This Month in Filmmaking History - September Roundup

The very first Toronto International Film Festival, or TIFF as it’s often abbreviated, happened on this day in history in 1976. Nearly half a million people attend the event every year. The event has morphed into a permanent aspect in Toronto as well, occupying a space in the downtown area that offers year-round screenings, workshops, and industry support. TIFF drew 35,000 people and 127 films from 30 different countries in its first year, but Hollywood did not show up. American filmmakers felt that the Canadian audience would have too conservative a view to appreciate its projects. The event is now one of the largest and most respected film festivals in the world.

On this day in history in 1902, filmmaker Georges Méliès introduced the world to science fiction, in his 18-minute long hand-colored silent film about traveling to the moon. Méliès became famous for his theatrical style, fancy sets, and special effects. Although the film was silent, it was meant to be presented alongside a live orchestra and narrator, so the score varied from theater to theater. Méliès pioneered the style of leaving the camera stationary, aimed at a single set, to mimic the perspective of an audience member. The scene of the space capsule landing in the moon’s eye is considered one of the most iconic images in cinema history.

The Third Man, still considered one of the greatest British films ever made, debuted on this day in history in 1949. Graham Greene wrote the screenplay, which follows Holly Martins to Vienna for a job, only to find the friend who requested he come to Vienna for the job is now dead from suspicious circumstances. Greene wrote the story as a novella first, to prep for the screenplay. There are some notable differences in the script from screenplays of today, including the specific camera shots Greene included. The film is also an excellent example of atmospheric cinematography.  

Charlie Kaufman earned a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination for “Being John Malkovich,” which debuted on this day in history at the 1999 Venice Film Festival. Kaufman originally wrote the spec script in 1994 and sent it around to many production companies, but to no avail. He later sent the screenplay to filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, who, in turn, sent it to his daughter’s boyfriend, filmmaker Spike Jonze. Jonze also earned an Oscar nomination for Best Director for the movie, and Roger Ebert called it the best film of 1999. John Malkovich himself had doubts about not only starring in the film but having his name in the film’s title, famously saying, “Either the movie’s a bomb … or it does well, and I’m just forever associated with this character.”

Screenwriter and Director Alexander Payne debuted his comedy-drama film “The Descendants” on this day in history in 2011 at the Toronto International Film Festival. Nat Faxon and Jim Rash also worked on the Oscar-winning adapted script, based on a 2007 novel written by Kaui Hart Hemmings. Many critics called the film the “best of 2011,” citing the performances, writing, and editing. The story follows the misadventures of a landowner in Hawaii who is faced with a decision to sell the land while dealing with his two daughters and comatose wife.

Read the shooting draft screenplay for “The Descendants.”

Widely regarded as one of the best dystopian thrillers of all time, and one of the best science fiction movies of the 2000s, “Children of Men” premiered on this day in 2006. The film painted a bleak picture of the year 2027 when humanity has become infertile and is on the brink of collapse. The screenplay was adapted from the novel by the same name written by P.D. James, with screenplay credits going to Hawk Ostby, David Arata, Mark Fergus, Alfonso Cuaron, and Timothy Sexton. It’s known for its simple yet powerful plot, advanced by special effects.

Happy birthday to two-time Best Original Screenplay Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach! Baumbach is perhaps best known for 2019’s “Marriage Story,” and “Frances Ha,” which he directed and co-wrote with Greta Gerwig.  He knew he wanted to be a filmmaker from an early age, and he wrote and directed his first film, “Kicking and Screaming,” at just 26 years old.

Robert Rodriguez wrote and directed this Guinness World Record holder for the least expensive movie to ever gross more than $1 million. He produced “El Mariachi” for just $7,225, and it premiered on this day in 1992. It was Rodriguez’s first feature-length movie, and launched his trilogy now known as “Robert Rodriguez’s Mexico Trilogy,” to include “Desperado” and “Once Upon a Time in Mexico.” The Spanish-language film centers on a mariachi performer who is mistaken for a murderous man who carries a gun in his guitar case.

