After 50 years at the top of Sight & Sound‘s list of all-time greatest films, Citizen Kane has dropped to #2 behind Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Just for fun I ask, which is the better screenplay?
When the WGA voted in 2005, they ranked Kane #4 on their list of 101 Greatest Screenplays, and Vertigo didn’t make the cut.
What do you think?
My favorite scene from Vertigo (read the entire script):
EXT. THE REDWOODS - (DAY)
Madeleine and Scottie near the massive trunk of a tree.
Beyond them, the small stream, bridged by a wide flattened
redwood log.
MADELEINE
How old?
SCOTTIE
Oh... some, two thousand years, or
more.
MADELEINE
The oldest living things?
Scottie nods and watches her, wondering, as she looks about
thoughtfully.
SCOTTIE
You've never been here before.
She shakes her head, lost in thought as she lets her gaze
wander among the trees.
SCOTTIE
What are you thinking?
MADELEINE
(Searching)
Of all the people who have been
born... and have died... while the
trees went on living.
SCOTTIE
(Agreeing)
Their true name is Sequoia
Sempervirens: always green, ever-
living.
MADELEINE
(Flatly)
I don't like them.
SCOTTIE
Why?
MADELEINE
(Simply)
Knowing I have to die...
She looks up at him with a shy, embarrassed smile. Then,
seeing the wandering look in his eyes, she brightens quickly.
MADELEINE
But I like the stream! It's a lovely
stream!
She leaves him and moves quickly out onto the bridge and
loans on the railing to watch the water rippling below. And
then, as he approaches her, she turns and looks at him, wide-
eyed.
MADELEINE
But it makes no sound! Listen!
She listens intensely for a long moment, and looks at him
anxiously.
MADELEINE
Do you hear anything?
SCOTTIE
(Shaking his head)
Only silence. It's always like this.
MADELEINE
(Wondering)
And no birds sing.
SCOTTIE
No birds live here.
MADELEINE
No.
She turns away with gentle, somber, self-contained wonder,
and they cross back to the path in silence, and wander on
along the path in silence. We watch them move away in the
distance, disappear behind a tree, then come into view again,
and now there comes into view the cross-section of a redwood
tree that is on exhibit, with certain of its rings marked to
show what it has lived through, and they approach it.
SCOTTIE
Would you like a drink of water?
MADELEINE
No, thank you.
Scottie moves to the small upright drinking fountain as
Madeleine approaches the tree section and stands before it
and studies it. Scottie gets a drink of water, then comes up
behind Madeleine and stands, and she is seemingly unaware of
his presence. Their backs are to the CAMERA. INSERT OF RINGS
on the tree, marked with dates, beginning, near the center
with the date 909 A.D. and ending with 1930 - tree cut down.
EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - CLOSE SHOT
We see the two profiles: Madeleine staring at the tree,
Scottie staring at Madeleine. She raises one gloved hand and
almost idly begins to trace a finger up along the white line
that is marked: 1776 DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. And as the
hand moves a little to the left, Madeleine begins to speak,
almost vacantly, oblivious of all but this piece of tree,
and herself.
MADELEINE
Somewhere in here I was born... and
here I died and it was only a moment
for you... you took no notice...
SCOTTIE
(Almost sharply)
Madeleine!
She turns her head to him, only now aware of his presence,
and stares at him without expression. Then slowly she turns
and walks away, and the CAMERA, PANNING HER SLIGHTLY, brings
the head and shoulders of Scottie into the foreground, and
he watches her, wondering anxiously, trying to put things
together in his mind. Madeleine walks on until she disappears
behind one of the distant redwoods.
EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT
Scottie moves over, watching her.
EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - LONG SHOT
The CAMERA MOVES OVER as though it is Scottie looking. It
MOVES far enough to reveal that Madeleine is no longer there.
She seems to have disappeared.
EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT
Scottie comes forward, the CAMERA PANNING him, to get a better
view of where Madeleine went.
EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT
The CAMERA in Scottie's position, moving around, shows that
there is no sign of Madeleine whatsoever.
EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT
The CAMERA DOLLIES Scottie down toward the trees.
EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT
CAMERA is now among the trees where Madeleine was last seen.
As it TRAVELS across them, it finally brings her into view.
She's leaning against a tree with her head bent back.
EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - CLOSEUP
Scottie comes to a stop as he sees her.
EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - CLOSEUP
Madeleine leaning against the tree. Her eyes are closed and
she is breathing heavily. In the background we see Scottie
approaching her. As he comes up to her, the CAMERA EASES
BACK and MOVES AROUND until it faces her and Scottie.
SCOTTIE
(Gently)
Madeleine...
She opens her eyes slowly, and looks at him, recognizing
him, and yet not quite, as though she were slightly
hypnotized. Scottie speaks gently.
SCOTTIE
Where are you now?
MADELEINE
(Softly, distantly)
Here with you.
SCOTTIE
Where?
MADELEINE
The tall trees...
SCOTTIE
Have you been here before?
MADELEINE
Yes...
SCOTTIE
When?
She shakes her head.
SCOTTIE
Where were you born?
MADELEINE
Long ago...
SCOTTIE
Where?
She shakes her head.
SCOTTIE
When?
Her head continues to move back and forth, gently denying.
His voice is more positive, now, more urgently demanding.
SCOTTIE
Tell me.
The head moves more rapidly, now, as though denying some
inner compulsion.
SCOTTIE
Madeleine! Tell me!
The rapidly moving head stops short, and her eyes open wide,
and she cries out:
MADELEINE
No!... No!
SCOTTIE
(Low and urgent)
Tell me what it is. Where do you go?
What takes you away?
MADELEINE
No, don't ask me!
They are both speaking quickly, now, the words cascading
without pause.
SCOTTIE
When you jumped in the bay, you didn't
know where you were. You guessed but
you didn't know.
MADELEINE
I didn't jump, I fell! You told me I
fell!
SCOTTIE
Why did you jump?
MADELEINE
No!
SCOTTIE
What was it inside that told you to
jump?
She is fighting it strongly, yet pathetically.
MADELEINE
No, I can't tell you!
SCOTTIE
What?!
MADELEINE
(Strongly)
No! Please! Please, please, please,
please, don't ask me!
And her head drops, and she sags, and Scottie stands quietly
watching her, knowing he can push it no further.
MADELEINE
(Softly, tired)
Take me away from here?
SCOTTIE
Home?
MADELEINE
...somewhere in the light.
He takes her arm. She looks up at him with a tired smile.
MADELEINE
And promise you won't ask me again.
Please promise me that.
He looks down at her somberly, promising and refusing nothing.
They start walking, holding together, and the two figures
become small in the distance, moving away through the tall
trees.
And my favorite scene from Citizen Kane (read the entire script):
INT. KANE'S OFFICE - NIGHT -
The bottle is finished. The door in the Sanctrum opens. Reilly
and the others leave.
REILLY
(as they go)
Goodnight, Mr. Kane.
Kane stands in the door, waiting for Leland. Leland gets up
and moves toward the office - goes in, sits down across from
Kane at the desk. An uncomfortable pause. Then Kane smiles
ingratiatingly. Leland tries to cope with this.
LELAND
First of all -
(he can't go on)
KANE
(not cruelly -
genuinely kind)
What's wrong, Brad?
LELAND
I'm drunk.
KANE
I'll get you some coffee.
He rises and goes to the door.
LELAND
First of all, I will not write a
good review of a play because
somebody paid a thousand dollars
for an advertisement in the
"Enquirer."
KANE
(gently - opening
the door)
That's just a little promotion
scheme. Nobody expects you -
(calling)
Mike, will you try and get Mr.
Leland some coffee?
MIKE'S VOICE
Sure thing, Mr. Kane.
Kane turns back to Leland. Leland doesn't look up at him.
LELAND
Charlie, it's just no go. We can't
agree anymore. I wish you'd let
me go to Chicago.
KANE
Why, Brad?
LELAND
I want to be transferred to the
new paper. You've been saying
yourself you wish you had somebody
to -
(he is heartsick,
inarticulate)
That's not what I wanted to talk
about.
Kane goes around behind the desk and sits down.
KANE
I'll tell you what I'll do, Brad -
I'll get drunk, too - maybe that'll
help.
LELAND
No, that won't help. Besides, you
never get drunk. I wanted to talk
about you and Emily.
Kane looks at Leland sharply before he speaks.
KANE
(quietly)
All right.
LELAND
(without looking at
him)
She's going to leave you -
KANE
I don't think so, Brad. We've
just had word that the President
is out of danger.
(ruefully)
It seems I didn't kill him after
all.
LELAND
(takes his eye)
She was going to leave you anyway -
Kane takes this in.
LELAND
Emily's going south next week with
the child. As far as anybody's to
know, it's a holiday. When they
get back -
KANE
(sharply)
Brad, you are drunk.
