http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/Entertainment/ap20010803_1168.html

WIRE: 08/03/2001 2:43 pm ET

`Kane,' `Casablanca' lead writers' screenplay choices of best ... and most overrated

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) Screenwriters have a real love-hate thing going with "Citizen Kane" and "Casablanca."

An informal survey of Hollywood scribes ranked those two as the best movie scripts ever but also among the most overrated.

Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane," which he co-wrote with Herman J. Mankiewicz, was rated the top screenplay in the survey by nonprofit publishing house Library of America. "Casablanca," written by Julius and Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch, was No. 2.

"Citizen Kane" came in second on the list of overrated screenplays, behind Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction." "Casablanca" was No. 4 on the overrated list. All three were Oscar-winning screenplays.

The Library of America sent surveys to 4,500 members of the Writers Guild of America, the union representing screenwriters. The survey results were based on about 175 responses.

The publisher is using the results to help decide what to include in an anthology series of notable movie scripts it plans to start in 2003.

Rounding out the list of best screenplays: 3. "The Godfather"; 4. "Chinatown"; 5. "All About Eve"; 6. "Some Like It Hot"; 7. "Sunset Boulevard"; 8. "Annie Hall"; 9. "The Graduate"; 10. "The Godfather, Part II."

"Citizen Kane" and "Casablanca" likely landed on the most-overrated list because many writers were reacting against obvious film choices that draw attention away from lesser-known movies, said Max Rudin, publisher of the Library of America.

"The motives for the overrated choices are a mixed combination of contempt bred from familiarity and, I think, envy in some cases," Rudin said.

Other titles on the list of overrated screenplays: "Gone With the Wind," "Traffic," "American Beauty," "Titanic," "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "It's a Wonderful Life."

The Library of America also used the survey to compile a list of five underrated screenplays: "Groundhog Day," "Quiz Show," "Aliens," "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Best Years of Our Lives."

Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

-- (in@entertainment.news), August 07, 2001

Answers

Groundhog Day

-- (do@it.again), August 07, 2001.

Kinda tangental to the topic, but I recently saw Planet of the Apes. There was one simple line in there that cracked me up, and I'm still not really sure why.... There's a scene that takes place after Mark Wahlberg has been chased around, beat up, and imprisoned by the apes for about 15 minutes of film-time. He hasn't said much since he dropped on the planet, because he's incredulous and scared. Then, during (I think) an escape attempt, he kind of mutters to another human captive, "How did these monkeys get like this?"

I was in a meeting later in the week, and the usual inanities were taking place. I thought to myself "How did these monkeys get like this?" and had to stifle a laugh.

-- Bemused (and_amazed@you.people), August 07, 2001.

Why wasn't "Pay it Forward" nominated for some major awards? Wow what a movie.

-- (red@puffy.eyes), August 08, 2001.