One of the best ways to learn about the craft of screenwriting, including its structure, rhythm, and devices, is by reading screenplays – lots of them. As screenwriter Bryan Young pointed out in a previous interview, you wouldn’t try to build a house without blueprints, and you wouldn’t try to draw up blueprints without looking at how professionals do it first. Screenplays are the blueprint for any film, so they can teach you a lot about making something work on screen.
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Below, we’re building a library of great screenplays of various genres, so you can bookmark this page and return to it when you’re ready for some reading. We’ll add to it each week. We’ve also noted the genre and screenwriter(s), so if you find yourself gravitating to a particular type of film or TV show, or maybe a specific screenwriter, you can always do some Googling to see more of the same.
Let’s read!
Pan's Labyrinth
Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro
FantasyCan You Ever Forgive Me?
Screenplay by Nicole Holifcener, Jeff Whitty
Biography/Comedy/CrimeMulan
Screenplay by Rita Hsiao
Animation/Adventure/FamilyWhen Harry Met Sally
Screenplay by Nora Ephron
Romantic ComedySaving Private Ryan
Screenplay by Robert Rodat
Drama/Epic WarSnowpiercer
Screenplay by Bong Joon Ho & Kelly Masterson
Sci-FiToy Story
Screenplay by Alec Sokolow, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Joss Whedon
Adventure ComedyE.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Screenplay by Melissa Mathison
Sci-Fi/FamilyThe Nightmare Before Christmas
Screenplay by Caroline Thompson
Family/FantasyDie Hard
Screenplay by Jeb Stuart, Steven E. de Souza
Action/ThrillerIt's a Wonderful Life
Screenplay by Frances Goodrich, Frank Capra, Albert Hackett, Jo Swerling
Drama/FamilyUnforgiven
Screenplay by David Webb Peoples
Drama/WesternL.A. Confidential
Screenplay by Brian Helgeland, Curtis Hanson
Crime/DramaInception
Screenplay by Christopher Nolan
Action/Sci-FiLost in Translation
Screenplay by Sofia Coppola
Comedy/DramaBeing John Malkovich
Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman
Comedy/Drama/FantasyThe Birds
Screenplay by Ed McBain as Evan Hunter
Horror/MysteryContact
Screenplay by Michael Goldenberg and James V. Hart
Drama/Mystery/Sci-FiSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Screenplay by Rodney Rothman and Phil Lord
Animation/Action/AdventureThe Lion King
Screenplay by Irene Mecchi, Linda Woolverton, and Jonathan Roberts
Animation/Adventure/FamilyOcean's Eleven
Screenplay by Ted Griffin
Crime/Thriller/Comedy