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Top 10 Original Screenplays
I’ve talked about my favourite films both here and on my blog over the years, but I’ve only ever mentioned my favorite screenplays a few times. So I thought I’d do just that, ahead of award season! I will kick things off with ORIGINAL screenplays, so your Casablancas, your Godfathers and your Philadelphia Stories will have to wait for the next one! Remember, this is a personal and subjective list and you’re more than welcome to post your favorites in the comments!
Here they are, in chronological order:
The Big Combo (1955, dir. Joseph H. Lewis), written by Phillip Yordan — Yordan’s story about Mr Brown (Richard Conte) and his hold on a city plagued with crime, money and all the stuff in between, is endlessly fascinating, cool and exciting. And that famous noir image of the man and the woman in the fog? Yeah, it’s from this one.
North by Northwest (1959, dir. Alfred Hitchcock), written by Ernest Lehman — ‘I want to write the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures’ is apparently what Ernest Lehman said. And boy, isn’t it just? Lehman’s tale about Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) and his case of mistaken identity is possibly the most Hitchcockian film of them all. Suspenseful, funny, sexy, climactic… and so many iconic moments!
The Apartment (1960, dir. Billy Wilder), written by Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond —…
