June 02, 2011

Top 5 Screenwriters

No. 5. Salim-Javed
Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar brought screenwriting in limelight like noone before and noone since has done in Indian Cinema. They created the 'Angry Young Man', in my view undoubtedly the most important single phenomenon in Bollywood, gave Amitabh Bachchan his best roles and wrote some of the most entertaining films ever written. Javed Akhtar is supposed to have been adept at dialogue while Salim Khan's forte was complicated plots.

Crowning Achievement: Sholay. The Seven Samurai meets the spaghetti westerns meets Mera Gaon Mera Desh. I cannot think of another movie with a larger canvas, yet not being stretched or boring at any point.


No. 4. Ernest Lehman
Lehmann is best known for his musicals (The King and I, Westside Story, The Sound of Music) but his body of work also includes some very fine comedies (Sabrina, Hello Dolly), satires (Sweet Smell of Success), thrillers (North by Northwest, Family Plot, Black Sunday) and one of the finest dramas ever written (Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf).

Crowning Achievment: The King and I.


No. 3. Woody Allen
His body of work is huge and ranges from farce to fake documetary to tragicomedy to serious drama. Allen is  possibly the most important American filmmaker we have had. His range of influences are extremely diverse be it Swedish Cinema, Jewish neurosis, Russian Literature, Psychology, Philosophy, Jazz and many others. Aside from writing some of the most cerebral and neurotic humor, Allen combines it with a depth of feeling and poignant self mockery, often achieving a balance which makes his films funny as well as heartbreakingly tragic at the same time.

Crowning Achievement: Annie Hall. I am partial to the gloomier Manhattan but Annie Hall is where he writes his best. The lines remain comic yet there is a somber and serious feel to the proceedings. The fourth wall is broken at the right moments where we empathise with what Allen feels. Annie Hall is also one of the finest female characters ever written.


No. 2. Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Sorkin is without doubt the best screenwriter of this generation. Noone has written dialogue better than Sorkin. His writing is fast, engaging, smart, and funny in a dry way and fits in perfectly with long time collaborator Thomas Schlamme's walk and talk routine. Sorkin is also one of the rare writers to move effortlessly from theater (A Few Good Men) to film (Malice, The American President, Charlie Wilson's War, The Social Network) to television (Sports Night, The West Wing, Studio 60). Clearly resentful at being labelled by the right as unpatriotic Hollywood Liberals, his writing echoes a strong sense of Americana one would associate with the likes of Frank Capra coupled with the rapid pace dialogue reminiscent of Cary Grant and James Stewart in the 30s screwball comedies. His screenwriting involves a lot of verbal sparring, flirtatious banter and references to obscure trivia making him the most literate writer around.

Crowning Achievement: The West Wing. It's a fast paced, gripping, serious yet funny White House drama. What more do you need?


No. 1. Billy Wilder
Wilder wrote each and every one of his films. And he did it consistently for over 40 years. Consequently, his body of work is unparalleled in American Cinema (with the exception of Woody Allen). Wilder's films were minimalistic and precise, and while his pictures were intimate and unpretentious, what stood out was his writing. Wilder wrote sour, bitter comedies and harsh, morally compromising dramas. It was a sharp and refreshing contrast from Hollywood's sappy sweetness. His films were bitter, acerbic and cynical but they also came with  a sad sort of hope and tentative love. Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity, The Apartment, Stalag 17, Ace in the Hole, Some like it Hot, Sabrina, The Lost Weekend, Witness for the Prosecution. Need I say more?

Crowning Achievement: Sunset Boulevard. While I enjoyed Double Indemnity almost as much, Sunset Boulevard is the more polished product. Wilder was unique in that he made movies on many diverse subjects, but it is fitting that his crowning glory remains one dealing with Hollywood itself.