Steve McQueen and Abi Morgan wrote the screenplay for “Shame,” which premiered on this day in history in 2011 at the Venice Film Festival. The story follows a sex addict whose private life starts to deteriorate when his sister comes to town. The Motion Picture Association gave the film an NC-17 rating, meaning no one under the age of 17 would be allowed to see it due to its explicit nature. Still, critics felt the film truthfully depicted addiction, calling it “the most wholesome film made about unwholesomeness.” While the studio could have made cuts to the movie and appealed for a less restrictive R-rating, Fox Searchlight said NC-17 was a badge of honor, and it was about time it became more “usable in a serious manner.”

Read the screenplay for “Shame.”

Mark Boal wrote the screenplay for “The Hurt Locker, which premiered on this day in 2008. The story is based on his real experiences as a journalist embedded with an American bomb squad in Iraq. During that time, he emailed director Kathryn Bigelow about what was happening and used those recollections to write the fictional story. The film debuted on this day in history at the 2008 Venice Film Festival and went on to win six Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay.

The Cold War spy thriller “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” debuted on this day in history in 2011, written by Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan based on a John le Carré novel. The story centers on the hunt for a double agent embedded in the British Secret Service. The movie earned an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film. British screenwriter and playwright Peter Morgan (“The Queen,” “Frost/Nixon”) wrote the initial script but dropped out of the project once it went to production. O’Connor and Straughan redrafted the screenplay, and critics praised it for condensing a complex story into a suspenseful espionage thriller. O’Connor passed away during production, so the final film was dedicated to her.

Read the screenplay for “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.”

Did you know that “The King’s Speech” may have debuted much earlier than 2010 if it wasn’t for the Queen Mother? Screenwriter David Seidler stopped working on the story until the Queen Mother died in 2002. He had a stammer himself and had always been inspired by King George VI’s ability to overcome his stutter and give speeches. Seidler studied King George VI and his therapist, Lionel Logue, but couldn’t find much information about Logue, so he reached out to Logue’s son Valentine for research. Valentine agreed to release his dad’s notebooks, but only if the Queen Mother gave permission. She said she didn’t want the notebooks released in her lifetime. When she died, Seidler finished the story as a stage play, then later adapted it for the screen. Many of the lines were pulled from Logue’s real treatment diary.

The French film “The Baker’s Wife” premiered on this day in history in 1938, directed by Marcel Pagnol and based on the novel “Blue Boy” by Jean Giono. The black and white comedy-drama follows a French baker whose younger wife leaves him just as he starts his bakery business. Unable to bake due to the grief, the town sets off to find his wife so the baker can make bread again. Orson Welles called it the “perfect movie,” and the National Board of Review and New York Film Critics Circle Awards agreed, giving Pagnol the honors for Best Foreign Language Film in 1940.

Diablo Cody wrote the coming-of-age film “Juno,” which debuted at the Toronto Film Festival to a standing ovation on this day in history in 2007. Cody won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the movie, even though the script started as a simple sample to show studios that she could write. Producer Mason Novick had first asked Cody to adapt her memoir, “Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of An Unlikely Stripper,” but said that she had to show studios that she had the chops first by providing a sample script. Cody has said in interviews that she never thought “Juno” would be produced.

“Goodfellas” is considered one of the best gangster films ever made, if not one of the greatest films across genres. It premiered on this day in 1990 at the Venice Film Festival. Martin Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi wrote the script based on Pileggi’s non-fiction book, “Wiseguy.” Pileggi was a crime reporter in New York, and Scorsese felt like his book detailed some of the most honest representations of mobsters he had read. The pair wrote 12 drafts before getting to a final script.

“The X-Files,” created by Chris Carter, debuted on this day in 1993 and went on to become the longest-running science fiction series in US history. It followed FBI special agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, who investigate paranormal cases known as X-Files. Carter was tired of working on comedies, so he wrote the pilot for “The X-Files” after being inspired by a report that millions of Americans thought aliens had abducted them at some point in their lives. Carter said the Watergate Scandal also inspired him, and the 1970’s horror show, “Kolchak: The Night Stalker.”

