Great Scene: “Magnolia”

The ‘frog storm’ near the end of Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 movie.

This is actually more of a great sequence: The frog storm near the end of Paul Thomas Anderson’s movie Magnolia (1999). Written and directed by Anderson, it is a complex movie with multiple storylines, so here is a plot overview from IMDB:

24 hours in L.A.; it’s raining cats and dogs. Two parallel and intercut stories dramatize men about to die: both are estranged from a grown child, both want to make contact, and neither child wants anything to do with dad. Earl Partridge’s son is a charismatic misogynist; Jimmy Gator’s daughter is a cokehead and waif. A mild and caring nurse intercedes for Earl, reaching the son; a prayerful and upright beat cop meets the daughter, is attracted to her, and leads her toward a new calm. Meanwhile, guilt consumes Earl’s young wife, while two whiz kids, one grown and a loser and the other young and pressured, face their situations.

This sequence features the “upright beat cop” Officer Kurring (John C. Reilly), “Jimmy Gator’s daughter” Claudia (Melora Walters), Earl (Jason Robards and “charismatic misogynist” son Frank (Tom Cruise), Earl’s male nurse Phil (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Jimmy Gator (Philip Baker Hall), Linda (Julianne Moore) on life-support in an ambulance, Rose Gator (Melinda Dillon) driving in her car, Donnie (William Macy) climbing the side of a building, Stanley (Jeremy Blackman) and Worm (Orlando Jones) — and frogs. A sequence of biblical proportions:

