Behold the Perfect Screenplay

Рет қаралды 33,824

Күн бұрын

Is there such a thing as a perfect screenplay?
Hold my ninth domestic gin.
In this video essay, we'll travel along the perfection that is "All About Eve", by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. We'll see how terrific are the characters (the foundation of any script), the plot and the mouth-wateringly gorgeous dialogue. I may or may not get carried away when discussing rhetorical devices.
As always, we'll also take a nit-picky look at scripts that failed on their way to quality, such as Doc Ock's innapropriate staccato line in "Spider-Man: No Way Home", or George Lucas's unexemplary dialogue in "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith".
00:00 Character
01:17 Anatomy of a line (Spider-Man: No Way Home)
03:15 All About Eve
04:53 Plot: Eve meets Margo
05:57 Plot: Birdie's suspicion
06:36 Thinking OF X Thinking ABOUT
07:05 Plot: Bill's party
07:41 Subtext
09:55 Plot: Eve's rise
10:12 Hendiadys
11:26 going overboard on a line from "The Boys"
12:29 Words, a character's soul
13:11 Mixed Metaphors
13:43 Plot: Karen's revenge
14:00 Dialogue - Advanced
14:35 Plot: Eve's success
16:21 More on subtext
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Пікірлер: 153

@danieldumas7361 9 ай бұрын

A friend of mine's 16 year old daughter was waiting for her date when she caught her dad watching this movie. Fifteen minutes into it, the door bell rang. She ran to the front door, dragged her boyfriend into the TV room and told him "Sit down & be quiet. We're not leaving 'til this is over". As I had recommended this film to my friend, he admitted that he had Never seen his daughter so focused. EVER!

@line4169 3 ай бұрын

holy hell, that's a banger of a date.

@johnpaulsylvester3727 10 ай бұрын

All About Eve has to be one of the tightest screenplays ever written. The dialogue, characters, and structure are essentially perfect.

@charlessmyth 10 ай бұрын

The short story published in Cosmopolitan 1946 that is the basis of All About Eve kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pbN4iaqJsZ-qn2w.html

@matthewschwartz6607 9 ай бұрын

Did Sanders deserve the Oscar for this?

@randywhite3947 5 ай бұрын

@@matthewschwartz6607absolutely

@pedrorocha9722 10 ай бұрын

You can never go wrong with Billy Wilder in his prime.

@luminiferous1960 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for your wonderful analysis of All About Eve. Not to minimize Mankiewicz's writing prowess, but the producer Darryl F. Zanuck deserves some credit for the quality of the final screenplay since he significantly edited Mankiewicz's writing. He provided numerous suggestions for improving the screenplay. In some sections, he felt that Mankiewicz's writing lacked subtlety or provided excessive detail. He suggested diluting Birdie Coonan's mistrust of Eve so the audience would not recognize Eve as a villainess until much later in the story. Zanuck reduced the screenplay by about 50 pages and chose the title All About Eve from the opening scene in which Addison DeWitt says that he will soon tell "more of Eve ... All about Eve, in fact." In addition, he tightened up the film by eliminating what he considered to be repetitive, superfluous, or mundane material when he edited the film. Also, the casting of Bette Davis as Margo Channing had a big impact on the final screenplay. Initially, the role went to Claudette Colbert, but she withdrew after an injury shortly before filming began. Mankiewicz briefly considered Ingrid Bergman before offering the role to Bette Davis. Margo had been originally conceived as genteel and knowingly humorous, but with the casting of Davis, Mankiewicz revised the character to introduce abrasive qualities.

@LukeRanieri 10 ай бұрын

Synecdoche, epiplexis, catachresis - I’m learning a ton! Thanks so much for this video.

@Selrisitai 9 ай бұрын

I _highly_ recommend Mark Forsyth's book _The Elements of Eloquence - How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase._ Even if you don't care for such books, you'll enjoy this one anyway. It's immensely entertaining in addition to being informative.

