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The written word on film
Published: 2/25/2008 6:09 PM
Last Modified: 2/25/2008 6:09 PM

When I remember Joel and Ethan Coen’s "No Country for Old Men" winning the Academy Award for best picture, I will recall their adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's book as a wonder of screenwriting.

I'm reminded of Oscar-winning writer Robert Towne's ("Chinatown") comment that he believed the greatest screenwriting he'd witnessed was that of Francis Ford Coppola in constructing a section of "The Godfather, Part II."

In the scene, a young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) carries out the assassination of the neighborhood don, peering down from the brownstone rooftops at the white-suited slug strolling through a street parade below.

Before meeting up with him at the top of the stairs outside the crime lord's apartment, Vito unscrews the lightbulb to darken the doorway entrance, concealing in the shadows of Gordon Willis' gloriously dark cinematography both himself and his weapon, a pistol wrapped with a white sheet as a crude silencer.

The drama is palpable as a young man looks to reclaim his neighborhood from this piggish thug, though we know he will become the new don, seeing himself as a fair man, living by an honorable moral code and protecting his neighbors.

Vito’s execution of Don Fanucci, the reasoning goes, and we as viewers largely support this theory, is the right thing to do.

The point of this lengthy exposition: Towne has chosen the ultimate in screenwriting to be a lengthy scene with zero dialogue. And yet, it says so much.

"No Country for Old Men" is filled with these kinds of moments, like the machinations of Josh Brolin's character in stumbling upon a sentry of dead men and a stash of cash and then deciding whether to fight temptation.

Or there’s a scene which those who have seen the film will recall, and see if this sounds familiar: A dangerous man with a gun stands outside his target's room door, then douses the hall light before taking aim.

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I See Movies for Free

“I was born a poor, black child” … not me, actually, but Steve Martin’s character in the “The Jerk.” That absurd opening line is just one of the absurd number of film facts, quotes and minutiae contained in movie critic Michael Smith’s brain, at his disposal to toss out on a moment’s notice. It’s a key requirement as Tulsa World film critic to know these things. Michael learned a few other life facts along the way (seven years as a Crystal’s Pizza & Spaghetti manager) before attempting journalism and joining the Tulsa World in 1996, where he’s covered everything from a school shooting in Fort Gibson to a tornado in Stroud to witnessing an execution. A little community theater coverage was sprinkled in there, too. Movies engender many of his happiest memories, from standing in line for “Star Wars” and “Grease” at the Southroads Cinema to the James Bond and Pink Panther movies that always premiered at the enormous Continental Theater.

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Past Articles By Michael Smith

2/16/2013		Broken Arrow movie theater moves to discount showings
2/15/2013		Review: 'Amour'
2/15/2013		Review: 'A Good Day to Die Hard'
2/15/2013		Review: 'Beautiful Creatures'
2/14/2013		Review: 'Quartet'
2/14/2013		Shirley MacLaine to speak at Osage Casino
2/14/2013		Weekly rewind: February 14
2/14/2013		REVIEW: 'Beautiful Creatures'
2/12/2013		Belgian best picture hopeful 'Amour' opens in Tulsa on Friday
2/10/2013		'Die Hard' marathon at AMC Southroads on Wednesday ends with new film
2/9/2013		Review: 'Identity Thief' a stupid movie from stupid idea
2/8/2013		Oscar audit: Critics choices for best picture hold up over time

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