Page One: “Brooklyn” (2015)

Screenplay by Nick Hornby, novel by Colm Tóibín

The movie version of the opening:

Right off the bat, there’s this:

In fact, this specific piece of scene description was the leading off point in a 2018 AV Club article: Hollywood loves to describe women as pretty — but not too pretty. There’s no rule against writing “pretty without knowing it,” but it has become something of a critique point, it’s advisable to look for another way of introducing a character. Personally, I prefer focusing on a character’s personality and psychological being, rather than their physicality. To each their own.

As far as the movie’s opening is concerned, they drop the bit with Rose chasing after Eilis with the bread and jam. Why? I suspect they ended up preferring the rather solemn mood of the first two scenes: Eilis walking alone in the dark city streets, followed by the church scene.

You may read the screenplay here.

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY!

Page One is a daily Go Into The Story series featuring the first page of notable movie scripts from the classic era to contemporary times. Comparing them is an excellent way to study a variety of writing styles and see how professional writers start a story.

For more Page One posts, go here.