@HighKingTurgon 9 ай бұрын

For what it's worth, that's not a synecdoche.

@peterswires8439 8 ай бұрын

@@HighKingTurgon I'd have called it 'parallel construction'.

@fantasticnisopta 8 ай бұрын

@@HighKingTurgonBrain?

@zetectic7968 10 ай бұрын

As a native English speaker I wasn't taught well at school, no grammar. So Synecdoche, epiplexis, catachresis are all Greek to me 😉 Love the analysis & have just bought the DVD as some how I have missed watching this classic film. Gradually catching up with your old videos & really enjoying then & learning new appreciation of movie making. Oh, and "Spider Man No way home" didn't like it but then I never got to read the comics so my understanding of the characters & back-stories is limited.

@miketrotman9720 9 ай бұрын

Dude, you skipped over some extra brilliance in the screenplay: that last shot of the new girl standing between 2 mirrors, with her reflection projected into infinity: it's saying, subtextually, that the Eves are endless, like masses of newborn spiders. They'll keep coming and coming to feed on the spiders who preceded them.

@rosezingleman5007 7 ай бұрын

And as far as Eve’s ongoing relationship with Addison, George Sanders was a master with the gals in real life.

@Shamsulrosunally 9 ай бұрын

Foof... your content is on another level. Nobody needs to spend money on film school anymore. I'm going to binge watch your content.

@ccmp7 Жыл бұрын

I can't help but be impressed by the depth of your analysis of the movies. Did I find "Spider Man No way home" weak? Yeah! Did I find Dr Octopus different? Yeah! But could I explain why? Of course not! Brilliant once again! What an excellent choice of movie to exemplify 👏🏼👏🏼

@marieparker3822 9 ай бұрын

Those American films of the late 40s and 50s: totally amazing! And the acting! I love 'Sunset Boulevard' and 'Double Indemnity'. But of course, 'All About Eve' is probably unsurpassable.

@James-nl6fu 9 ай бұрын

The best "swearing" in a screenplay is where you can't hear any. The words have already exploded, before they were even expressed❤️But I'm old and I grew out of it...eventually..when I learned to speak English.

@hyperionsama8114 9 ай бұрын

I don’t know…. Tom cruise in tropic thunder had some great swears you have to hear it to appreciate it 😂😂😂

@Sidionian 10 ай бұрын

Best Screenplays: Amadeus, Casablanca, Pulp Fiction, 12 Angry Men, Godfather 1 & 2, Clockwork Orange, Network, All About Eve, Gone with the Wind, Ben Hur, My Dinner with Andre, Bridge on River Quai.

@rixx46 7 ай бұрын

About as perfect as movies get - funny, smart, profane and wicked. Endlessly quotable dialogue

@matthewschwartz6607 9 ай бұрын

I’m interested in all of the scenes with George Sanders . He’s so snarky that it’s just fun (Even his suicide note is a classic.).

@thankyoujodi 9 ай бұрын

Subtext portion is gold. Hope to hear more of that!

@SimonBishop779 18 күн бұрын

Subtext: skip the grammar lesson, gramps.

@sk8adio42 10 ай бұрын

What a phenomenal discovery this is! There are so many thoughtful, well produced film channels available - we’re in a variable golden age - but this one vaults to the top. I have to pace myself so as to not consume them all in one overwhelming swallow. Great work!

@sanjayraisoni6866 9 ай бұрын

I like the swap of veritable for variable. We are in a variable age.

@reptongeek 9 ай бұрын

All About Eve is one of my favourite films. I try and watch it every year

@MarkFrankUK 9 ай бұрын

I loved this - currently reading playlets for a competition and most of the entries should have watched this video. Another way of thinking about subtext that I was once told is that being angry and just ranting is boring (unless you have the poetic genius of Shakespeare) but being angry and struggling not to show it is powerful (or funny) and interesting - goes for almost any emotion or motive.

