Writers Guild chooses 101 Greatest Screenplays

Charles Brackett, Gloria Swanson, and Billy Wilder

This list has been around sine 2005, but I had forgotten about it. Worth another look? Nothing since Eternal Sunshine in 2004? What screenplays from the past 7 years would you add? Several directors have very good taste and/or clout in aquiring the best scripts. Are there 4 Hitchcock films represented? And would Rear Window or North by Northwest have made the list if a lesser director had not brought them to life with the same flair?

1.	CASABLANCA Screenplay by Julius J. & Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch. Based on the play “Everybody Comes to Rick’s” by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison
2.	THE GODFATHER Screenplay by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. Based on the novel by Mario Puzo
3.	CHINATOWN Written by Robert Towne
4.	CITIZEN KANE Written by Herman Mankiewicz and Orson Welles
5.	ALL ABOUT EVE Screenplay by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Based on “The Wisdom of Eve,” a short story and radio play by Mary Orr
6.	ANNIE HALL Written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman
7.	SUNSET BLVD. Written by Charles Brackett & Billy Wilder and D.M. Marshman, Jr.
8.	NETWORK Written by Paddy Chayefsky
9.	SOME LIKE IT HOT Screenplay by Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond. Based on “Fanfare of Love,” a German film written by Robert Thoeren and M. Logan
10.	THE GODFATHER II Screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo. Based on Mario Puzo’s novel “The Godfather”
11.	BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID Written by William Goldman
12.	DR. STRANGELOVE Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick and Peter George and Terry Southern. Based on novel “Red Alert” by Peter George
13.	THE GRADUATE Screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry. Based on the novel by Charles Webb
14.	LAWRENCE OF ARABIA Screenplay by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson. Based on the life and writings of Col. T.E. Lawrence
15.	THE APARTMENT Written by Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond
16.	PULP FICTION Written by Quentin Tarantino. Stories by Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary
17.	TOOTSIE Screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal. Story by Don McGuire and Larry Gelbart
18.	ON THE WATERFRONT Screen Story and Screenplay by Budd Schulberg. Based on “Crime on the Waterfront” articles by Malcolm Johnson
19.	TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Screenplay by Horton Foote. Based on the novel by Harper Lee
20.	IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE Screenplay by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett & Frank Capra. Based on short story “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern. Contributions to screenplay Michael Wilson and Jo Swerling
21.	NORTH BY NORTHWEST Written by Ernest Lehman
22.	THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION Screenplay by Frank Darabont. Based on the short story “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” by Stephen King
23.	GONE WITH THE WIND Screenplay by Sidney Howard. Based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell
24.	ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman. Story by Charlie Kaufman & Michel Gondry & Pierre Bismuth
25.	THE WIZARD OF OZ Screenplay by Noel Langley and Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf Adaptation by Noel Langley. Based on the novel by L. Frank Baum
26.	DOUBLE INDEMNITY Screenplay by Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler. Based on the novel by James M. Cain
27.	GROUNDHOG DAY Screenplay by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis. Story by Danny Rubin
28.	SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE Written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard
29.	SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS Written by Preston Sturges
30.	UNFORGIVEN Written by David Webb Peoples
31.	HIS GIRL FRIDAY Screenplay by Charles Lederer. Based on the play “The Front Page” by Ben Hecht & Charles MacArthur
32.	FARGO Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
33.	THE THIRD MAN Screenplay by Graham Greene. Story by Graham Greene. Based on the short story by Graham Greene
34.	THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS Screenplay by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman. From a novelette by Ernest Lehman
35.	THE USUAL SUSPECTS Written by Christopher McQuarrie
36.	MIDNIGHT COWBOY Screenplay by Waldo Salt. Based on the novel by James Leo Herlihy
37.	THE PHILADELPHIA STORY Screenplay by Donald Ogden Stewart. Based on the play by Philip Barry
38.	AMERICAN BEAUTY Written by Alan Ball
39.	THE STING Written by David S. Ward
40.	WHEN HARRY MET SALLY Written by Nora Ephron
41.	GOODFELLAS Screenplay by Nicholas Pileggi & Martin Scorsese. Based on book “Wise Guy” by Nicholas Pileggi
42.	RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK Screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan. Story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman
43.	TAXI DRIVER Written by Paul Schrader
44.	THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES Screenplay by Robert E. Sherwood. Based on novel “Glory For Me” by MacKinley Kantor