Based on the short story by Stephen King, “The Shawshank Redemption” is now considered one of IMDB’s top-rated movies of all time, and the U.S. Library of Congress chose the film for preservation in the National Film Registry. The film premiered on this day in 1994. Frank Darabont purchased the rights from King to develop the movie, then wrote the script over two months. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Adapted Screenplay and has become a beloved story of hope and freedom.

 “Boogie Nights” by Paul Thomas Anderson is still praised as one of the most accurate portrayals of the not-so-glamorous 1970s exotic films industry. The film, which debuted on this day in 1997, features strong character development, and Anderson manages to present what could be a sleazy topic in a way that made audiences feel for the cast. The Academy nominated the script for Best Original Screenplay, as did the Golden Globes, and the British Film Academy.

Bernard Rose wrote and directed the supernatural horror film “Candyman,” which premiered on this day in 1992. He based the story of the ghostly Candyman on a short story by Clive Barker called “The Forbidden.” It centers on a grad student who is studying urban legends and accidentally awakens the fabled monster. Critics call the film a classic horror that “benefits from an interesting premise.” Where Barker’s short story featured themes of the British class system, Rose revised the story to focus on racism and social class in inner-city Chicago. There were two sequels made, with a third by director Jordan Peele in the works.

Read the screenplay for “Candyman.”

Clint Eastwood landed his first starring role in the Spaghetti Western film “A Fistful of Dollars,” which debuted in Italy on this day in 1964. It was the first in a series of films now known as the Dollars Trilogy. The movie was written by Víctor Andrés Catena, Jaime Comas Gil, and Sergio Leone, and directed by Leone. Leone felt that although Hollywood was backing off of the Western genre, there was still plenty of room for more Westerns in Europe. He solidified his signature style with this film and launched Clint Eastwood’s career when the trilogy debuted in the US three years later.

We were first introduced to the late Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, the notorious film critics of the “Siskel & Ebert” TV show, on this day in 1986. The pair became the leading critics on film, often trading spars with each other over their reviews before ultimately giving the film a thumbs up or thumbs down. Their famous “Two Thumbs Up” phrase is still part of the film review lingo, and many movies ended up using the rating on the VHS and DVD boxes to attract rentals.

Early reviews of “Days of Heaven” said the only redeeming quality about the film was its cinematography, which seemed to be inspired by an Edward Hopper painting. But later, film critics came to appreciate this Terrence Malick movie not only for its stunning visual elements but for the story he painted through that imagery. It premiered on this day in 1978. The screenplay itself has been called “mesmerizing.” The film was notoriously difficult to produce because Malick insisted on using natural lighting and the shooting schedule was tight. But it paid off in the end with a Cannes award for best director and an Academy Award for best cinematography. The film also tops many lists as one of the best movies ever made. 

The world fell in love with Scooby-Doo, the Great Dane, when the animated mystery comedy debuted on this day in 1969. “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” aired for just two seasons and 25 episodes, but the show cemented itself in pop culture with its beloved characters and often repetitive plot lines. Later episodes would be produced in 1978, followed by “Scooby’s All-Stars,” and “The Scooby-Doo Show.” Joseph Barbera, William Hanna, Joe Ruby, and Ken Spears created the show.

Susan Harris created “The Golden Girls,” a television sitcom about four older women who live together in Miami, Florida, and it premiered on this day in 1985. The original idea came from a parody skit to promote “Miami Vice,” called “Miami Nice,” that poked fun at older people living in Miami. The senior vice president of NBC was in the audience during filming and was so amused that he asked producers Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas to pull a pilot script together. Their regular writer was unavailable, so Witt asked his wife, Susan Harris, to write the script.  She stayed on for four episodes before head writers Kathy Speer and Terry Grossman took over.

The silent drama “The Docks of New York” premiered on this day in history in 1928, chronicling the story of a blue-collar worker whose life changes after stopping a woman from committing suicide on the New York waterfront. Jules Furthman adapted the screenplay from John Monk Saunder’s “The Dock Walloper.” Furthman worked with “Docks” director Josef von Sternberg on later films as well, including “Morocco” and “Blonde Venus,” but “The Docks of New York” was one of the last films of the silent era. The film is still praised for its emotional but straightforward filmmaking style.

Read the transcript for “The Docks of New York.”

