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Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Are there wicked things, not human, which envy human bliss?

Wednesday, June 20, 2007 12:02 am by M. in ,    5 comments
Some days ago we saw on our YouTube window (see sidebar) the following ad for a screenplay based on Charlotte Brontë's Villette.
This is an ad for my screenplay.
Adapted from the novel by Charlotte Bronte, "Villette" is the story of Lucy Snowe, a young woman alone in the world, who leaves England and takes a teaching position at a girls' school in Belgium. There Lucy develops feelings for a temperamental professor as the two search for the truth behind a mysterious haunting on the ancient school grounds.
The screenplay's author is David Wagner and on his webpage, American Screenplay, you can download it (and several others by the same author).
Hi, I'm David Wagner. Thanks for visiting my website. I hope you're a film producer who is in the mood to shop.
This is the beginning of the script. Don't you just imagine the scene?
"VILLETTE"
FADE IN:
INT. A SHADOWY ROOM -- DAY
An intricate wooden sailboat in a large glass bottle slowly falls to the floor. The voice of LUCY SNOWE, a young British woman, asks --

LUCY (V O )
Are there wicked things, not human, which
envy human bliss? Are there evil
influences haunting the air, and
poisoning it for man?

The glass bottle strikes the floor and bursts in an explosive shatter, damaging the small sailing ship beyond repair.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. AN ESTATE HOUSE IN ENGLAND -- DAY
The large house sits on a pleasant street. It is a bright day in the autumn of 1840.

INT. THE PARLOR OF THE HOUSE -- DAY
A girl of thirteen, LUCY SNOWE, stares with wonder at an intricately-designed sailboat constructed inside a large glass bottle

LUCY (V O )
When I was a girl, I went to the Brettons
twice a year, and well I liked the
visit. The house and its inhabitants
specially suited me.

MRS. BRETTON, a statuesque woman of 45, appears to be explaining to Lucy how the sailboat got inside the narrow-necked bottled Mrs. Bretton's son. JOHN GRAHAM, a handsome sixteen-year-old with a frequent smile, studies at a desk nearby.

LUCY (V O ) (CONT'D)
I was a good deal taken notice of by my
godmother, Mrs. Bretton, a widow with one
son.
Read more.
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5 comments:

  1. Anonymous6/20/2007 12:19:00 am

    The last chapter is a bit of a tear jerker. For some reason I was really touched although it is a bit of artistic license on Mr. Wagner's part.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jenna6/20/2007 02:37:00 am

    This is neat, but why are there so many typos in the screenplay?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jenna6/20/2007 02:39:00 am

    Oops sorry, never mind the previous comment, I think I understand now.

    Thanks for finding this screenplay, bronteblog!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous6/20/2007 01:28:00 pm

    For some reason when we copy the text of the pdf file to the post sometimes some letters (particulary 's') disappear :S. Sorry about that.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous6/23/2007 01:33:00 pm

    I really like the way Mr Wagner has ended his script. It sure doesn't follow the text to the letter but it would probably work much better on screen than a more 'faithful' approach. It is very visual, I think, and it would make some great final scenes.

    Wouldn't it be great if someone finally shot Villette? I wonder why no one has remarked on this gem - considered Charlotte's masterpiece by many, after all - and what a fantastic film/series it would make.

    Here's hoping Mr Wagner will achieve it.

    ReplyDelete

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