GITS Script Reading & Analysis: “No Country For Old Men” — Structure

This week we will be analyzing the screenplay for the 2007 movie No Country For Old Men [screenplay by Joe Coen & Ethan Coen, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy]. It won an Academy Award and a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay.

You can download the November 28, 2005 draft of the script here.

Here is a scene from the movie:

Today we discuss the script’s structure. How would you break down the story’s plot? What do you think are the major Plotline points? Did the story sustain narrative drive? How do you think it did that?

BBC Coen brothers documentary, Part 2:

We will have a live Tweet-Cast on Wednesday, June 27 at 8PM Pacific. You are invited to get your DVD or Netflix set to play the movie at precisely 8PM, then join professional screenwriters Tom Benedek [@TomBenedek], F. Scott Frazier [@ScreenWritten], John Gary [@johngary], and myself on Twitter for live commentary. This interactive approach to analyzing a movie in real-time is a lot of fun and has led to some great insights into the films we have reviewed. Hashtag: #NCFOM.

For Day 1 of our analysis, go here.

See you in comments to discuss No Country For Old Men.

NOTE: THE USE OF THE SCREENPLAY IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.

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