SPOILER ALERT: That famous scene at the end of “Se7en,” with the head in the box? It almost didn’t happen, according to screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker. While the scene was in Walker’s original screenplay, the first director attached to the script asked Walker to rewrite the story to remove that part. By accident, the original version of the script ended up on director David Fincher’s desk. He loved the shocking ending, and thus directed the “Se7en” as we know it, which debuted on this day in history in 1995. It was Walker’s first optioned script, and it allowed him to quit his day job at Tower Records and finally pursue screenwriting full-time.

“Goldfinger,” the first James Bond blockbuster, premiered on this day in history in 1964. In it, Bond investigates a gold smuggler and uncovers a plot to contaminate the gold supply at Fort Knox. Though not the first in the series, this film paved the way for later Bond movies that featured many gadgets, the longer pre-credit sequence,  exotic filming locations, and sarcastic humor. Richard Maibaum and Paul Dehn wrote the screenplay based on Ian Fleming’s novel. Maibaum co-wrote the previous two films and is credited with fixing the plot hole in the “Goldfinger” novel in his adapted screenplay. But the producer wasn’t happy with Maibaum’s version and brought Dehn in to write another draft, which the director reportedly felt was more British. Actor Sean Connery (James Bond) didn’t like that draft either, so Maibaum came back to revise it yet again. Based on its box-office success, the final version of the script eventually became the blueprint for Bond films that would follow.

Read the transcript screenplay for “Goldfinger.”

Written by Victor Erice and Angel Fernandez Santos, this early 70’s Spanish-language film captured an allegorical quality few other films had before it. “The Spirit of the Beehive,” which premiered on this day in history in 1973, centers on a young girl who is deeply affected by the movie “Frankenstein,” withdrawing into a fantasy world that sometimes finds her in trouble. The film features a heavy layer of symbolism, with both writers being impacted by Spain’s isolation during the early stages of the Francoist State in Spain. “The Spirit of the Beehive” refers to the idea that bees are ordered and organized but lack free will and creativity. Hexagonal patterns can be seen throughout the film, as well as honey-colored light. Roger Ebert added the film to his “Great Movies” section, and it maintains a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 

The film version of “A Streetcar Named Desire” debuted on this day in 1951, four years after the stage play premiered on Broadway. Tennessee Williams worked on adapting his original play for the screen with writer Oscar Saul, and the pair changed several elements of the story. What didn’t change though was the original Broadway cast. Except for the role of Blanche DuBois, the cast from the play kept their roles for the film. Marlon Brando, who was mostly unknown at the time, rose to stardom in Hollywood thanks to the movie. The play won a Pulitzer, and the film won dozens of awards and was later selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

Screenwriter Alvin Sargent penned the Oscar-winning adapted screenplay for “Ordinary People,” which premiered on this day in history in 1980. The story is based on a Judith Guest novel about a wealthy family that falls apart after the accidental death of one of the sons. The movie marked Robert Redford’s directorial debut, and a successful one at that: He won Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards. The script was praised for its character development and arcs. The National Board of Review named it one of the top 10 films of the year.

Read the second draft screenplay for “Ordinary People."

The first official Cannes Film Festival began on this day in 1946 and lasted until October 5, with 21 countries showing their films. Its origins are even earlier, though. As early as 1938, France wanted an answer to the Venice Film Festival, so they created their own event. Officials selected the city of Cannes since it was already a popular resort destination, and the first festival was slated for September 1939. Early that month, though, France and the UK declared war on Germany, and the festival had to be canceled. It was relaunched in 1946.

Happy birthday, Stephen King! The “King of Horror” was born on this day in 1947. He has more than 50 novel credits to his name and has sold more than 350 million copies of his stories, not to mention many of which have been turned into films, comic books and TV shows, including the recent “Castle Rock.” King’s memoir “On Writing” remains one of the most recommended books for writers, while his book “The Shining” is one of his most famous. King is said to have Triskaidekaphobia or the irrational fear of the number 13, and has been quoted as saying he won’t stop writing on page 13 or stop reading on any double-digit page numbers that add up to 13.