LELAND
Sure I am. She wants full custody
of the child no matter what happens.
If you won't agree to that, she'll
apply for a divorce regardless of
the President's wishes. I can't
tell her she's wrong, because she
isn't wrong -
KANE
Why is she leaving me?
LELAND
(it's very hard for
him to say all
this)
She hasn't any friends left sine
you started this oil business, and
she never sees you.
KANE
Do you think the "Enquirer"
shouldn't have campaigned against
the oil leases?
LELAND
(hesitating)
You might have made the whole thing
less personal!
No answer from Kane.
LELAND
It isn't just that the President
was her uncle - everyone she knows,
all the people she's been brought
up with, everything she's ever
been taught to believe is important -
Still no answer from Kane.
LELAND
There's no reason why this - this
savage personal note -
KANE
The personal note is all there is
to it. It's all there ever is to
it. It's all there every is to
anything! Stupidity in our
government, complacency and self-
satisfaction and unwillingness to
believe that anything done by a
certain class of people can be
wrong - you can't fight those things
impersonally. They're not
impersonal crimes against people.
They're being done by actual persons -
with actual names and positions
and - the right of the American
people to own their own country is
not an academic issue, Brad, that
you debate - and then the judges
retire to return a verdict and the
winners give a dinner for the
losers.
LELAND
You almost convince me.
(rising)
I'm just drunk enough to tell you
the truth. I have to be a little
drunk for that because I'm a coward.
You know that. That's why you
keep me around.
(smiles)
You only associate with your
inferiors, Charlie. I guess that's
why you ran away from Emily.
Because you can't stand the company
of your equals. You don't like to
admit they exist - the other big
people in your world are dead.
I told you that.
Kane looks at Leland, but Leland can't be stopped now. He
speaks very quietly - no poison in his voice - no personal
indignation - as though he were explaining the nature of a
disease.
LELAND
You talk about the people of the
United States as though they
belonged to you. When you find
out they don't think they are,
you'll lose interest. You talk
about giving them their rights as
though you could make a present of
liberty. Remember the working
man? You used to defend him quite
a good deal. Well, he's turning
into something called organized
labor and you don't like that at
all. And listen, when your precious
underprivileged really get together -
that's going to add up to something
bigger than - than your privilege
and then I don't know what you'll
do - sail away to a desert island,
probably, and lord it over the
monkeys.
KANE
Are you finished?
LELAND
Yes.
(looking down)
Now, will you let me go to Chicago?
KANE
(with a little smile)
You're not going to like it in
Chicago. They wind comes howling
in from the lake. And there's
practically no opera season at all -
and the Lord only knows whether
they've ever heard of Lobster
Newburg -
LELAND
That's all right.
(he won't be charmed
out of his duty)
What are you going to do about
Emily?
KANE
(his face hardning
a little)
Nothing - if she dosen't love me -
Leland has risen. He speaks as he turns away, starting towards
the door.
LELAND
You want love on your own terms,
don't you, Charlie -
(he stops - his
back turned to
Kane)
Love according to your own rules.
And if anything goes wrong and
you're hurt - then the game stops,
and you've got to be soothed and
nursed, no matter what else is
happening - and no matter who else
is hurt!
KANE
It's simpler than that, Brad. A
society girl can't stand the gaff,
that's all. Other things are
important to her - social position,
what they're saying on the front
porches at Southampton, is it going
to be embarrassing to meet somebody
or the other at dinner -
Leland has turned, taking his eye again. Now Kane stops and
smiles.
KANE
She can leave me. As a matter of
fact, I've already left her. Don't
worry, Brad - I'll live.
LELAND
I know you will.
KANE
(with all his charm)
Hey, Brad! I've been analyzed an
awful lot tonight - let's have
another brandy.
Leland shakes his head. Kane lifts his glass.
KANE
To love on my terms. Those are
the only terms anybody knows ...
his own.
Aug 01
Vertigo ousts Kane, but which is the better screenplay?
1 August 2012
After 50 years at the top of Sight & Sound‘s list of all-time greatest films, Citizen Kane has dropped to #2 behind Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Just for fun I ask, which is the better screenplay?
When the WGA voted in 2005, they ranked Kane #4 on their list of 101 Greatest Screenplays, and Vertigo didn’t make the cut.
What do you think?
My favorite scene from Vertigo (read the entire script):
And my favorite scene from Citizen Kane (read the entire script):