Top 10 Favorite Screenplays (Part 4 of 5)

7. Raging Bull (1980) Written by Paul Schrader and Madrik Martin
Accolades: No Major award wins or nominations (GASP!!)

Thoughts/Opinions: The biopic of all biopics. A heart breaking story of jealousy and rage. Jake LaMotta is one of the greatest boxers of all time; he is known for two major things: his 6 fights with Sugar Ray Robinson, and never being knocked down throughout his entire career. Although it is not his achievments in the ring that are the focus point for this film. Instead the film focuses on his failures as a human being, his inadequacies. Robert De Niro's portrayal of  LaMotta earnes him his only Best Actor Oscar and is widely considered one of the all time great performances. It is the detail driven script that allows us to get an understanding of LaMotta and his personality. I found myself all throughout the film sypathizing with LaMotta, and being pained by seeing his pain. That alone is a great achievment for the script, making the viewer feel very strongly for a character. What makes this script even greater is that Jake LaMotta isn't the only character we feel for. Along with him there is his you wife, Vicki, who's life is destroyed by his jealousy. Also there is his brother, Joey, there relationship is forever strained when Jake covinces himself that Joey slept with Vicki, and he brutally beats him infront of his family. This script is all power, it perfectly evokes all the emotions in the film. We feel Jake's pain, and in the end can't help but think to ourselves "he isn't that bad of a guy."

Memorable Quotes:

Jake La Motta: [talks about Janiro] I'm gonna open his hole like this. Please excuse my French. I'm gonna make him suffer. I'm gonna make his mother wish she never had him - make him into dog meat... He's a nice, a nice kid. He's a pretty kid, too. I mean I don't know, I gotta problem if I should fuck him or fight him.
Tommy Como: [laughs] You're crazy. Fuck him or fight him.
Salvy Batts: If you're really in love with that fucker, just watch out.
Jake La Motta: By who?
Salvy Batts: Janiro.
Jake La Motta: You mean, you want me to get him to fuck you?
Salvy Batts: Me?
Jake La Motta: Yeah.
Salvy Batts: No, I don't want him to fuck me.
Jake La Motta: I could do that easily.
Salvy Batts: How ya gonna do that?
Jake La Motta: Because I'll get youse both in a ring, I'll give youse both a fuckin' beatin', ya both can fuck each other.
Salvy Batts: I get all full of blood.
Jake La Motta: You're used to that.

 

Joey LaMotta: She ain't the kind of girl you just fuck and forget about, this girl.
Jake La Motta: Joey, how many times I gotta tell ya? Why're you always cursin' when I'm talkin' to you? Don't do it around me. Do it around your friends.
Joey LaMotta: She's a, the kind of girl you bang and forget about - she's not like that. You gotta spend time with her, get involved, you know...
Jake La Motta: D'you bang her?
Joey LaMotta: No.
Jake La Motta: Tell me the truth.
Joey LaMotta: I just told you the truth. I tell you the truth the first time. You don't have to ask me again. I never do that. I always tell you the truth. If I did it, you would know. I took her out a couple of times.
Jake La Motta: You went out with her and you didn't try to fuck her?
Joey LaMotta: I try to fuck anything.

 

Jake La Motta: You punch like you take it up the ass.

 

[Sugar Ray Robinson has just battered Jake La Motta half to death, but Jake has stayed on his feet]
Jake La Motta: You didn't get me down, Ray.

 

Joey LaMotta: If you win, you win. If you lose, you still win.

 

Vicki LaMotta: I sucked your brother's cock.
Jake La Motta: You sucked my brother's cock?
Vicki LaMotta: Yeah, I sucked his cock. I sucked all their cocks - what do you want me to tell you?
[as Jake starts moving to leave the house and confront Joey]
Vicki LaMotta: His fucking cock is bigger than yours.

 

Jake La Motta: Did you fuck my wife?
Joey LaMotta: What?
Jake La Motta: Did you fuck my wife?
Joey LaMotta: [pauses] How do you ask me that? I'm your brother and you ask me that? Where do you get you're balls big enough to ask me that?
Jake La Motta: I'm gonna ask you again, did you or didn't you? Just answer the question.
Joey LaMotta: I'm not gonna answer that. It's stupid. It's a sick question and you're a sick fuck and I'm not that sick that I'm gonna answer it. I'm leaving, If Nora calls tell her I went home. You know what you should do? Do a little more fucking and a little less eating, so you don't have to blame it all on me and everybody else, you understand me? You're cracking up! Ya' fucking screw ball ya'!

