Synecdoche, New York: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Script) [Paperback]

Charlie Kaufman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Newmarket Shooting Script | Publication Date: November 4, 2008

synecdoche [sih-NECK-doh-kee], noun. A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole, as in the screen for movies.

From Charlie Kaufman, perhaps the most distinctive screenwriting voice of our generation, comes a visual and philosophic adventure of epic proportions. Much as he did with his groundbreaking scripts for Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kaufman twists and subverts the form and language of film as he delves into the mind of a man who, obsessed with his own mortality, sets out to construct a massive artistic enterprise that could give some meaning to his life. Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hope Davis, and Tom Noonan, and directed by Kaufman, Synecdoche, New York is an epic story of grand artistic ambitions and creative madness.

"The way I've always worked, especially in the last few scripts, has been to start and let the thing evolve. I don't have it outlined, so I don't know where it's going or how it's going to end...but I don't think it's gone far afield in terms of things I was interested in, either illness, fear of death, loneliness, lack of meaning in life, guilt, passage of time. I think those are all things that I came into it with." -Charlie Kaufman, from the Q&A

This Newmarket Shooting Script(r) Book includes:
* Exclusive introduction by Charlie Kaufman
* Complete Shooting Script
* Exclusive Q&A
* Color photo section
* Complete cast and crew credits

Editorial Reviews

Review

"No film with an ambition this large and an achievement this impressive can be anything but exhilarating. The movie should delight viewers who both work the movie out and surrender to its spell. A miracle movie." -Richard Corliss, Time --Richard Corliss, Time

Review

"Kaufman has created a seamless and complicated alternate reality, unsettling nearly every expectation a moviegoer might have about time, psychology and narrative structure. The feelings it explores are clear and accessible. It is a movie bristling with paradoxes and conundrums." -A. O. Scott, The New York Times

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Product Details

• Paperback: 161 pages
• Publisher: Newmarket Press; First Trade Paper Edition edition (November 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557048134
• ISBN-13: 978-1557048134
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #828,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must get for fans of the film or Kaufman's fans in general, March 13, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Synecdoche, New York: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Script) (Paperback)

Charlie Kaufman is one of the most unique and innovative movie makers in the modern era. "Synecdoche, New York: The Shooting Script" is the complete screenplay of last year's film, and Kaufman's directorial debut. With an introduction to the script by Kaufman, a Q&A section, color photographs and complete credits as bonuses to the script, "Synecdoche, New York" is a must get for fans of the film or Kaufman's fans in general.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In My Humble Opinion, The Best Film of 2008, May 29, 2009

By 

Brendan "Not A Misanthrope, But The One Where... (Haines City, FL, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Synecdoche, New York: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Script) (Paperback)

This movie had me in tears for almost an hour. I had to drive to a theater more than an hour away from my house to see it. I did that three days in succession. Then I saw it two more times before it left theaters for good. I had to purchase the shooting script to tide me over until the film came out on DVD/Blu-Ray and I have listened to the song Little Person off the soundtrack probably 500 times. Gotta love Jon Brion's contribution to the work.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is This What Dying is Like?, November 13, 2008

By 

TinyVessels - See all my reviews

This review is from: Synecdoche, New York: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Script) (Paperback)

I read the script to Charlie Kaufman's new film Synecdoche, New York as soon as I could get my hands on it. Let me explain that I have been a huge Charlie Kaufman fan for three years now (which is nothing considering he came out with Being John Malkovich in 1999). I haven't seen the movie yet because I don't live anywhere near Chicago, LA, or NY, but I can already tell that it is better to read the script before seeing the movie. There are some scenes that will confuse the audience, some characters that will make no sense, and a lot of dialogue that you will want to remember. The script revolves around death and how we live our lives cowardly hiding behind someone else. This is by far his most confusing screenplay, but I promise you that there will be no disappointment. If you have any questions feel free to ask.