Slumdog Millionaire's Screenwriter Simon Beaufoy OSCAR for Best Adapted Screenplay
READ SIMON BEAUFOY'S OSCAR-WINNING SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE SCRIPT - AVAILABLE HERE
Screenwriter Simon Beaufoy has won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, the Critics' Choice and Golden Globe for his terrific screenplay.
As I'm always going on about the importance of Visual Grammar in screenwriting, I thought you might like to consider Simon
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE DVD AND BLU-RAY
Beaufoy's description of what inspired his writing of Slumdog Millionaire. Here he is talking about the scene he saw in Mumbai which was to result in one of the most unforgettable scenes of the whole movie.
Here he is, talking about that amazing visual image that he used in his script:
"Those piers are in the Juhu slum. They're big, long piers with wooden shitters at the end, which are open, and you can sit there and watch the film stars landing at the private airstrip - a grandstand view! I thought I really had to write that in. The scenes just come at you like a train in a place like that."
He's most famous for the massive hit The Full Monty for which he he was nominated for the Oscar in 1998 (Matt Damon and Ben Affleck won it that year for Good Will Hunting). His screenplay was also nominated by BAFTA and The Writers Guild of America.
The next script probably on his slate will be an adaptation of the inventive and daringly original, The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall.
LATEST ON SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE AWARDS
8 Oscars including BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY FOR SIMON BEAUFOY
4 Golden Globe Awards and 10 Oscar nominations, the movie scored top award from the Producers Guild of America (PGA).
Slumdog Millionaire. Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy. Director Danny Boyle. Film4. Pathé. Warner Independent.Fox Searchlight.
Here's a list of Beaufoy's writing credits since The Full Monty:
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)
Yasmin (2004)
This Is Not a Love Song (2002)
Blow Dry (2001)
Everyone's Happy (2000)
Running Time (2000)
The Darkest Light (1999)
Among Giants (1998)
The Full Monty (1997)
If You Haven't Read The Fully Monty Script - Read it!
Crisp, smart, crackling with dry wit and a mini masterpiece in creating totally real, unforgettable characters, The Full Monty is required reading for screenwriters wanting to learn how to use humour to make important observations about serious issues.
Beaufoy shows this rare capacity to write brilliantly individualized characters to express a movie's underlying themes to great effect once again in Slumdog.
With director Danny Boyle, he avoids all the cliche portrayals of India. The script doesn't shy away from the brutality and unsavory power politics of modern-day Mumbai. The miracle is that alongside the world of poverty and starvation, police torture and political corruption, is the passion the movie shows for the city of Mumbai and the emotional punch it packs as we follow the hero's desperate bid to find his girl.
Daniel Boyle has been quoted as not being completely happy with the 'feelgood' phrase being ascribed to the movie.
It is unquestionably a feelgood movie but it's not the fluffy kind. It embraces tragedy and brutality, but it also celebratesthe indomitable human spirit.
Beaufoy has written a screenplay that will be read and talked about for longer that any simple 'feelgood' script.
Writing a screenplay? Already written one?
If Simon Beaufoy's superb screenplay is inspiring you to take your screenwriting to the next level, you may want expert, caring coverage that's tailor-made for your script.
Simon Beaufoy accepting the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay.
And Here's An Interview With Simon Beaufoy and Director Danny Boyle
Unique Insights Into How Beaufoy Wrote The Screenplay
Click on the link for an analysis of Simon Beaufoy's Slumdog Millionaire screenwriting. Fascinating quotes from him about the setting, how he decided on its theme and genre. This is definitely required reading.
