Good Scripts, Bad Scripts: Learning the Craft of Screenwriting Through 25 of the Best and Worst Films in Hi story [Paperback]

Tom Pope (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0609801198 | ISBN-13: 978-0609801192 | Publication Date: April 7, 1998 | Edition: 1

In this unique volume, respected screenwriter Thomas Pope offers an innovative and practical approach to teaching the craft of screenplay writing, in the process providing an engaging, behind-the-scenes look at the way the film industry really works. Each chapter deals with a different component of the art of screenwriting, from character development, to the nurturing of subplots, to the fundamentals of good dialogue, illustrating everything through the virtues or mistakes of a particular film. The book encompasses the best and worst of films throughout the years, including Citizen Kane, Pulp Fiction, Chinatown, Singing in the Rain, Bonfire of the Vanities, and many others. With its trenchant analysis and keen insight into the reasons films succeed or fail, Good Scripts, Bad Scripts is not only an invaluable guide for potential screenwriters, but a rich resource for any student interested in film and film history.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

In this unique volume, respected screenwriter Thomas Pope offers an innovative and practical approach to teaching the craft of screenplay writing, in the process providing an engaging, behind-the-scenes look at the way the film industry really works. Each chapter deals with a different component of the art of screenwriting, from character development, to the nurturing of subplots, to the fundamentals of good dialogue, illustrating everything through the virtues or mistakes of a particular film. The book encompasses the best and worst of films throughout the years, including Citizen Kane, Pulp Fiction, Chinatown, Singing in the Rain, Bonfire of the Vanities, and many others. With its trenchant analysis and keen insight into the reasons films succeed or fail, Good Scripts, Bad Scripts is not only an invaluable guide for potential screenwriters, but a rich resource for any student interested in film and film history.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (April 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609801198
• ISBN-13: 978-0609801192
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #263,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book that tackles the tough stuff, July 13, 2001

By 

Cowboy Bill "cowboybill" (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Good Scripts, Bad Scripts: Learning the Craft of Screenwriting Through 25 of the Best and Worst Films in Hi story (Paperback)

If you're looking for a book that lays out a mechanical blueprint for a screenplay, this book isn't for you.

Yes, Pope is knowledgable about the sort of structural issues that every screenwriter should know in his or her sleep, but what he's really trying to do in this book is address the fuzzy, hard-to-put-your-finger-on problems that keep a screenplay from really working. I applaud him for this.

Haven't we all seen movies that have a seemingly solid script -- with clear reversals, character development, well-situated plot points, a discernible three-act structure, etc. -- that still somehow fall flat? What is the mysterious X factor that this sort of movie is missing that we can't quite define? This is the problem that Pope tries to shed some light on.

Actually, there are few "bad" scripts in this book, despite the title. Pope instead analyzes a lot of OK screenplays that could've been great if only a couple of script elements had been juggled about or refocused. This is incredibly helpful. In almost every example, I could see how the script in question could've really improved with just a few judicious tweaks. Pope shows me things in these movies that I hadn't seen just by watching them. (He even demonstrates how what seems to be a badly written script can create magic on screen -- for instance, Pope shows how "The Day of the Jackal" appears to break so many rules yet actually ends up being a very engrossing film.)

Along with discussions of these "bad" scripts are breakdowns of very good scripts that are just as helpful.

A couple of reviewers here have said that Pope's book only provides what a movie review or a post-viewing discussion with a friend could deliver just as well. First, I've never read a critic who spends as much time on deep-structure issues in a review as Pope does in his mini-essays. (OK, maybe Kael and Thomson, but that's about it.) Second, if you have a friend who can dissect the less-obvious failures of a script as well as Pope can, well, consider yourself seriously lucky. For those of us without such a friend, Pope's book is a godsend. It delivers its insights in such a conversational way that it's easy to miss how precise some of them are.

No single book can teach all there is to screenwriting. It's still an art rather than a science (at least I hope it is). The best approach is to pick a handful of guides in order to gain differing viewpoints. After all, the more arrows you have in your quiver, the better.

I'd recommend making Pope's book a companion volume to, say, Syd Field's "Screenplay," Denny Martin Flinn's "How Not to Write a Screenplay," Michael Hauge's "Writing Screenplays That Sell" or Robert McKee's "Story." None of these books supply all the answers on their own -- you can't really expect them to -- but together as a group they come pretty close.

Good luck, folks. Work hard and write something beautiful. I know I'll be first in line at the cinema if you do.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful resource that teaches by example not just theory, May 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Good Scripts, Bad Scripts: Learning the Craft of Screenwriting Through 25 of the Best and Worst Films in Hi story (Paperback)

A clever book that dissects the scripts to twenty-five popular or classic films. Unlike other screenwriting books that teach theory in a strictly generic fashion, Pope teaches by EXAMPLE. He systematically breaks down each script showing exactly why it works, or why it doesn't. A valuable aid that I only wish was in print when I was in film school.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A unique approach to screenwriting instruction, August 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Good Scripts, Bad Scripts: Learning the Craft of Screenwriting Through 25 of the Best and Worst Films in Hi story (Paperback)

Most teachers of the craft of screenwriting only analyze well-written screenplays. However, we learn from failure, not repeated success. Mr. Pope's book was obviously written with this in mind. He shows how bad screenplays failed and how some good screenplays avoided failure. Although he could've gone into more depth, this is still a valuable book for movie fans and aspiring screenwriters.