Top 10 avgs for screenwriters who aren't directors

Discuss your favorite actors, directors or screenwriters
paulofilmo
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Re: Top 10 avgs for screenwriters who aren't directors

Post by paulofilmo »

I've got 2, before the averages drop off.
Ernest Lehman -
[spoiler]Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
North by Northwest (1959)
Sabrina (1954)[/spoiler]
Ben Hecht
[spoiler]The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Rope (1948)
Wuthering Heights (1939) (adapted)
His Girl Friday (1940)
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
Notorious (1946)
Scarface (1983)[/spoiler]
Otherwise:
Thomas Harris (author)(Hannibal Lecter)
Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay (author)[Ray films]
Noël Coward/Ronald Neame(also a director and all-round ledge, apparently) [David Lean]
Krzysztof Piesiewicz [Kieslowski]
Julius J. Epstein

iconogassed
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Re: Top 10 avgs for screenwriters who aren't directors

Post by iconogassed »

1 Kôgo Noda (90.00/7) Still killin' it
2 Val Lewton (89.38/8) A tough call that seems to go against the spirit of the thread. He seldom took credit for writing the films he produced but it's generally agreed his was the guiding hand in their scripts, and occasionally direction, always uncredited. Another user (not me) has gone through and added him as a writer on all of them, or at least the famous ones
3 George Toles (89.00/5) Once-frequent co-writer of Guy Maddin's
4 Philip Yordan (88.33/12) Contributor to some of the most distinctive and unusual films of the classic Hollywood era: Johnny Guitar, The Chase (1946), Day of the Outlaw, God's Little Acre, The Black Book, and many more, seven in toto with Anthony Mann
5 Borden Chase (88.13/8) Mann's other favourite screenwriter, four films. Also wrote great westerns for Hawks, Vidor, and John Sturges
6 Barry Wong (86.00/5) Scenarist for Sammo Hung and other HK action maestros
7 Waldemar Young (86.00/5) Another Old Hollywood goon, pretty diverse body of work including multiple films with Lubitsch and Tod Browning
8 Tsutomu Tamura (85.00/7) Regular collaborator with Nagisa Oshima and Yoshishige Yoshida
9 Ernesto Gastaldi (85.00/5) Giallo, mostly. Did eventually dabble in directing, with 4 or 5 now-very-obscure films.
10 Nicholas St. John (83.89/9) Only films were with Abel Ferrara, whom he befriended in high school. This a man who seen some shit. Left the business in the 90s. From a Ferrara interview earlier this year:
He was a deep, deep Christian, didn’t drink, didn’t do drugs. But when we started making money in the 1980s, I started spinning out of control. It got even worse in the 1990s, when we were in L.A. Meanwhile, he’s married and living in his mother’s house. We were making bread, we were making movies, and then he just said basta, man. No more. He walked away when he was the height of his earning power, but I mean, it was never about money for him. It was never really about money for me, either. But this business just had nothing to offer him. Its a dangerous game, man.
Right after that are two more writers identified strongly with one director: Ennio Flaiano (Fellini) and Bill Richmond (Jerry Lewis), a run that's probably a more apt portrait of my taste than I would care to admit

metalhank
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Re: Top 10 avgs for screenwriters who aren't directors

Post by metalhank »

Update with now over 1700 films
Using 5 minimum including average tier rather than average score

1. Philippa Boyens Tier 9.67(6)...peter jackson films
2. Fran Walsh T9.63(8)...peter jackson films
3. Dan O'Bannon T9.43(7)...alien series and zombie movies
4. Alex Kurtzman T8.17(6)...new star treks
5. Roberto Orci T8.17(6)...new star treks
6. Adam Herz T8.00(6)...american pie movies
7. Terry Rossio T7.57(7)...pirates of the caribbean
8. Robert Mark Kamen T7.50(6)...luc besson films
9. Ted Elliott T7.50(8)...pirates of the caribbean
10. Skip Woods T7.20(5)...hitman

Moribunny
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Re: Top 10 avgs for screenwriters who aren't directors

Post by Moribunny »

2020 Update (at 4965 films).

Expanding the list again, still 5 film minimum. As usual, sorry to have to exclude some favorite writers who became full-time directors.

