It's a beautiful day in awards season when I wake up, rub the sleep from my eyes, scurry down the stairs and discover not one, not two, but three new screenplays have magically appeared for my consideration and the consideration of screenwriters the world 'round. I'll never know how jolly ol' Harvey gets down that chimney, but I do know I'll enjoy reading the screenplays for Silver Linings Playbook, The Master and Quartet courtesy of The Weinstein Company.
First, here's the trailer for Silver Linings Playbook, now playing in the U.S.:
Video is no longer available: youtu.be/J_ZitHzsS1s
And here's the trailer for The Master, still playing in a few theatres in the U.S.:
Video is no longer available: youtu.be/ssue5_BfI2E
Finally, here's the trailer for Quartet, Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut, opening Dec. 28 in the U.S.:
Video is no longer available: youtu.be/6AGqPQr-1x4
Finding the right tone in a screenplay is so important, and if the tone is inconsistent, a reader will likely want to pass on the script. Tone is a big reason why I'm excited to read David O. Russell's screenplay for Silver Linings Playbook, adapted from Matthew Quick's novel, as the story finds humor in incomfortable yet very human moments. The screenplay for The Master may illuminate certain elements of P.T. Anderson's film, or may obfuscate it that much more, but will likely make an interesting read. And Quartet? Learning how to adapt a stage play into a screenplay from Oscar-winner Ronald Harwood (The Pianist) sounds pretty good to me.
Here are the links to the screenplays:
- Silver Linings Playbook, screenplay by David O. Russell, based on the novel by Matthew Quick
- The Master, written by Paul Thomas Anderson
- Quartet, written by Ronald Harwood, based on his play
As always, please use these screenplays for your educational purposes only, and don't wait to download them as we never know when they will be taken offline. Several more screenplays available for legal download for your consideration can be found at the end of our previous post on award-contending screenplays.
And yes, I was purposely avoiding writing references to Harvey Weinstein being the master of awards campaigns or writing the playbook on awards campaigns. Until now.
What do you hope to learn from reading these screenplays? Let us know in the Comments.
Your Comment
10 Comments
Thanks very much....The best site ever....Can you please post the screenplays of Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, Life of Pi Soon.....and can you please post the screenplay of the upcoming movies.???
December 7, 2012 at 11:34AM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
To any first-timers wanting to write a screenplay..... don't base your model off of Russell's Silver Linings Playbook. Yeesh.
December 7, 2012 at 12:17PM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
Can you explain what you mean?
December 7, 2012 at 1:32PM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
Well it looks like a shooting script for one. Most of the action is direction like "PAN TO.... " or just simple things like "PAT SITS. PAT LIES ON HIS BED. THE RECEPTIONIST REACTS."
If you're writing a screenplay, you want good descriptive action. Like this snippet from Les Mis:
"Storm-lashed sea and driving rain. A great wave rises up
and hammers down. As it recedes we see the figures of men
heaving on great ropes, the sea water streaming down over
their faces."
If you're an unestablished writer, you also want to avoid blatant direction like Russell. He can write the entire script in ALL CAPS and get away with it because a) he's David O. Russell, and b) it's his movie. If you were to take the same script, slap a different name on it, and send it in to a producer.... they'd throw it in the trash and burn it. But, again, it looks like a bare bones shooting script. Which is fine, just don't model your own screenplay off of it.
December 7, 2012 at 2:01PM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
You are right, Von.
December 7, 2012 at 11:33PM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
Thank You NFS… You are an Institution in yourself….You deserve accolade !! Please enlighten us by posting the screenplay of Life of Pi….!!!
December 7, 2012 at 10:47PM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
The screenplay of The Master appears to be an early version--or maybe the movie just changed a LOT in post?? Just opened it up and its fascinating. Will read it in full later and compare it to my memory of the movie.
And yes, thank you very much for these links! I love these posts!
December 8, 2012 at 5:32PM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
Definitely an early version--quickly skimming, I can already see whole scenes about Freddie's tattoos and how important they are, not to mention other scenes and changes. Fascinating.
December 8, 2012 at 5:37PM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
Just finished reading the entire screenplay. Totally engrossing. Some parts are radically different. Some of the changes i don't like, some I do; but this early version is a GREAT look into the mind of PT. I'm insanely curious about how early of a draft this is now, and when these things changed. (after he showed the script to Tom Cruise?)
December 10, 2012 at 9:47AM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
Does anyone still have the shooting script for Silver Linings? I would LOVE to get my hands on that and would find it infinitely more interesting than the screenplay since its down to the shots.
I'd really appreciate it.
November 14, 2013 at 11:32PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM