All Time Best Pictures—The Wrap-Up

Whew! We’re done!! Looking at the WGA’s list of the best screenplays of all time has taken us on a journey through some great films. Here’s a recap:

Interesting things about the list as a whole. There are 2 films from the 40s, 3 from the 50s, and 5 films from the 70s. Nothing more recent than that. How come? Well, I think part of it is that to know what’s stood the test of time, time needs to have passed. Also, remember the people compiling this list—writers. And writers might know more about films and their history than the average moviegoer.

History—why is it important? I mean, you’re writing for today’s audience, right? So do you really need to know what worked in the past?

The answer to that—at least from my perspective—is a resounding YES. In fact, wouldn’t a dedicated writer want to know about the history of their profession? About the works of art that have elevated their chosen field?

So maybe now is the time to go to lists like AFI’s top 100 films of all time. Go take a look:

https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movies-10th-anniversary- edition/

As I went through the list, I planned to confidently state that I’d seen them all… and then I got to one I not only hadn’t seen, but had never heard of: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans [1927]. I’m looking forward to seeing it!!

So do the same—go through the list and watch. You may not like everything, but that’s OK. It’s still interesting to see what’s beloved, what’s stood the test of time… at least according to those who made the list.

Then, why not make your own list? Forcing yourself to come up with why you thought a film was great might give you a window into your own feelings about what makes for good movie writing… worth a try!

But remember as you continue to write, that it’s always someone else who will decide whether your script is “good” or not… and that “someone” isn’t always right. Case in point, the #1 film from the WGA list, Casablanca.

About 4 decades ago, the script for Casablanca was sent to all the major studios and production companies as a new spec script called Everybody Comes to Rick’s [the title of the play on which Casablanca was based]. And the response? Most readers didn’t recognize the script and many complained that the script just was “not good enough” to be made into a halfway decent film.

Stephen Sondheim, the great songwriter, said it best in Sunday in the Park with George, when a character tells the artist main character:

“Stop worrying if your vision is new

Let others make that decision

They usually do—

You keep moving on.”

I still remember sitting in the theatre and hearing those lyrics. I was gob-smacked. Because that’s it. That’s what being an artist is… whether you’re a painter a poet an actor or a screenwriter. All you can do is keep moving on with your work, keep selecting projects that move you, that are fun to write or have subjects that mean something to you… just keep moving on and DON’T be shaken if the first response you get to a script—or the 10^th—isn’t what you’d like it to be… just keep moving on to write the next one.

Copyright © Diane Lake

14Jun20

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com