Film Scripts 1: Henry V; The Big Sleep; A Streetcar Named Desire

by Laurence Olivier, William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams

Here are the screenplays of three of the cinema's most successful literary adaptations. Henry V is Laurence Olivier's extraordinary version of Shakespeare's play. It begins as a highly stylized theatrical performance in Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and concludes as pure cinema with a meticulous recreation of the battle of Agincourt. A Streetcar Named Desire is Tennessee Williams's version of his stage success, which contains radical changes from the text of his play, including a completely different ending. The Big Sleep is a fast-paced and sexy rendition of Raymond Chandler's detective novel, fleshed out by a cadre of brilliant screenwriters that included William Faulkner.

1 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1989

About the author

Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. Late in his career he had considerable success in television roles.
Olivier's family had no theatrical connections, but his father, a clergyman, decided that his son should become an actor. After attending a drama school in London, Olivier learned his craft in a succession of acting jobs during the late 1920s. In 1930 he had his first important West End success in Noël Coward's Private Lives, and he appeared in his first film. In 1935 he played in a celebrated production of Romeo and Juliet alongside Gielgud and Peggy Ashcroft, and by the end of the decade he was an established star. In the 1940s, together with Richardson and John Burrell, Olivier was the co-director of the Old Vic, building it into a highly respected company. There his most celebrated roles included William Shakespeare's Richard III and Sophocles's Oedipus. In the 1950s Olivier was an independent actor-manager, but his stage career was in the doldrums until he joined the avant-garde English Stage Company in 1957 to play the title role in The Entertainer, a part he later played on film. From 1963 to 1973 he was the founding director of Britain's National Theatre, running a resident company that fostered many future stars. His own parts there included the title role in Othello (1965), and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice (1970).
Among Olivier's films are Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940) and a trilogy of Shakespeare films as actor/director: Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948) and Richard III (1955). His later films included Spartacus (1960), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Sleuth (1972), Marathon Man (1976) and The Boys from Brazil (1978). His television appearances included an adaptation of The Moon and Sixpence (1960), "Long Day's Journey into Night" (1973), Love Among the Ruins (1975), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976), Brideshead Revisited (1981) and King Lear (1983).
Olivier's honours included a knighthood (1947), a life peerage (1970) and the Order of Merit (1981). For his on-screen work he received two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. The National Theatre's largest auditorium is named in his honour, and he is commemorated in the Laurence Olivier Awards, given annually by the Society of London Theatre. He was married three times, to the actresses Jill Esmond from 1930 to 1940, Vivien Leigh from 1940 to 1960, and Joan Plowright from 1961 until his death.

Reviews

[Anisha Inkspill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading screenplays is one of my fun things, as I see how the story unfolds with its camera cues and scene cuts. This is a book that sits on my shelf, and these are the only screenplays I have that have the authentic layout, down to margin size and font type. I’m amazed this book has not fallen apart, my copy is spiral bound with a green cover of a faint image of a film strip.

Published in 1971, this book makes a concerted effort to explain to the reader of how to read a screenplay, not only does it have tips, glossary and a very, very concise summary of cinematic history, each of the 3 screenplays starts with an intro (which has some background to that screenplay or movie). And if that’s not enough, it includes a glossary, and an appendix with examples of a shooting schedule, and a daily call sheet.

Then there are the 3 screenplays, all shooting scripts, and all very different, almost like these were chosen to demonstrate that. Every time I read this book I’m just stunned by the generosity of this book’s content.

Below is a little bit more about each screenplay.



Henry V (1944), directed by Laurence Olivier
This is adapted from the play by William Shakespeare of the same name, and Laurence Olivier had some input in the screenplay.

I’ve not yet got round to reading Shakespeare’s Henry V, my impression of it is it’s a serious play but I wouldn’t have guessed that from the opening of from the playfulness in this screenplay that happens between the camera and actors. This is achieved with comical affect, that doesn’t run through the screenplay but returns right at the end. This made it a fun read and also made me want to watch the movie.



The Big Sleep (1946), directed by Howard Hawks
Adapted from the novel by Raymond Chandler of the same name.
The first thing that struck me about this one is the character information. Philip Marlowe is described as:

”Doghouse Riley” – private detective, working for the DA, husky, confident, we-dressed but not flashy. 38 years old – not married.

This attention to detail runs through the screenplay, which made it easier for me to read but at the same time I wondered how the actors and actresses would replicate the directions, like this scene with Marlowe and Carmen:

[MARLOWE’s] expression indicates that things may pick up shortly.

OR this one where Marlowe is leaving the Sternwood estate:

In the mirror [MARLOWE]can see Norris standing in the drive still watching him, guarding the house which Marlowe realizes he is not to enter again.

Against the black and white cinematography, the 1946 movie sizzles with the Bogart-Bacall chemistry, but the first time I watched this the actual story left me puzzled, as the plot is complicated by many storylines. It would be reading this screenplay that clarified the mystery in a mystery, but I’m still not sure if the story strands gel together well with the searching of Shawn Regan. Then again, this doesn’t matter as I’m left with the sense that the story is secondary to the presence of these characters who leave behind a much stronger impression.



A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), directed by Elia Kazan
This is adapted from the play by Tennessee Williams of the same name, who also wrote the screenplay.

The screenplay is not an easy read, it includes deleted scenes and dialogue, and the scenes and dialogue that replaced them all bunched together. I like this, as I get to see the journey of that story that’s been written for the screen.

This screenplay reminded me of the power struggle between Stanley and Blanche which would lead to an explosive end. I read the stage play a couple of years back and posted a review here, but reading my review now, it doesn’t convey how powerful and unsettling this story is, so as soon as I get a chance I’ll revisit this play.