Five Screenplays, by Preston Sturges
Review by Jeffrey M. Anderson
Buy Five Screenplays, by Preston Sturges
Most screenplay books clean up the screenplay. They're typeset into neat
lettering on clean pages, and you're never sure if anything has been cut
out or not. The worst screenplay books I've ever seen are Woody Allen's,
which simply transcribe the finished movie in print. Five
Screenplays is the best screenplay book I've ever seen because it
actually photocopies Sturges' original typewritten pages. It's sloppy,
but perfect. You feel as if Sturges is in the room with you. And, best
of all, the scenes that didn't make the final cuts of the films are
still intact. The screenplays are: Sullivan's Travels, The
Lady Eve, Hail the Conquering Hero (originally called The
Little Marine), the Oscar-winning The Great McGinty
(originally called Down Went McGinty), and Christmas in
July (originally called The New Yorkers).
Return to Great Film Books
