Screenwriters: America's Storytellers in Portrait

Helena Lumme

I stumbled upon this one when it came down the bookdrop in our library. How many of us pay attention to the third to last name from the end in the opening credits of a movie? Usually we only see the main star or star's names, and who directed it. But the most important and least appreciated person or persons involved in the film are the writers. Without them, there would be no story and no movie worth viewing, just a bunch of pretty pictures begging for a narrative. This is often debated, but I think it's very true, especially given the number of films lacking in story and dialog.

This book gives us a glimpse at some of the folks who have written some of the most well known films. Some of the writers are also directors and/or producers, but they all consider themselves writers who tell stories using multiple media. The images we're shown are reflections of the writers' personalities. We see Billy Wilder sitting comfortably in an easy-chair, wearing a sport coat and an open shirt collar, smiling liking a grandpa. And the photo is in black-and-white, reflecting how most of his movies were produced in this medium. Callie Khouri who wrote Thelma and Louise and Something to Talk About is sitting with her knees up to her chin in a velvet patterned dress, with a huge giggle smile and the light shining from behind her hair.

It's interesting to see the varying films some writers have done. There's Richard Lagravenese, who wrote/co-wrote Living Out Loud, Beloved, The Horse Whisperer, Bridges of Madison County and The Fisher King. Ernest Lehman who wrote/co-wrote the original Sabrina, The King and I, North By Northwest, Sound of Music, West Side Story, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Melissa Mathison who wrote/co-wrote E.T.: the extraterrestial, Twilight Zone: the movie, Indian in the Cupboard, and Kundun. Aaron Sorkin - A Few Good Men, Malice and the American President, who also produces the TV show West Wing.

With each portrait is a brief comment or story from each writer. Aaron Sorkin tells of his first encounter with William Goldman who told him: you're a very talented writer, but I don't think there's any way I can hire you." They give a human face to these names which just flash in front of us as the movie is beginning, while we're still settling into our theater seats, eating down the overfilled bag of popcorn, finally having our eyes adjust to the screen. It's encouraging to see how normal, mostly, these people are, even when you've worked with playwrights and screenwriters, or are one of those yet to be discovered ones yourself. Check this one out and next time you're watching a movie, notice who wrote it. It's not as easy as it seems.