@teddymweresa6209 Жыл бұрын

Phenomenal video especially for a young aspiring film maker like me I really hope your channel blows up some day as I find most of your videos really educative thank you

@Moviewise Жыл бұрын

That’s one of my intentions! Thank you for the comment

@gilliganIII 10 ай бұрын

I am doing data entry on a spreadsheet and often listen to videos in the background, but yours' is one of the few channels I have to stop and watch. I appreciate the complexity and entertaining nature of these videos! Thank You!

@gregsaltis1661 9 ай бұрын

Yes. Character is everything. One of my standards lines is "I will watch a movie about two rocks if A) I care about the rocks and B) I care about the relationship between the rocks. And these two only work if I am not manipulated into either one.

@Nad-A123 9 ай бұрын

Billy Wilders 'Some Like it Hot' Damn - that movie just sizzles!!

@garvey4034 10 ай бұрын

Thank you so much. I remember watching this movie many years ago and enjoying it. After viewing your video, I’m propelled to see movie again.

@528491Inception Жыл бұрын

Best screenplay ever written in my opinion is 'The Bridge Over The River Kwai'

@Moviewise Жыл бұрын

Terrific choice! I even made a video about that spectacular screenplay

@528491Inception Жыл бұрын

@@Moviewise What's the title of the video? I'll watch that now! I love the movie because it's a movie of 2 halves with 3 acts in each half. Plus it's the text book definition of dramatic irony.

@Moviewise Жыл бұрын

The video is called “How Movies Should Deliver Messages” and I have the feeling you’ll like it

@user-jy9vj7db2o 4 ай бұрын

Fan...Tastic! An intelligent and insightful analysis, with humor and no regurgitated, stale old Screenplay "wisdoms".

@johnnzboy 10 ай бұрын

Magnificently funny and unexpectedly educational - a mighty combination

@wmmseo 8 ай бұрын

Awesome, just awesome!

@user-of4kk4in9f 10 ай бұрын

This was really enjoyable! Subtext: I wish I'd thought of it😊

@LittlePhizDorrit 8 ай бұрын

Loving the rhetoric lessons. Can't wait to see more!

@alexvlk 7 күн бұрын

Keep making these; they will eventually explode.

@babylonian.captivity 9 ай бұрын

That was fabulous. It's been a few years since I last watched All About Eve and I've been meaning to for awhile now. Thanks for the nudge and inspiration.

@siempra78 10 ай бұрын

11:27s the writers of The Boys intentionally made Homelander say something contradictory, because his world is of people around him that are too fearful to correct him. So, he lives in a bubble where he is always being told yes and he is right. That's a character flaw, not a writing one. So, Ashley is perplexed in how to respond, as it would possibly shorten her life to correct the short-tempered superman on his insult. ***Good video by the way, a very thorough breakdown on writing for film.

@BrotherLaymanPaul 10 ай бұрын

Great video. A deep and rich analysis; fun use of cultural references; but mostly for me, a great grammar/English lesson. Great combo of pedagogy and entertainment. Keep it up!

@matfresco 10 ай бұрын

I really did like it, I've already subscribed and I have now shared it with everyone I can think of. That was a masterful review. Thank you.

@wowzers94 10 ай бұрын

Your videos and analysis are fantastic! Keep up the great work!

@SymbolCymbals2356 9 ай бұрын

I loved the last bit where each eloquent line is proceeded by it’s translation to subtextless equivalent phrases like “fuck you”, it’s a better version of that Key and Peele sketch “Obama’s anger translator” lol

@jorgemendez9082 9 ай бұрын

Absolutely brilliant analysis, as usual.

@eldiadelron Жыл бұрын

All about eve is probably my favorite movie

@Moviewise Жыл бұрын

A most exquisite choice!

@eldiadelron Жыл бұрын

@@Moviewise I love movies from the 50s, it was the golden periode of Hollywood.