#. Writer.................... Avg (films ranked) ...more info.

1. Tullio Pinelli............ 78.40 (15) ...mostly for Fellini. (+1 films since last ranking, up 2 spots)
2. Ennio Flaiano........... 78.07 (14) ...mostly for Fellini. (+4 films, down 1 spot)
3. Bernardino Zapponi... 77.86 (7) ...for various Italian directors... (+1 film, up 3 spots)
4. Rodolfo Sonego........ 77.67 (6) ...for various Italian directors. (+1 film, no change)
5. Suso Cecchi D'Amico.. 76.76 (17) ...mostly Visconti and Monicelli. (+3 films, down 3 spots)
6. Marshall Brickman..... 76.20 (5) ...wrote early Woody Allens. (= films, down 1 spot)
7. Gyula Hernadi.......... 74.67 (6) ...mostly for Miklós Jancsó. (= films, up 4 spots)
8. Lorenzo Semple Jr..... 74.20 (5) ...for "Papillon" and thrillers. (= films, up 1 spot)
9. Agenore Incrocci....... 73.62 (21) ...often with Scarpelli, various Italian directors. (+4 films, down 1 spot)
10. Ruggero Maccari...... 73.61 (18) ...various Italian directors. (+6 films, up 6 spots)
11. Mario Puzo............ 73.17 (6) ...Godfather, Superman. (+1 film, up 8 spots)
12. Jean Aurenche........ 73.00 (8) ...Clément, Autant-Lara, Tavernier and Carné. (+1 film, down 5 spots)
13. Terence Rattigan..... 72.71 (7) ...playwright, mostly Anthony Asquith. (+1 film, down 3 spots)
14. Cesare Zavattini...... 72.67 (6) ...mostly De Sica plus Visconti's Bellissima. (= films, down 2 spots)
15. Jacques Prévert...... 72.60 (5) ...mostly Carné. (= films, down 2 spots)
16. Graham Chapman.... 72.14 (7) ...Monty Python. (= films, down 1 spot)
17. Furio Scarpelli........ 71.37 (19) ...often with Incrocci, various Italian directors. (+4 films, down 3 spots)
18. Irving Ravetch........ 70.80 (5) ...mostly Martin Ritt. (= films, down 1 spot)
19. Michael Wilson....... 69.60 (5) ...for Lean, Schaffner, Capra and George Stevens. (= films, up 1 spot)
20. Jim Thompson........ 69.20 (5) ...Kubrick, Peckinpah, Tavernier... (new entry)
21. William Goldman..... 68.78 (9) ...various American. (new entry)
22. Samson Raphaelson.. 68.67 (6) ...wrote for Lubitsch. (+1 film, down 5 spots)
23. Mardik Martin......... 68.60 (5) ...of Scorsese fame, lowered by "The Cut". (new entry)
24. Dalton Trumbo........ 68.00 (5) ...for "Papillon" and various American. (new entry)
25. Leonardo Benvenuti.. 67.50 (10) ...for various Italian directors. (new entry)
26. Harriet Frank Jr....... 67.20 (5) ...various American. (new entry)
27. Piero De Bernardi..... 67.14 (7) ...various Italian. (new entry)
28. Tonino Guerra......... 65.95 (19) ...mostly Antonioni and Rosi, various others. (new entry)
29. Shinobu Hashimoto... 66.60 (6) ...Kobayashi and Kurosawa (new entry)
30. Rafael Azcona......... 64.67 (6) ...Spanish, Italian and French productions (new entry)

Malcym
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Re: Top 10 avgs for screenwriters who aren't directors

Post by Malcym »

Five film minimum...