45.	ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST Screenplay by Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman. Based on the novel by Ken Kesey
46.	THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE Screenplay by John Huston. Based on the novel by B. Traven
47.	THE MALTESE FALCON Screenplay by John Huston. Based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett
48.	THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI Screenplay by Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson. Based on the novel by Pierre Boulle
49.	SCHINDLER’S LIST Screenplay by Steven Zaillian. Based on the novel by Thomas Keneally
50.	THE SIXTH SENSE Written by M. Night Shyamalan
51.	BROADCAST NEWS Written by James L. Brooks
52.	THE LADY EVE Screenplay by Preston Sturges. Story by Monckton Hoffe
53.	ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN Screenplay by William Goldman. Based on the book by Carl Bernstein & Bob Woodward
54.	MANHATTAN Written by Woody Allen & Marshall Brickman
55.	APOCALYPSE NOW Written by John Milius and Francis Coppola. Narration by Michael Herr
56.	BACK TO THE FUTURE Written by Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale
57.	CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS Written by Woody Allen
58.	ORDINARY PEOPLE Screenplay by Alvin Sargent. Based on the novel by Judith Guest
59.	IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT Screenplay by Robert Riskin. Based on the story “Night Bus” by Samuel Hopkins Adams
60.	L.A. CONFIDENTIAL Screenplay by Brian Helgeland & Curtis Hanson. Based on the novel by James Ellroy
61.	THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS Screenplay by Ted Tally. Based on the novel by Thomas Harris
62.	MOONSTRUCK Written by John Patrick Shanley
63.	JAWS Screenplay by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb. Based on the novel by Peter Benchley
64.	TERMS OF ENDEARMENT Screenplay by James L. Brooks. Based on the novel by Larry McMurtry
65.	SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN Screen Story and Screenplay by Betty Comden & Adolph Green. Based on the song by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown
66.	JERRY MAGUIRE Written by Cameron Crowe
67.	E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL Written by Melissa Mathison
68.	STAR WARS Written by George Lucas
69.	DOG DAY AFTERNOON Screenplay by Frank Pierson. Based on a magazine article by P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore
70.	THE AFRICAN QUEEN Screenplay by James Agee and John Huston. Based on the novel by C.S. Forester
71.	THE LION IN WINTER Screenplay by James Goldman. Based on the play by James Goldman
72.	THELMA & LOUISE Written by Callie Khouri
73.	AMADEUS Screenplay by Peter Shaffer. Based on his play
74.	BEING JOHN MALKOVICH Written by Charlie Kaufman
75.	HIGH NOON Screenplay by Carl Foreman. Based on short story “The Tin Star” by John W. Cunningham
76.	RAGING BULL Screenplay by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin. Based on the book by Jake La Motta with Joseph Carter and Peter Savage
77.	ADAPTATION Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman. Based on the book “The Orchid Thief” by Susan Orlean
78.	ROCKY Written by Sylvester Stallone
79.	THE PRODUCERS Written by Mel Brooks
80.	WITNESS Screenplay by Earl W. Wallace & William Kelley. Story by William Kelley and Pamela Wallace & Earl W. Wallace
81.	BEING THERE Screenplay by Jerzy Kosinski. Inspired by the novel by Jerzy Kosinski
82.	COOL HAND LUKE Screenplay by Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson. Based on the novel by Donn Pearce
83.	REAR WINDOW Screenplay by John Michael Hayes. Based on the short story by Cornell Woolrich
84.	THE PRINCESS BRIDE Screenplay by William Goldman. Based on his novel
85.	LA GRANDE ILLUSION Written by Jean Renoir and Charles Spaak
86.	HAROLD & MAUDE Written by Colin Higgins
87.	8 1/2 Screenplay by Federico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, Ennio Flaiano, Brunello Rond. Story by Fellini, Flaiano
88.	FIELD OF DREAMS Screenplay by Phil Alden Robinson. Based on the book by W.P. Kinsella
89.	FORREST GUMP Screenplay by Eric Roth. Based on the novel by Winston Groom
90.	SIDEWAYS Screenplay by Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor. Based on the novel by Rex Pickett
91.	THE VERDICT Screenplay by David Mamet. Based on the novel by Barry Reed
92.	PSYCHO Screenplay by Joseph Stefano. Based on the novel by Robert Bloch
93.	DO THE RIGHT THING Written by Spike Lee
94.	PATTON Screen Story and Screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North. Based on “A Soldier’s Story” by Omar H. Bradley and “Patton: Ordeal and Triumph” by Ladislas Farago
95.	HANNAH AND HER SISTERS Written by Woody Allen
96.	THE HUSTLER Screenplay by Sidney Carroll & Robert Rossen. Based on the novel by Walter Tevis
97.	THE SEARCHERS Screenplay by Frank S. Nugent. Based on the novel by Alan Le May
98.	THE GRAPES OF WRATH Screenplay by Nunnally Johnson. Based on the novel by John Steinbeck
99.	THE WILD BUNCH Screenplay by Walon Green and Sam Peckinpah. Story by Walon Green and Roy Sickner
100.	MEMENTO Screenplay by Christopher Nolan. Based on the short story “Memento Mori” by Jonathan Nolan
101.	NOTORIOUS Written by Ben Hecht