Johnston examines the story elements and screenplay techniques behind the enduring power of this classic Christmas tale.
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THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Fri, 10 Dec 2010
Even if you’re not on Facebook, you probably think you know how this one goes. Clever geek invents website, then makes a lot of money. A lot of money. And that’s pretty much it. The challenge facing Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay for The Social Network is to work within this largely familiar outline, discover the drama and tension within the real-life events, then reveal the ultimate significance of Mark Zuckerberg’s incredible journey – in a manner that those of us who aren’t dot-com billionaires can actually relate to.
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The Secret In Their Eyes
Tue, 7 Sep 2010
Detective story. Romance. Political thriller. Argentinian Juan José Campanella’s Oscar-winning The Secret in Their Eyes is all of these things…and quite possibly more. Our reviewer Trevor Johnston unpicks a great piece of cinematic storytelling which suggests that if you’re skilful enough, you can mix elements from different genres – providing the film’s controlling idea is strong enough to keep everything in check. Spoilers ahead as we ponder passion and morality, Buenos Aires-style…..
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Death At A Funeral
Wed, 14 Jul 2010
Any screenwriter will be delighted that their work’s getting filmed, but Dean Craig found himself in an almost surreal situation when his comedy Death at a Funeral was remade in Hollywood only a couple of years after the original British version hit the screens. Since the essential structure of the story remained unchanged in the meantime, this is clearly a script with pointers to offer anyone approaching their own comedy writing. Spoilers ahead as our reviewer Trevor Johnston dons black tie to investigate how you turn mourning into laughter.
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Hud
Tue, 13 Apr 2010
Bad boys. Actors love playing them, audiences love watching them. But when does an antagonist become an anti-hero, a character whom we can’t help but be drawn to even though we know we should disapprove? Inspired by the Paul Newman season running at London’s BFI Southbank this April, Trevor Johnston takes a look at a 1963 drama which introduced a great movie anti-hero and gave Newman one of his signature roles – Martin Ritt’s modern western ‘Hud’. Spoilers ahead as our man in the cowboy hat looks at the shaping of a central character the film’s iconic poster campaign dubbed ‘The man with the barbed wire soul!’.
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