@TiagoCavalcanti-ji6hu 9 ай бұрын

IMHO, the best screenplays ever written are: 1. Twelve Angry Men; 2. Primer; 3. The Man From Earth.

@unrealnews 9 ай бұрын

I think this is great. It shows how to make character work well when revealing them through dialogue. The only thing it doesn't really cover is having something to say and a reason to say it.

@jonnyd6809 6 ай бұрын

The editing for these videos are a different level to anything else I've seen on KZfaq.

@joegotham27 9 ай бұрын

Another really well thought out and argued presentation!

@James-Tanner 7 ай бұрын

Me “Those words sound made up” Movie wise “All so does your name”

@claduke 9 ай бұрын

On the one hand, I understand the value of subtext, but on the other hand, “I know writers who use subtext and they’re all cowards.” Love the channel, some of the best film analysis available rigjt now.

@marcdraco2189 9 ай бұрын

Is it just me or is the blocking in All About Eve exemplary?

@marianoclerici3986 9 ай бұрын

Network has one of the best scripts ever

@curtdilger6235 9 ай бұрын

I love this film and its script and suggest Network as another superb example of screenwriting cheers love your work

@Finsirith 9 ай бұрын

I love the final "subtext analysis"!

@totallyfrozen 10 ай бұрын

Your videos give me hope! I’m seeing that not every screenwriter knows what they’re doing. It seems many rather successful, big league writers aren’t really very good. The same goes for directors. So my chances just shot up from 0 to 1 in a million! Woo hoo.

@Elcore 10 ай бұрын

From mY pOinT of vIeW, this video was an excellent close analysis.

@hvitekristesdod 9 ай бұрын

Great video! Haven’t seen this but will put it on my watchlist 😀 My favourite screenplay is probably Miller’s Crossing 🙌

@stvp68 6 ай бұрын

Camoens!!! Don’t think I’ve ever heard him mentioned on YT! 👍🏼

@N_Loco_Parenthesis 4 ай бұрын

Give me Moviewise's duelling subtext over Epic Voice Guy doing snarky trailers any day. [16:28]

@DEWwords 9 ай бұрын

wonderful

@MarcosElMalo2 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for not doing a video covering 5 aspects of screenwriting. Three is my limit. By the time the video is over, I’ll have forgotten the first two points. A singular point is best of all-assuming your presentation is engaging and entertaining, I am sure to remember it. This video was engaging and entertaining. It was very good that you focused on a single movie/screenplay as the good writing example and a handful of familiar bad ones as the bad examples. I suspect it doesn’t matter how many different films you use because you’re not doing a snarky tear down of bad writing, you’re using their unsatisfactory writing to underline the excellence of the good writing in What About Eve.

@tezzag818 3 ай бұрын

You are brilliant.

@thomasfahey8763 Ай бұрын

Sleuth -- directed by you know who. My Dinner with Andre, The Third Man, The Maltese Falcon, Chinatown...

@westernnoir4808 9 ай бұрын

Nice work.

@Reinhardt.douglas 9 ай бұрын

I was almost sure that you were portuguese-speaker, as am I, as to judge by your accent. But after hearing you say "Camões", I am now sure hahah big fan here, btw! Keep up the great job

@ronami3176 10 ай бұрын

I really really love your essays! The aspects you point out, the tone and the style of your edits!! Great work!! But your audio levels are all over the place - is this intentional?

@elizabethpalladino8301 9 ай бұрын

Perfect analysis of a great screenplay. I would love to hear you analyze "The Third Man."

@asmodon 10 ай бұрын

The ending is hysterical 😅

@jedgould5531 23 күн бұрын

I’m a J-graduate from USC and nobody took the time to give me such fascinating language lessons. I was going to learn Spanish. 🥺\/ErY gOOd

@user-td3dq3gq3c 2 ай бұрын

‏17:24‬‏ this bit made me laugh on a movie a like.

