Page One: “The French Connection” (1971)

Screenplay by Ernest Tidyman, based on the book by Robin Moore

The movie version of the opening:

The movie is almost literally shot for shot as written in the script.

WARNING: DO NOT WRITE SPEC SCRIPT LIKE THIS!

The French Connection excerpt is an example of a shooting script (or a production draft). A spec feature script is in effect a selling script. The contemporary convention is not to include camera shots.

Go here to learn more about the differences between a shooting script and a selling script.

That said, there is a takeaway from the script opening: It’s efficient writing. Intro a cop. Intro the guys he’s tailing. Show the cop heading home. Cop gets assassinated. All in 1 1/2 pages. Literally starts off the movie with a bang.

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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