1. Hideo Oguni – 8.38 (8 films)
2. Shinobu Hashimoto – 8.25 (8)
3. Michael Wilson – 7.88 (8)
4. Ernest Lehman – 7.86 (7)
5. Lillian Hellman – 7.83 (6)
=Ryûzô Kikushima – 7.83 (6)
7. Cesare Zavattini – 7.80 (5)
8. Kôgo Noda – 7.78 (9)
9. Yoshikata Yoda – 7.71 (7)
10. Suso Cecchi d'Amico – 7.43 (7)

metalhank
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Re: Top 10 avgs for screenwriters who aren't directors

Post by metalhank »

Update with now over 2800 films
Using 5 minimum including average rating percentage

1. Ronald Shusett 94.20%(5)...mostly alien series films
2. Philippa Boyens 94.00(6)...peter jackson films
3. Fran Walsh 93.63(8)...peter jackson films
4. Dan O'Bannon 89.00(7)...alien series and zombie movies
5. John Logan 86.75(8)...wide variety action/sci-fi
6. Jane Goldman 85.00(7)...x-men and variety
7. Neal Purvis 84.83(6)...bond series
8. Robert Wade 84.83(6)...bond series
9. Michael Ferris 81.80(5)...variety
10. Alex Kurtzman 80.25(8)...wide variety action/sci-fi
11. Roberto Orci 80.25(8)...wide variety action/sci-fi

djross
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Re: Top 10 avgs for screenwriters who aren't directors

Post by djross »

x
Last edited by djross on Thu Jul 20, 2023 9:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

CosmicMonkey
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Re: Top 10 avgs for screenwriters who aren't directors

Post by CosmicMonkey »

At 1180+ ratings

Screenwriters:

1. Phillippa Boyens (5 Films - 84.0) - All Peter Jackson
2. Fran Walsh (6 Films - 81.3) - All Peter Jackson
3. Mario Puzo (5 Films - 79.8) - The Godfather/Superman
4. Ben Hecht (6 Films - 79.3) - Various films from 30s & 40s (Highest rated - Notorious)
5. John Logan (6 Films - 74.5) - Various films from 00s and 10s (Highest rated - Skyfall)

=6. Stephen McFeely (5 Films - 71.8) - All the Russo Bros.
=6. John August (5 Films - 71.8) - Mostly Tim Burton
8. David Koepp (6 Films - 70.8) - Half Spielberg, half other directors (Highest rated - Jurassic Park)
9. Christopher Markus (6 Films - 70.3) - All MCU
10. Terry Rossio (5 Films - 70.0) - Various films from 90s and 00s (Highest rated - Shrek)


Authors of Source Material:

1. Bob Kane (7 Films - 83.6) - Batman
2. J.R.R. Tolkien (5 Films - 76.6) - LoTR/The Hobbit
3. Roald Dahl (5 Films - 73.8) - Various (Highest Rated - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory/The Fantastic Mr. Fox)
4. Stan Lee (15 Films - 71.87) - Marvel
5. Jack Kirby (8 Films - 71.00) - Marvel

ericdupont
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Re: Top 10 avgs for screenwriters who aren't directors

Post by ericdupont »

1. László Krasznahorkai - 96 (all for Béla Tarr)
2. Kōbō Abe - 93.3 (all for Hiroshi Teshigahara)
3. Yang Pi-Ying - 91.7 (all for Tsai Ming-liang)
4. Krzysztof Piesiewicz - 91.3 (all for Krzysztof Kieślowski)
5. Hideo Oguni - 91 (all for Akira Kurosawa)
6. Chu T'ien-wen - 90 (all for Hou Hsiao-hsien)
7. Ryūzō Kikushima - 88.8 (3 for Kurosawa, one for Naruse)
= Shinobu Hashimoto - 88.8 (3 for Kurosawa, one for Kobayashi)
8. Tonino Guerra - 86.4 (5 for Antonioni, 1 each for Tarkovsky and Fellini)
9. Matsutarō Kawaguchi - 86.3 (all for Kenji Mizoguchi)
10. Kōgo Noda - 86 (all for Yasujirō Ozu)

Great idea for a list. Half of these writers I didn't even know by name. It's inspired me to explore more films written by my top-rated screenwriters that are directed by filmmakers I'm not so familiar with.

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