Customer Reviews

Notting Hill

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoyed the movie greatly, but it was reading the script which really made me appreciate the sheer genius behind it all. Kudos to Richard Curtis! It is amazing how much he manages to get into a scene - everything WORKS, to tug at the heart strings or strike the funny bone.

The script reveals a few of the artistic choices that had to be made in the process of creating the script and the movie; however, this is a very polished end product - definately a last draft (with a few choice bits of scenes that did not make the cut at the end) and perfectly co-ordinated with film stills and photographs, all on luxurious glossy paper.

However, it is amazing how, having watched the film and knowing the charactrers, it is possible to visualise scenes in your head while reading the script - an especial plus for the left out scenes. I am now dying to compare my imagination with the director's cut, which I have been told might be available on the DVD version.

One of the wittiest, best-crafted screenplays of the '90s gets a treatment to match its quality. William Goldman, a screenwriter who knows his craft well ("Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"), called this "one of the best two screenplays of the past 10 years," and he's right. It jumps off of the page with life.

What's used here is closer to a continuity record of the finished film than a final-version screenplay -- since, as the author admits (and includes), many scenes were omitted or rethought to get the film to a reasonable length. The original edit, over three and a half hours, was cut to two hours. Some of the filmed-and-omitted scenes had the best acting, by Curtis's admission, and (I would say) some of his best writing. Yet they resonate to a viewer who reads them here, and thus knows "what went on when these people were offscreen." All screenplay books should include the best of such filmed-but-cut scenes; not all do.

U.S. viewers will notice that two scenes printed here, featuring the hilarious flatmate Spike -- 86 (second half) and 112 -- didn't appear in the finished film. Apparently the editing decisions really did go to the wire on this one! These and the other bonus scenes, and Hugh Grant's hilarious Afterword, themselves make the book worthwhile for any fan of this film.

The British know how to make a proper trade paperback! Pages are sewn into signatures, keeping the book from falling apart. (You'll re-read it many times -- so that's needed!) It uses an excellent coated paper stock that allows for sharp, clear printing of the dozens of film and production still photos. The line drawings of Notting Hill are an added delight.

This is one of my favorite movies, and incidentally, my favorite screenplay! It's an excellent representation of the movie--many full-color pictures of the best scenes in the movie. It even includes story boards, cast and unit lists, and an afterword by Hugh Grant. The photographs were taken by Clive Coote, one of Great Britain's most famous photographers.

Almost everything I'd seen before I bought the book only included pictures of Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant--this book is different! It doesn't leave out Spike or any of the other small but memorable characters.

Anyone who's a fan of the movie will love this exquisite book. It gets an A+ from me!

I saw the movie in preview, and had to buy this...The book includes the screenplay, several additional bits of dialogue that didn't make it into the movie, and a really nice collection of production photos interspersed throughout. For anybody who liked the movie, this is an excellent buy.

I'm a sucker for this guy. No, not that guy, not Hugh, but Richard Curtis. And Tim McInnerny. I liked the movie, of course--otherwise I wouldn't have bothered reading the screenplay--but the screenplay was better than the movie. Edited-out scenes, alternate storylines, a very funny afterword, lovely pictures. Plus the book's printed on just the most wonderful paper. I'm a sucker for good paper.

Notting Hill is my all-time favorite movie! I have seen it 4 times, listen to the CD 24/7, so when I saw this book at Barnes and Nobles, of course I had to have it! I had already begun to recite lines from the movie, and this books is an absolute must-have. Richard Curtis is the ideal writer for romance..no, no, ANY movie!

Take a dive into the world of Notting Hill and re-live the magic of the movie, some of the un-told versions, and some behind-the-scene stories.

I saw the preview of the movie a few weeks ago, and when I saw this on the shelf of my local bookstore, I just had to have it. The quality of this book is excellent for the price you pay. This edition is similar to the Four Weddings and a Funeral screenplay published a few years ago by Corgi Books (unfortunately no longer available - not to be confused with the lower quality St. Martin edition) printed on high quality paper. The full colour photographs bring the script to life as you read it. If you enjoyed the film, BUY THIS BOOK!

All dialogs and many pictures of the movie are in this book. Pictures are dependent on the dialog contents. Besides, there are the scenes cut before the film release for shortening the original length of the film (and interviews with director and the actors). If you like the film very much, and would like to see it again and again- and may have trouble in listening English as a foreigner like me -; this is a good source to put it near its DVD version into your library.

This book is absolutley wonderful. I love Notting Hill and I love this book. If you would like to see the deleted scenes, buy the DVD. All the deleted scenes are on it.

A Very Good Screenplay! Like it like the movie!