Page One: ‘Rear Window’ (1954)

Screenplay by John Michael Hayes, based on the short story by Cornell Woolrich

The movie version of the scene:

It’s always interesting to read screenplays for Hitchcock movies. Apart from the thick blocks of scene description — common to scripts from that era — there is a specificity of camera movements reflecting how Hitchcock shot the movie. That’s because the director worked closely with the screenwriter to create what is in effect a literary shot list.

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.

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