INT. JIM KURRING'S CAR - THAT MOMENT Sequence J Jim Kurring drives a few more feet....slows down...then starts
to make a u-turn to go back to the store.... JIM'S POV - MOVING - THROUGH THE WINDHSIELD.
The car starts to turn 180 degrees......as soon as it is headed
going back the opposite direction.... ........CRACK........ From the sky, out of the blue, a large GREEN FROG lands on Jim
Kurring's windhsield. CU - Jim Kurring. Scared shitless. POV - Another GREEN FROG slams on the HOOD OF THE CAR. CU - Brake. Jim's foot SLAMS ON THE BRAKE. CUT TO: EXT. MAGNOLIA BLVD. - THAT MOMENT CAMERA holds a wide angle as Jim Kurring's CAR SLAMS AND SKIDS
TO A STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EMPTY STREET. CLOSER ANGLE, PUSH IN ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW.
Jim is scared and sweating.....he looks up, out the driver's
side window.... JIM'S POV - LOOKING STRAIGHT UP.
It's dark and empty sky..... ....hold on him....he looks at the Frog that has landed on
the windshield....it's dead and splattered..... SUDDENLY: The SOUND of ANOTHER FROG FALLING FROM THE SKY AND SLAMMING
ON THE ROOF OF THE CAR. Jim jumps.....looks up again.... ....from straight out of the sky comes ANOTHER FROG falling
DIRECTLY INTO THE CAMERA....it SPLATS.... ...then another and another and another..... WIDE ANGLE. THE STREET. It starts to RAIN FROGS in the middle of Magnolia Blvd. CUT TO: INT. CLAUDIA'S APARTMENT CU - Claudia snorts a line of coke off her coffee table. She comes up and INTO FRAME. Outside the window, behind
her.... ...a FROG FALLS straight past..... She hears the sound and turns around....sees nothing... CU - Profile on Clauida....through the other window...another
FROG falls past, through the tree outside on it's way down..... She turns her head again sees nothing.... BEAT. Another FROG FALLS...she looks...she walks to the window.... .....A dozen FROGS FALL IN VERY QUICK SUCCESION..... She jumps back from the window...stumbles a bit...knocks
over a lamp, which SMASHES to the floor.....her apartment
goes DARK....except for street light...more FROGS FALL and
we hear the sound and see them through the window in
glimpses..... CUT TO: EXT. CLAUDIA'S APARTMENT/STREET - THAT MOMENT The FROGS are falling sort of heavy now....Rose's JAGUAR comes
through it....skids and SMASHES into a PARKED CAR.... CAMERA DOLLIES over to her....she looks up at them....they FALL
STRAIGHT INTO CAMERA AND ONTO THE HOOD, WINDSHIELD AND ROOF.... ..Rose puts the Jaguar in reverse and tries to back away from
the smashed parked car.....the bumper's are stuck.... CUT TO: INT. EARL'S HOUSE - THAT MOMENT The CAMERA holds on Earl and Frank. Frank has his head buried
in Earl's bed holding his hand, crying....it's very quiet.... CU - Phil. He's crying a bit standing off to the side.
He looks out the window's and the glass doors and sees the
FROGS come raining down. His mouth drops and he can't speak. Frank doesn't notice. The FROGS fall in the backyard and into
THE POOL. PHIL
There are frogs falling from the sky. CUT TO: EXT. WHITSETT/NORTH HOLLYWOOD MED. CENTER - THAT MOMENT The PARAMEDICS are driving real fast down the street..... CUT TO: INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING - THAT MOMENT Linda is on life support stuff in the ambulance. Looking past
her, we see the view of the road through the windshield -- the
amubulance driver going real fast and just about to pull into
the hospital emergency entrance.... FROGS START PELTING THE WINDSHIELD.....THE DRIVER SWERVES... CUT TO: EXT. STREET/AMBULANCE - THAT MOMENT A WIDE ANGLE where we see the FROGS falling onto the moving,
swerving Ambulance....one FROG lands so hard on top of the
red lights on the ambulance that it CRACKS.... ...the FROGS in the middle of the road start to act as a
lubricant on the already wet/damp street and the Ambulance
starts to SKID SIDEWAYS.... ...it FALLS ON IT'S SIDE. CUT TO: INT. AMBULANCE - POV As it falls on it's side and skids a bit....over the Frogs... CUT TO: EXT. EMERGENCY ROOM ENTRANCE - THAT MOMENT Ambulance skids right up to the emergency room entrance. CUT TO: INT. JIMMY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - THAT MOMENT Jimmy with the Revolver to his head...he cocks it back... INTERCUT: EXT. SKY/INT. HOUSE - THAT MOMENT CAMERA above Jimmy's house, looking straight down and MOVING
towards a SKYLIGHT above the kitchen...a FROG enters FRAME,
falling straight towards this skylight -- Inside the house,
Jimmy about to pull the trigger...SOUND DROPS OUT. The falling FROG comes STRAIGHT THROUGH THE SKYLIGHT, SMASHING
THROUGH.... ...falls straight down onto Jimmy's head....the GUN GOES OFF
WILDLY.....SMASHES the TELEVISION....... Jimmy falls to the ground....GLASS FALLS from the broken
skylight.... ...more FROGS continue to fall through it and into the kitchen
and around Jimmy..... ...the BULLET into TELEVISION has sparked something and the
SOCKET it's plugged into CATCHES FIRE..... CU - INSIDE THE WALL, NEAR THE SOCKET.
Camera moves in and sees some SPARK and FLASH and FIRE
started.... CUT TO: EXT. SOLOMON AND SOLOMON ELECTRONICS - THAT MOMENT Donnie starts to climb up a ladder attached to the side
of the building....near the loading dock area.... CUT TO: EXT. STREET NEARBY - THAT MOMENT Jim Kurring is in the middle of the Frog Rain...he puts his
car into gear and drives down the street.... ....about twenty yards later and he's out of it.... ...he pulls into the parking lot behind Solomon and
Solomon.....it's not raining frogs here..... Kurring's HEADLIGHTS catch a glimpse of Donnie starting to
climb... ...Donnie gets scared and FREEZES.... ...Kurring is oblivious to Donnie for the moment. He looks in
