Page One: “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” (1971)

Novel by Edmund Naughton, screenplay by Robert Altman and Brian McKay

The movie version of the opening:

This script excerpt is an example of how screenplay style has changed over the years. Current sensibilities: Avoid specific camera shots / directing jargon; break up scene description into smaller paragraphs (typically no more than three lines).

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.

You may follow the daily conversation on Twitter as I cross-post there: @GoIntoTheStory.