Customer Reviews

Bugsy

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I ordered "Bugsy" by James Toback I was NOT expecting the screenplay version...nor should I have received that as that was not made clear in the advertisement. Is the regular paperback of this book available anywhere? I previously read the book so I know it exists, and in paperback version.

Unlike some screenplays that carry the rich reading experience of a well-written novel, "Bugsy" feels more like the quintessential blueprint for a motion picture that most screenplays are designed to be. It has only bare-bones narrative to accompany the dialogue (which, even here, carries a great deal of snap and sizzle), and leaves the reader even more impressed than before with the final product -- Barry Levinson's crime-story masterpiece of the same name. So while secondary characters fail to adequately come to life in the screenplay (as they do on screen, i.e., Harvey Keitel, Elliot Gould, etc.), Bugsy is well-written, just waiting to be exemplified by Warren Beatty in one of his best on-screen roles. But because the narrative portions are so low-key, the reader doesn't get the full impact of Bugsy's combustible personality, the way he explodes into violence at the drop of a hat. There's also very little "local color" of the Hollywood era at this time. The screenplay of "Bugsy" is worth looking at as background for the making of a great film -- but not a stunning example of the form in itself.