American Beauty: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Scripts)

The shooting script of the acclaimed DreamWorks film starring Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening, directed by Sam Mendes, winner of the 1999 Golden Globe Award for Best Picture. In the widely praised Newmarket Shooting Script(tm) series format, here is the complete shooting script of one of the best films of 1999. Also included in this volume are a fascinating essay about the screenplay and the making of the film by director Sam Mendes, an afterword by screenwriter Alan Ball recalling the genesis of the script, a twelve-page photo section, and the complete cast and crew credits.

"I read the screenplay and nearly fell out of bed. I thought I better meet him quick before someone else read it."--Kevin Spacey

Actors and critics alike have praised Alan Ball's first feature film screenplay, which tells the off-kilter story of a midlife crisis suffered by Lester Burnham (played by Spacey). For fans of the film's dialogue--and there will be many--the screenplay allows Ball's words as well as the film's inventive imagery, from flying rose petals to a dancing plastic bag, to be savored.

Unfortunately for those wanting the inside scoop, this text is not the original shooting script but rather the screenplay of the final cut. But the script is so impressive, that's a minor quibble. The accompanying notes from Ball and director Sam Mendes are quite insightful, hinting at a different original ending and revealing Ball's odd inspiration for his idea: the tale of Joey Buttafuoco. Ball's TV background has made him an expert technical writer, and this book would serve as a great template for the fledgling screenwriter. It includes 20 black and white photos and a cast list. --Doug Thomas