his REARVIEW MIRROR and sees the FROGS FALLING.... ...Donnie looks past Kurring and now sees the FROGS FALLING
in a 50 x 50 area in the street.... ...Donnie looks up... ....FROGS ARE FALLING STAIGHT AT HIM/CAMERA AND THEY KNOCK HIM
DOWN AND TO THE CEMENT.....he falls flat on his FACE... ...Jim Kurring turns his head and sees Donnie, fallen flat face
and bloody on the pavement....he gets out of his car and runs
over to Donnie, through the Frogs that rain down, and picks
him/drags him out of harm and under shelter in the LOADING DOCK
AREA. CUT TO: INT. CLAUDIA'S APARTMENT - THAT MOMENT CAMERA (STEADICAM) follows ROSE as she runs up the stairs to
Claudia's place and frantically BANGS ON THE DOOR... Inside the apartment, Claudia JUMPS and SCREAMS at the
sound.... ROSE
HONEY, HONEY, CLAUDIA. IT'S ME.
IT'S MOM. MOM. OPEN THE DOOR.
OPEN YOUR DOOR HONEY. Claudia jumps up and goes to her door in the darkness and
opens it up -- Rose comes in quick, scared shitless...they fall
down and hold onto each other, sweatin/crying/shaking.... CUT TO: INT. EARL'S HOUSE - THAT MOMENT Frank lifts his head and watches the FROGS FALL outside the
house. Earl looks to Frank....he musters something...Frank
notices.... All SOUND DROPS OUT except for the breathing of Frank and Earl. EARL
You are not what you think you are. Frank breaks down. CUT TO: INT. LAMPLIGHTER - THAT MOMENT Stanley and Worm. CAMERA holds as all around...through the
glass windows...it RAINS FROGS....smashing to the
ground.....hitting a couple odd parked cars...they sit,
watching, stunned...in a sort of daze. Stanley seems almost
happy. Worm shocked, scarred; WORM
What is that? STANLEY
It's frogs. It's raining frogs. WORM
...fuck you mean, it's raining frogs? STANLEY
It's raining frogs from the sky. WORM
....what the fuck, what the fuck.... STANLEY
This happens....this is something that
happens. WORM
What the fuck is goin' on, WHAT THE
FUCK IS GOING ON? CU - STANLEY. HOLD ON HIS FACE extremely tight. In the reflection of his eye, we see the Frogs falling....
past the neon sign that reads "Fresh Coffee." ANGLE, DIXON. He comes running into the Lamplighter and over
to Worm and Stanley....he's scarred shitless and frantic -- DIXON
DADDY! DAD! DAD WHAT THE HELL IS GOIN' ON? WORM
Stay quiet...stay quiet, son -- DIXON
LET'S GO, LET'S GO, LET'S GET HIS MONEY
AND GO -- DID YOU GET HIS MONEY? DID
YOU GET IT? DID YOU GET HIS MONEY, DAD? WORM
No, Son...be quiet...be quiet now... DIXON
C'mon, Dad. We gotta just GET HIS
MONEY AND GO, LET'S GO. Let's get the money -- WORM
We're not gonna do that now. We're
not gonna do that now and that's over. DIXON
BULLSHIT. BULLSHIT, DAD WE NEED
TO GET HIS MONEY AND GO. Dixon takes out a large POLICE ISSUED REVOLVER, AIMS at
STANLEY'S FACE. DIXON
GIVE US YOUR MONEY MAN. WORM
Son, don't -- DIXON
BULLSHIT, BULLSHIT DAD WE GOTTA GET
HIS MONEY -- WORM
-- no. DIXON
(to Stanley)
GIVE US YOUR MONEY. WORM
Put the gun down, please, boy. DIXON
GIVE US YOUR MONEY, KID. WORM
Son, please, now.... DIXON
DAD -- WORM
Please, boy, put it down and it's ok. Dixon starts to get nervous and well with tears...he shakes a
little.... WORM
It's ok -- DIXON
We gotta get his money so we can get
outta here -- we gotta -- WORM
That idea is over now.
We're not gonna do that now. Dixon starts crying and shaking and backing away -- DIXON
DADDY, FUCK, DADDY, DON'T GET MAD AT ME.
DON'T GET MAD AT ME --
(to Stanley)
JUST GIMME YOUR MONEY. WORM
I'm not mad, son, I will not be mad
at you and it's ok and please put it
down and I won't be mad and I won't -- DIXON
DAD. Dixon starts to lower the gun a bit, crying and shaking....He
lowers the gun and hands it over to his Father....Dixon is sort
of flinching....the possibility that his Father may strike
him... ...Stanley is frozen...Dixon is hyperventilating.... DIXON
I - just - thought - that - I - didn't
want - I - didn't - I - didn't - WORM
It's ok, boy. HOLD. Que. "Bein Green," by Kermit the Frog/Aimee CUT TO: EXT. LAMPLIGHTER/VENTURA BLVD. - THAT MOMENT Sequence K CAMERA holds a wide angle on the Lamplighter Coffee Shop.
Frogs falling from sky onto and around the streets.... CUT TO: EXT. THE SKY - THAT MOMENT CAMERA up with the Falling Frogs....CAMERA is moving down with
them...it becomes almost musical....like Busby-Berkely-style
coreography ofFrogs That Fall In The Sky... MUSIC/KERMIT THE FROG
"It's not that easy bein' green...
Having to spend each day the color
of the leaves..." CARRIES OVER CUT TO: INT. JIMMY'S HOUSE - THAT MOMENT It is on FIRE now....CU image of Jimmy on the floor of the
kitchen with shards of glass around him...and FROGS...a few of
them still alive and jumping around...the FIRE moving closer
and closer... CUT TO: EXT. SOLOMON AND SOLOMON/LOADING DOCK AREA - THAT MOMENT Jim Kurring and Donnie underneath the shelter area. Donnie's
MOUTH IS FULL OF BLOOD and his TEETH ARE BROKEN... DONNIE
My teeff...my teeef.... JIM KURRING
YOU'RE OK...you're gonna be ok.... CUT TO: INT. CLAUDIA'S APARTMENT - THAT MOMENT Claudia cries to her Mom. Rose holds her and they rock back
and forth.... Claudia cries loud and over and over -- "Mommy...mommy...mom." Rose calming her and petting her head, "It's ok."CUT TO: INT. EMERGENCY ROOM - THAT MOMENT CAMERA is with Linda and DOCTORS as they PUMP HER STOMACH.
Follow the process and get to point where it's clear that
she is going to make it, she will not die. CUT TO: INT. EARL'S HOUSE - THAT MOMENT CAMERA w/Frank and Earl and Phil. Earl's last couple
of breaths are short and quick...short and quick...short and
quick...and then he dies.....his eyes are open..... CUT TO: EXT. SKY - THAT MOMENT CAMERA moves down straight towards the ground...towards the
Magnolia intersection with a LARGE FROG....right before it hits
the pavement -- CUT TO BLACK.

