Dear all

I figured a way to make myself become miraculously well read in a short time:watch movies adapted from the classics and read their scripts. What’s good about this practice is obvious. You won’t be put off by the idea of having to spend months wading through a brick-sized novel. The downside is it’s not
original. But given the limited time we all have and the increasing need to tell the truly gifted from the mediocre (so many writings from obtuse writers find their way to public consumption these days), the pros certainly outweigh the cons.

To get the script, you can try your luck in this huge database of movie scripts:
www.divxmoviesenglishsubtitles.com
If you can’t find the script you are looking for, there are many freewares known as “script ripper”. They allow you to rip whatever subtitles a DVD has into a text file. It takes an experienced user about 10
minutes to do one ripping. Certainly it depends on the type and length of the movie too.

I will start with Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility”. I got the DVD from the library (directed by Ang Lee in 1995). The script is also available in the database:

http://www.divxmoviesenglishsubtitles.com/S/Sense_and_Sensibility_(1995).html

A perfect example of how a 300-page classic novel skillfully squeezed into a 30-page script. Emmy Thompson’s adaptation alone deserves one’s appreciation. She won her second Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for  the adaptation of the classic. Her first Oscar was in Best Actress. She is the first one to have dual nominations as screenwriter and actress, and also the first ever to have won Oscars for both acting and writing. The DVD has her acceptance speech for Golden Globe Best adapted screenplay, which is also a great joy to watch. I got her speech from wikipedia quotes. See how she shines with witticism at the star-studded occasion:



Thank you very much. Good Heavens. Um, I can't thank you  enough, Hollywood Foreign Press, f