- Paperback: 144 pages
- Publisher: Faber and Faber (3 April 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0571205860
- ISBN-13: 978-0571205868
- Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 1 x 19.9 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
267,350 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #49 in Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Television > TV & Film Scripts
- #50 in Books > Fiction > Poetry & Drama > Drama > Film & Television Screenplays
- #58 in Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Film > Film & TV Scripts
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"A wonderfully demented fantasia . . . inspired madness . . . a metaphysical journey about identity, gender, creativity and the urge to transform oneself, "Being John Malkovich" looks as if it were hatched by Terry Gilliam or Lewis Carroll on drugs."
--Edward Guthmann, "San Francisco Chronicle"
"A clever and outrageous piece of whimsical fantasy that is unique, unpredictable, and more than a little strange. Kaufman . . . has a truly singular imagination."
--Kenneth Turan, "The Los Angeles Times"
"More than just the latest cool, smart, funny movie. It jumps off the screen with . . . freshness, originality and [a] light-handed stranglehold on the Zeitgeist."
-- Jay Carr, "The Boston Globe"
"Every once in a long, long while a movie comes along that is like no other. A movie that creates a new world for us and uses it to produce wonderful things."
--Roger Ebert, "Chicago-Sun Times"
"The most excitingly original movie of the year."--Owen Gleiberman, " Entertainment Weekly"
--Edward Guthmann, "San Francisco Chronicle"
"A clever and outrageous piece of whimsical fantasy that is unique, unpredictable, and more than a little strange. Kaufman . . . has a truly singular imagination."
--Kenneth Turan, "The Los Angeles Times"
"More than just the latest cool, smart, funny movie. It jumps off the screen with . . . freshness, originality and [a] light-handed stranglehold on the Zeitgeist."
-- Jay Carr, "The Boston Globe"
"Every once in a long, long while a movie comes along that is like no other. A movie that creates a new world for us and uses it to produce wonderful things."
--Roger Ebert, "Chicago-Sun Times"
"The most excitingly original movie of the year."--Owen Gleiberman, " Entertainment Weekly"
Product Description
Ever wanted to be someone else? Specifically, have you ever wished to be the Oscar-nominated star of Dangerous Liaisons, The Sheltering Sky, Portrait of a Lady and Con Air? Well, now you can explore this fantasy in Charlie Kaufman's screenplay for the hit comedy directed by Spike Jonze.
Craig Schwartz is nearing the end of his string. A gifted street-puppeteer, he nevertheless finds that New York City has little use, or indeed tolerance, for his special talents. Worse, his ten-year marriage to Lotte, a workaholic pet-store employee, has turned stale. Then the nimble-fingered Craig lands a job as a filing clerk in an office building. There, he meets the bored, beautiful Maxine, but his attempts to woo her are smartly rebuffed. Rejected and dejected, Craig retreats into his work. One night, rummaging behind a filing cabinet, he comes upon a hidden passageway that leads straight into the mind of John Malkovich! The hapless Malkovich is not consulted, and quickly finds his body becoming a battleground as feuding lovers, not to mention paying customers, start taking turns to see the world through his eyes.
This volume includes an introduction by Charlie Kaufman, in which he explains the genesis and gestation of this extraordinary, twisted and utterly hilarious fiction.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There are three words to describe Being John Malkovich, stunning and uttlery original. The screenplay book is standard format, but it contains some of the funniest and bizarre ideas ever written. The scribe himself Charlie Kauffman is very funny, just read his humble intoduction. I can't wait to read his follow up 'Human Nature'.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Worth it just for the introduction
4 April 2001
Format:Paperback
"Being John Malkovich" is one of the most insanely creative films ever made,and a large portion of the credit for that goes to Charli Kaufman's moody,intimate,and sly script,presented here in pretty much the same form as it is in the finished film.Which is great,but on top of that you get,a stellar,caustic introduction in which the author is told to say a few words to the readers,beacause the readers are"owed...something"."I said I would try" replys our intrepid narrator,and what follows is a darkly hilarious trip through his mind as he tries to come up with something insightful or inspirational to say,all the while revealing his self-loathing and profound contempt.In the end, the best he can manage to come up with is "And if you're going to write a screenplay,try to keep it around one hundred and ten pages".Which when you think about it,is probably the most practical advice he could give.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Kaufmanian self-loathing triumphant
25 Nov 2000
Format:Paperback
The real bonus here is Kaufman's intro--which, rather than explicating the writing or making of this movie, is an anguished, hysterical, can't-take-it-any-more Dance of Despair and Disillusionment that will brighten the day of any struggling scribe. "Wow!" one thinks, avidly turning the pages, "Charlie Kaufman waited five years, got the huge payoff, had a critical and commercial hit...and he's still absolutely bananas! God bless America!"
Los Angeles writers will especially enjoy the part about making friends with the take-out bags left on the floor of one's ever-more-apartment-like car.
Kaufman's growth proceeds apace: his new script ADAPTATION is like a feature-length expansion of his intro here. You've just got to love a guy who's an addled mess and doesn't try to whittle it into a cutesy Woody Allen persona. He's just cuckoo!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Charlie Kaufman is a Genius!
20 Jan 2006
Format:Paperback
Charlie Kaufman is a very loveable genius! I use "genius" as Emerson defined it: " To trust that was is true for you, in your secret heart, that is genius!" Wow! Kaufman is as vulnerable in his intro to the "Being John Malcovich Screenplay" as his character in "Adaptation". He is in such truth, that even his sad confessions are funny and healing to this reader & millions, who made this original masterpiece a hit! I have seen this movie so many times & reading the dialogue still makes me laugh, because it is so alive! It is great to see where he let the actors improvise, which shows how secure Kaufman is with his self. The actors were appreciated as artists with a great sense of humor & allowed to create & adlib. The end result is one of the greatest intellectual comedies ever made.This book is generous in teaching how to write with complete honesty and wild creativity.If you watch the DVD, while reading this screenplay, you can attain insight on why it is so wise to encourage actors to ad their own words to make a brilliant screenplay come alive! A writer who can let go of their ego, enough to do that is very confident within himself and nurturing to the artist within every being, even the chimp, who was traumatized by childhood memories in the script, but was allowed to make spontaneous chimp sounds. But seriously, Kaufman is a wonderful comic genius & we are lucky if we see his movies & read this special book he authored.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Film > Film & TV Scripts
- Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Film > Production & Technology > Screenwriting
- Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Performing Arts
- Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Television > TV & Film Scripts
- Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > Drama > Film & Television Screenplays
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