Two things. First, this is a great example of cross cutting, moving quickly from one storyline to another to another to another, back and forth in continuous time. It adds to the chaotic nature of what’s happening, allowing us to experience the same event from several different perspectives. Second, obviously Anderson used specific camera shots — and lots of them — to put down onto paper how he ‘saw’ the movie in his mind. But we all know that in a selling script (a spec script we write to sell, as distinguished from a shooting script), the shift has been dramatically away from using camera shots. However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t achieve a similar effect by not using directing lingo. For example, what if we take this:

INT. JIM KURRING’S CAR — THAT MOMENT Sequence J

Jim Kurring drives a few more feet….slows down…then starts 
 to make a u-turn to go back to the store….

JIM’S POV — MOVING — THROUGH THE WINDHSIELD.
 The car starts to turn 180 degrees……as soon as it is headed
 going back the opposite direction….

……..CRACK……..

From the sky, out of the blue, a large GREEN FROG lands on Jim Kurring’s
 windhsield.

CU — Jim Kurring. Scared shitless.

POV — Another GREEN FROG slams on the HOOD OF THE CAR.

CU — Brake. Jim’s foot SLAMS ON THE BRAKE.

And write it like this:

INT. JIM KURRING’S CAR — THAT MOMENT Sequence J

Jim Kurring drives a few more feet….slows down…then starts
to make a u-turn to go back to the store….

The car starts to turn 180 degrees……as soon as it is headed
going back the opposite direction….

……..CRACK……..

From the sky, out of the blue — a large GREEN FROG lands on Jim Kurring’s
windhsield.

JIM KURRING

Scared shitless —

ANOTHER GREEN FROG

slams on the HOOD OF THE CAR —

JIM’S FOOT

jams on the brakes —

Use secondary slugs to ‘direct’ the camera.

Magnolia is a terrific movie and this sequence ties all the storylines together.

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