@ericvaldivieso4202 3 ай бұрын

Welcoming readers of the following five screenplays - to rate them from best to worst (1 to 5) - The Apartment, Chinatown, The Best Years Of Our Lives, Some Like it Hot, and All About Eve?

@matibraun2023 10 ай бұрын

When you're on fire missing your limbs it's hard to be poetic

@Moviewise 10 ай бұрын

Touché

@JamesWilliams-se3vr 9 ай бұрын

Best screenplay ever written, that’s just too difficult. Having said that.. I’d push Dangerous Liaisons (Christopher Hampton) into the ring. Any thoughts on that?

9 ай бұрын

That introducing character names edit 🤣 Now that's comedy

@thispersonwriting1889 4 ай бұрын

Jokes on you, I ain't beholding squat.

@daniellabra4186 7 ай бұрын

You're a genius...

@madalinam6183 9 ай бұрын

I'm savoring your videos like precious treats. 🎩📴

@normanleach5427 9 ай бұрын

Brilliant expose'.

@taras417 10 күн бұрын

When you mentioned the dialogue from "Spider-Man: No Way Home," there's a fun scene near the end of the film where Tobey Maguire's original Peter Parker explains his organic webbing to his fellow Spider-Men. However, this scene completely irked me. He explains it like this: "I wish I could tell you, but it's like, I don't do it. Like, I don't do breathing. Like, breathing just happens." A brilliant and experienced scientist struggles to find words to explain this to his also scientist friends, even though he could easily say that it is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. It honestly looks like Marvel screenwriters believe every line of dialogue is meant for the audience to understand, without considering if it makes sense within the context of the world and characters. This isn't even an excuse, since he provides an analogy to a process (breathing) people should have learned in primary school.

@GhettoFabulousLorch 10 ай бұрын

For those who are nervous about watching old black and white movies there was a 90s remake of AAE called Showgirls. Beautiful film.

@totallyfrozen 10 ай бұрын

I really like the B&W films because they come from a time before SFX and stunning colors. So the writing had to be good.

@enkiitu 10 ай бұрын

Hahahaha Showgirls was a DISASTER!

@desuretard8654 9 ай бұрын

Why would someone be nervous about watching b&w movies?

@elijahalbiston 3 ай бұрын

@@desuretard8654 Since we've grown up with colored television we look for it to keep us invested. Black and white films call back to a much older time and the quality of films seem lower. (Of course, it's only the timeless black and white classics that are suggested so the idea that they're lower quality is really just a bias).

@rosscorr 9 ай бұрын

You can listen to All About Eve as if it were a play, turn off the vision, and you will still understand it. That is what makes it so great. It is also probably why a younger audience would never appreciate it. I wonder what a modern director would do with the same script today. I think Kenneth Branagh's somewhat pointless film remakes of Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile demonstrate this. Great source material ruined by unnecessary action scenes and pointless and excessive editing.

@YodasPapa 9 ай бұрын

I watched the film half way through the video and really enjoyed it. I gotta say I instantly understood why Monroe became such a star. I mean she can't act very well (imo based on this small role) but she absolutely glows on screen. It was really remarkable.

@alidabaxter5849 9 ай бұрын

Marilyn had an incredible relationship with the camera. The others use words brilliantly, but Marilyn used hardly any and you still remember her. All About Eve is a sublime film with a sublime script!

@floydffrogfloydffrog7453 9 ай бұрын

(thinks) "My god, he's right." (speaks) "Those sorts of things do leave an impression, I suppose." Brilliant Brilliant Author Author!!! Hey this screenwriting stuff ain't so hard. To heck with ol' Mank.

@hrossaman 9 ай бұрын

*Instant subscribe

@VinceLyle2161 9 ай бұрын

Here to put in a vote for "Broadcast News" as a really good screenplay.