 

[last lines]
Jake La Motta: Go get 'em, champ.
[he begins shadowboxing]
Jake La Motta: I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss... I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss.

 

8. The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) Written by Ted Tally

Accolades: Academy Award Best Adapted Screenplay

 

Thoughts/Opinions: Horror films 9 times out of 10 have mediocre to awful scripts. Their scripts usually have brief and pointless dailogue which tends to be more annoying than useful. So when a horror film comes along that works just as hard on the script as on the scares, well that's just wonderful. Also it probably helps that The Silence Of The Lambs is an adaptation of a bestselling novel, but I don't think that takes anything away from the greatness of the script. It is Clarice Sterling, played by Jodie Foster, who is the main character on the film, but it is the two serial killers-- Hannibal Lecter played by Anthony Hopkins and Buffalo Bill played by Ted Levine-- who steal the show. Lecter's hidden affection to Clarice, and the fascination of his past keep you completely mystified by everything that comes out of his mouth (and at times what goes in). Buffalo Bill is one of the most disturbing characters ever, and that only adds to his appeal. Time and care are put into each character in this script while confidently flowing each characters story with the others.

 

Memorable Quotes:

Hannibal Lecter: First principles, Clarice. Simplicity. Read Marcus Aurelius. Of each particular thing ask: what is it in itself? What is its nature? What does he do, this man you seek?
Clarice Starling: He kills women...
Hannibal Lecter: No. That is incidental. What is the first and principal thing he does? What needs does he serve by killing?
Clarice Starling: Anger, um, social acceptance, and, huh, sexual frustrations, sir...
Hannibal Lecter: No! He covets. That is his nature. And how do we begin to covet, Clarice? Do we seek out things to covet? Make an effort to answer now.
Clarice Starling: No. We just...
Hannibal Lecter: No. We begin by coveting what we see every day. Don't you feel eyes moving over your body, Clarice? And don't your eyes seek out the things you want?

 

 Miggs: I can smell your cunt.

 

Hannibal Lecter: Now then, tell me. What did Miggs say to you? Multiple Miggs in the next cell. He hissed at you. What did he say?
Clarice Starling: He said, "I can smell your cunt."
Hannibal Lecter: I see. I myself cannot. You use Evian skin cream, and sometimes you wear L'Air du Temps, but not today.

 

Hannibal Lecter: "Plum Island Animal Disease Research Center." Sounds charming.
Clarice Starling: That's only a part of the island. There's a very, very nice beach. Terns nest there. There's beautiful...
Hannibal Lecter: [cuts her off] Terns? Mmh. If I help you, Clarice, it will be "turns" with us too. Quid pro quo. I tell you things, you tell me things. Not about this case, though. About yourself. Quid pro quo. Yes or no?
[pause]
Hannibal Lecter: Yes or no, Clarice? Poor little Catherine is waiting.
Clarice Starling: Go, doctor.

 

Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it is told.
Catherine Martin: Mister... my family will pay cash. Whatever ransom you're askin' for, they pay it.
Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.
[to his dog, Precious]
Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: Yes, it will, Precious, won't it? It will get the hose!
Catherine Martin: Okay... okay... okay. Mister, if you let me go, I won't - I won't press charges I promise. See, my mom is a real important woman... I guess you already know that.
Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: Now it places the lotion in the basket.
Catherine Martin: Please! Please I wanna go home! I wanna go home please!
Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: It places the lotion in the basket.
Catherine Martin: I wanna see my mommy! Please I wanna see my...
Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: Put the fucking lotion in the basket!

 

Clarice Starling: Your name is?
Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: Oh, uh Jack Gordon.
Clarice Starling: Mr. Gordon, good, uh... well Frederica used to work for Mrs. Lippman. Did you know her?
Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: No, nuh-uh. Oh wait... was she a great big fat person?
Clarice Starling: Yeah she was a big girl, sir.
Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: Yeah, I may've... no I read about her in the newspaper. Um, Mrs. Lippman had a son though, maybe he could help you. I got his card in here someplace. Do you wanna come in while I look for it?
Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: Are you close to catching somebody you think?
Clarice Starling: Yes. We may be. Did you... take over this place after Mrs. Lippman died, is that right?
Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: Yeah I - I bought this house... two years ago.
Clarice Starling: [looking around] Did she leave any records? Any business records, tax forms, lists of employees?
Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: No, nothin' like that at all. Say, does the FBI learn somethin? The police around here don't seem to have the first clue.
[Clarice notices a moth]
Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: ... I mean have you got like a description, fingerprints, anything like that?
Clarice Starling: No. No I don't.
[Clarice unbuttons her gun holster]
Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: Oh, here's that number!
Clarice Starling: Very good Mr. Gordon. May I use your phone please?
Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: [Gumb starts laughing] Sure you can use me phone.
Clarice Starling: [draws her gun] Freeze! Put your hands over your head and turn around! Spread your legs! Spread your legs! Put your hands in the back... thumbs up - FREEZE!
[Gumb runs off]

