Script Analysis: ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ — Part 4: Themes

Read the script written by Aaron Sorkin which won the Golden Globe and is nominated for the WGA and Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay.

Reading scripts. Absolutely critical to learn the craft of screenwriting. The focus of this bi-weekly series is a deep structural and thematic analysis of each script we read. Our daily schedule:

Monday: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown
Tuesday: Plot
Wednesday: Characters
Thursday: Themes
Friday: Dialogue
Saturday: Takeaways

Today: Themes.

I have this theory about theme. In two parts. First, a principle: Theme = Meaning. What does the story mean? Second, while there is almost always a Central Theme, there are multiple other Sub-Themes at play in a story. Therefore the question: What does a story mean takes on several layers of meaning?

This week: The Trial of the Chicago 7. You may download the screenplay here.

Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin.

Plot summary: The story of seven people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

Writing Exercise: Explore the themes in the movie. What is its Central Theme? What are some of the related Sub-Themes?

Major kudos to Andrew Lightfoot and Karen Liu for doing this week’s scene-by-scene breakdowns.

To download a PDF of either or both breakdowns for The Trial of the Chicago 7, go here and here.

An horrific moment in the movie with one of the defendants Bobby Seale who has been denied legal representation by Judge Hoffman. since the beginning of the trial. Seale has had enough. This is the result.

For Part 1, to read the Scene-By-Scene Breakdown discussion, go here.

For Part 2, to read the Plot discussion, go here.

For Part 3, to read the Character discussion, go here.

To access over 90 analyses of previous movie scripts we have read and discussed at Go Into The Story, go here.

I hope to see you in the RESPONSE section about this week’s script: The Trial of the Chicago 7.