@Selrisitai 9 ай бұрын

Be honest. You've read Mark Forsyth's _The Elements of Eloquence - How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase,_ right?

@ari1234a Жыл бұрын

Your thoughts on Montenegro also known as Montenegro - Or Pigs and Pearls would be appreciated. Its also here on KZfaq if You cannot find it anywhere else.

@Moviewise Жыл бұрын

Wow, I watched that film some 10 years ago and this is the first time someone mentioned it till now. I thought it was the best Makavejev film I’d seen, but I only watched Sweet Movie and WR besides it. The only thing I really remember is the text in the ending (about the food), which I thought was greatly creative.

@Sietenuevas 10 ай бұрын

Amazing analysis! What do you think of Pedro Almodovar? I see a lot of these good elements in his screenplays. Cheers!

@agranero6 9 ай бұрын

About Camões the orinal says "em perigos e glórias guerras esforçados, Mais do que prometia a força humana" . Yeah it is a faithful translation. The example is valid.

@genin69 24 күн бұрын

And a character is only as good as his actions. If they dont match the words then u have a problem. As in life. U struggle with people because often their words dont match their actions and u feel uneasy. Like things are not in balance

@ramonacosta2647 9 ай бұрын

Greatest screenplay of all time has to be Plan 9 from Outer Space.

@eottoe2001 9 ай бұрын

My pick for the best screenplay is REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE.

@robotone2812 10 ай бұрын

That last example was of two people in a desperate situation, so they spoke directly, to the point. But fine. In the future, if you get into a desperate life and death situation, don’t forget to speak in subtext and metaphors! 🎊 🎉

@andrewcunningham8873 10 ай бұрын

That’s what I was thinking too.

@dattebenforcer 10 ай бұрын

Army of Darkness is the best screenplay, and the best movie overall.

@RGBEAT 9 ай бұрын

This is really just about dialog though, not about character desires, wants, needs, etc.

@matthewschwartz6607 9 ай бұрын

I would say The Godfather . A lot of people would probably say Citizen Kane . I never saw the movie, though. But it’s usually listed and ranked as the best movie .

@rosezingleman5007 4 ай бұрын

I looked up synecdoche on Wikipedia and inexplicably, the entry is accompanied by a photo of German combat boots. Is this a way of Mankiewicz trolling us from the Great Beyond?

@danielgadre1000 9 ай бұрын

Where did you learn all those terms? I'd love to do my own reading on rhetoric. Hilarious video btw.

@jawswasnevermyscene4258 10 ай бұрын

I am thinking OF your videos

@user-jd9jx1bs6y 9 ай бұрын

I think some of the best movies worked by entertaining the audience. Not telling the audience what it already knew, take the Matchmaker scene from Mrs. Doubtfire as an example. It's dumb and serves no purpose, but it was an entertaining segway. The Doc Oc scene is the exact opposite.

@LordBaktor 10 ай бұрын

I'm extremely bad at catching subtext and hidden meaning in what people say, both in fiction and in real life, so this movie's brilliance would probably fly over my head at Mach 10 without me even noticing.

@marieparker3822 9 ай бұрын

Perhaps watch more of these films, and you will gradually begin to find it easier to catch subtext and hidden meanings?

@deborahrose8621 6 ай бұрын

Fuckin 👏 👏 brilliant

@xtopia9758 10 ай бұрын

12:08 That's English Language Egoism if I've even seen it.

@anthonyat2401 10 ай бұрын

Yes, AAE was outstanding for its script (and everything else). Cutting abruptly to the crap following was shocking. At the risk of blowback, I have always thought that James Edward Grant's script for The Alamo (1960) is excellent; poetic and indirect *, funny and moving. It's been singled out by critics who hated the film (for obvious reasons). * After Travis states that Bowie's vested interest as a wealthy man undermines his reasons, Dickinson insinuates that Travis is also is of such means, to which Travis responds - "I have a second suit of clothes; you know that".