Written by Jeffrey Lieber, J.J. Abrams, and Damon Lindelof, “Lost” remains one of the most successful television series ever created. It aired over six years and six seasons, beginning on this day in history in 2004, and averaged more than 10 million viewers per episode. The shooting took place primarily on Oahu, which also made “Lost” one of the most expensive television series ever made. ABC fired its chairman Lloyd Braun before the pilot even aired for greenlighting such an expensive and risky project.

In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Aniston recalled having dinner with her castmates in Las Vegas before the first episode of “Friends” aired on this day in 1994. The director James Burrows treated the cast, saying it was the last time the cast would ever be able to go out on the town unrecognized. “Friends,” created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, went on to become one of the most popular TV shows of all time and will go down in history as one of the most beloved stories of friendship, life, and love. It focused evenly on six characters instead of one, despite NBC’s request that the script feature one dominant storyline and several minor stories. The creators refused, and NBC eventually gave in. Earlier titles for the show included “Six of One” and “Friends Like Us,” but after several script rewrites and name changes, NBC settled on “Friends.”

The 1936 romantic drama “Dodsworth” debuted on this day in history, recounting one retired couple’s European vacation and the things they discover about each other on the journey. Sidney Howard based the screenplay on the stage adaptation of the Sinclair Lewis novel. Robert Wyler also helped with the screenplay but is uncredited on the film. Critics today laud the film for its honest portrayal of a struggling relationship that probably made viewers uncomfortable at the time since it was taboo to talk about wanting out of a marriage. Howard earned an Oscar nomination for the screenplay.

Read the transcript for “Dodsworth.”

Carl Mayer wrote the story for the 1927 silent film, “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans,” based on a short story by Hermann Sudermann called “The Excursion to Tilsit.” The film was one of the first to feature a synchronized musical score and sound effects soundtrack, and it went on to win the Academy Award for Unique and Artistic Picture at the very first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929. Many critics consider it to be the best film of the silent era.

The screenplay for “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” by William Goldman won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1970, as well as three other Oscars. The movie debuted on this day in history in 1969. The story follows two outlaws, Butch and Sundance, who are on the run from a special posse and decide to escape to Bolivia. The story is loosely based on the true story of Butch Cassidy, which Goldman researched for nearly a decade before finally writing the screenplay. Initially, only one studio showed interest in purchasing the script. So, Goldman re-worked a few pages and said suddenly every studio wanted it. The script is ranked #11 by the WGA as one of the 101 greatest screenplays ever written.

Happy birthday, Pedro Almodóvar! He is one of the most famous Spanish filmmakers, directors, screenwriters, and producers, and he was born on this day in 1949. Almodóvar’s films have developed a cult following, and he credits his international success with creating movies that entertain. His stories often use symbolism and metaphors and feature strong female characters and LGBT cultural references. Almodóvar didn’t go to film school because he couldn’t afford it, so instead, he worked hard to save up for a Super 8 camera. That purchase would be life-changing, as the filmmaker’s short films became rising stars in Spain’s “La Movida” pop-cultural movement of the 70s. He later established a production company with his brother and has gone on to produce more than 20 films.

William Monahan wrote the screenplay for the Irish gang crime film, “The Departed,” which debuted on this day in New York City in 2006. The story takes place in Boston, Massachusetts, and follows an Irish mob and a police department who infiltrate each other. Monahan’s script earned him an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, as the storyline was a remake from a 2002 Hong Kong film called “Internal Affairs.”

Many writers have touched the scripts for the various adaptations of “A Star Is Born,” but Moss Hart wrote the version that premiered on this day in history in 1954. It was a remake of the original 1937 film. The musical drama tells the story of a film star who helps an aspiring singer rise to fame while his own career spirals. The film tugged at audiences’ heartstrings, and critics loved the entertaining musical interludes. Judy Garland stars, and many have called it her best performance. Singer Barbra Streisand would star in the 1976 version and Lady Gaga in the 2018 remake.

Read the transcript for “A Star is Born.”

Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” premiered in New York on this day in 1991. Linda Woolverton is credited with the screenplay, based on a story by Roger Allers, which was based on the original 1756 fairy tale. It went on to win the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture and was the first animated film ever to win that category.