 

Hannibal Lecter: You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Good nutrition's given you some length of bone, but you're not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you, Agent Starling? And that accent you've tried so desperately to shed: pure West Virginia. What is your father, dear? Is he a coal miner? Does he stink of the lamp? You know how quickly the boys found you... all those tedious sticky fumblings in the back seats of cars... while you could only dream of getting out... getting anywhere... getting all the way to the FBI.
Clarice Starling: You see a lot, Doctor. But are you strong enough to point that high-powered perception at yourself? What about it? Why don't you - why don't you look at yourself and write down what you see? Or maybe you're afraid to.

 

Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it's told.
Catherine Martin: Please mister, let me go! My family will give you anything you want!
Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb: It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.

 

Hannibal Lecter: [shouts] No!
[normal voice]
Hannibal Lecter: I will listen now. After your father's murder, you were orphaned. You were ten years old. You went to live with cousins on a sheep and horse ranch in Montana. And...?
Clarice Starling: [tears begin forming in her eyes] And one morning, I just ran away.
Hannibal Lecter: No "just", Clarice. What set you off? You started at what time?
Clarice Starling: Early, still dark.
Hannibal Lecter: Then something woke you, didn't it? Was it a dream? What was it?
Clarice Starling: I heard a strange noise.
Hannibal Lecter: What was it?
Clarice Starling: It was... screaming. Some kind of screaming, like a child's voice.
Hannibal Lecter: What did you do?
Clarice Starling: I went downstairs, outside. I crept up into the barn. I was so scared to look inside, but I had to.
Hannibal Lecter: And what did you see, Clarice? What did you see?
Clarice Starling: Lambs. The lambs were screaming.
Hannibal Lecter: They were slaughtering the spring lambs?
Clarice Starling: And they were screaming.
Hannibal Lecter: And you ran away?
Clarice Starling: No. First I tried to free them. I... I opened the gate to their pen, but they wouldn't run. They just stood there, confused. They wouldn't run.
Hannibal Lecter: But you could and you did, didn't you?
Clarice Starling: Yes. I took one lamb, and I ran away as fast as I could.
Hannibal Lecter: Where were you going, Clarice?
Clarice Starling: I don't know. I didn't have any food, any water and it was very cold, very cold. I thought, I thought if I could save just one, but... he was so heavy. So heavy. I didn't get more than a few miles when the sheriff's car picked me up. The rancher was so angry he sent me to live at the Lutheran orphanage in Bozeman. I never saw the ranch again.
Hannibal Lecter: What became of your lamb, Clarice?
Clarice Starling: They killed him.

---

Hannibal Lecter: You still wake up sometimes, don't you? You wake up in the dark and hear the screaming of the lambs.
Clarice Starling: Yes.
Hannibal Lecter: And you think if you save poor Catherine, you could make them stop, don't you? You think if Catherine lives, you won't wake up in the dark ever again to that awful screaming of the lambs.
Clarice Starling: I don't know. I don't know.
Hannibal Lecter: Thank you, Clarice. Thank you.
Clarice Starling: Tell me his name, Doctor.
Hannibal Lecter: Dr. Chilton, I presume. I think you know each other.
Dr. Frederick Chilton: Okay. Let's go.
Clarice Starling: It's your turn, Doctor.
Dr. Frederick Chilton: Out!
Clarice Starling: Tell me his name!
Boyle: I'm sorry, ma'am. We've got orders. We have to put you on a plane. Come on, now.
[Chilton and the guards start leading Clarice out]
Hannibal Lecter: Brave Clarice. You will let me know when those lambs stop screaming, won't you?
Clarice Starling: Tell me his name, Doctor!
Hannibal Lecter: Clarice, your case file. Goodbye, Clarice.

 

Hannibal Lecter: Well, Clarice - have the lambs stopped screaming?