Aaron Sorkin names the five movies that taught him how to write
For generations, directors such as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Stanley Kubrick have been lauded for their staggering cinematic visions, despite much of their verve coming from the screenplays that provide a backbone to their movies. Where filmmakers are praised, legendary screenwriters like William Goldman, Charlie Kaufman and Aaron Sorkin have never received adequate recognition.
With Hollywood becoming a far more transparent industry in recent years, more contemporary writers have started to be given the credit they deserve, with Sorkin being one of many icons. Thanks to such masterful screenplays as The Social Network, Moneyball and Steve Jobs, Sorkin has become recognised as one of cinema’s greatest modern writers, approaching the craft as if he were carefully penning the words of a novel.
Sitting down with A.frame, Sorkin fascinatingly revealed the five movies that have influenced him the most over his career, giving an unprecedented insight into how the writer watches, consumes and analyses films.
His first pick is the iconic James L. Brooks comedy Broadcast News from 1987, a celebrated movie that tells the story of a love triangle in a TV news station. “I liked movies as much as anyone, but it never occurred to me to try writing one until I saw Broadcast News,” Sorkin recalled, “I sat in a theater in midtown Manhattan in the middle of the afternoon, watching the movie for the second time that day, and thought, ‘I’d really love to write that.’ And I’ve been trying to write it ever since”.
The iconic western flick Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is his next choice, with the film’s screenwriter William Goldman teaching Sorkin the tricks of the trade later in their careers. “Even before Bill and I met, he was teaching me with his screenplay about two bank robbers who have to deal with the old west turning into the new west,” Sorkin said of the Oscar-winning movie and its writer, “The structure is perfect…There have been many imitations, but only the original is a masterpiece and a masterclass on screenwriting”.
Dog Day Afternoon is next on Sorkin’s personal list, with the iconic 1975 movie telling the story of a bank robbery gone horribly wrong starring the likes of Al Pacino, John Cazale and Carol Kane. Praising the movie, Sorkin exclaims: “Most of the film takes place inside four walls. In other words, it’s a play that from time to time utilizes the tools of filmmaking. All of Aristotle’s parts of drama are checked off in order: exposition, inciting action, reversal, climax and denouement”.
“I said I wouldn’t include The Graduate, but come on,” Sorkin states, revealing his fourth choice. Starring Dustin Hoffman, the iconic ‘Best Picture’ nominee tells the story of a young man who becomes infatuated with an older woman and her daughter. Continuing in his thoughts about the movie, Sorkin states: “The dialogue is minimalist. I doubt any character has a line with more than ten words in it. It’s nice to get an assist from Simon and Garfunkel, but this screenplay is a masterpiece”.
Finishing off his list is the 1980 film Ordinary People by Robert Redford, a drama that follows the accidental death of the eldest son of a rich family. Captivated by the movie when he watched it in his youth, Sorkin exclaimed: “The final moment of the film is so simple — just a father and son sitting next to each other and the camera pulling back very slightly and very slowly. That’s when I learned that a movie didn’t have to end with a grand gesture. A simple one — if it’s earned — can be even more powerful”.
Five movies that taught Aaron Sorkin how to write:
- Broadcast News (James L. Brooks, 1987)
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (George Roy Hill, 1969)
- Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet, 1975)
- The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967)
- Ordinary People (Robert Redford, 1980)
