Here's telling you, kid, Casablanca's script has been voted best of 'em all...

[John Hodson]

From today's Grauniad, the Writers Guild of America has voted on the top screenplays of all time, and it come as no surprise to see the list stuffed with gems from from 'our' era.

What happens to a few little screenplays in this crazy world may not amount to a hill of beans, but the people who write them have now come up with what they reckon are the finest ones of all time.
Like every list, it will make some people mad as hell and make them feel that they're not going to take it any more. But here's looking at the top 101 screenplays in the opinion of the trade.

The Writers Guild of America yesterday published the results of a poll of its members to find the elusive finest screenplay in film history. It will come as no surprise that Casablanca - most quoted (and misquoted) film of all time - should be up there at No 1. But some other choices will raise eyebrows as high as Groucho's in his role as president of Fredonia in Duck Soup, which, puzzlingly, does not make the cut...

See the full article here.

And the results of the vote:

1) Casablanca (1942)
2) The Godfather (1972)
3) Chinatown (1974)
4) Citizen Kane (1941)
5) All About Eve (1950)
6) Annie Hall (1977)
7) Sunset Boulevard (1950)
8 Network (1976)
9) Some Like It Hot (1959)
10) The Godfather Pt II (1974)
11) Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (1969)
12) Dr. Strangelove (1964)
13) The Graduate (1967)
14) Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
15) The Apartment (1960)
16) Pulp Fiction (1994)
17) Tootsie (1982)
18) On The Waterfront (1954)
19) To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
20) It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Go to the WGA website for the full list of 101 films here.

[earl_roberts2002]

Although barely relevant as he's not a writer, but why does Howard Hawks, or more importantly his films not get the credit they so blatantly deserve. Do Tootsie or It's A Wonderful Life have better scripts than The Big Sleep or His Girl Friday? Really?
Anways [remembers today's mantra: be positive!] it is a very nice list. Dialouge from [almost] all of those films have very much been the case of 'once heard, never forgotten'.


EDIT: Well, His Girl Friday makes it in at 31 so not totally overlooked, although there is a disapointting lack of Ben Hecht. Just the one film in at the final position I think.

[Guest 29]

The only one I'd quibble with in the top 20 is "Mockingbird". I'm particularly pleased to see "Tootsie" in there because I think it's a brilliantly written screenplay - although it should be considering how much heartache went into it.

I'd like to see "The Untouchables" in there personally along with "Notorious".