Save the Cat! Goes to the Indies

by Salva Rubio

  Story by Giuseppe Tornatore

  Screenplay by Giuseppe Tornatore and Vanna Paoli

  Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore

  Opening Image: Near the sea, an old woman tries to call her son, who has not been in his hometown village of Giancaldo for about 30 years. This man is Salvatore di Vita (Jaqcues Perrin), a successful filmmaker, who is given a piece of sad news by his much younger girlfriend: a man named Alfredo has died, and the funeral is the next day. Will Salvatore return? Our “choice” (in the past, to leave the village; in the present, to return) is introduced.

  Theme Stated: “He won’t even remember,” says Salvatore’s sister to his mom, who replies that he will remember well. As our story is a flashback, told through his memories, what does he remember after 30 years? Has he learned his teacher’s lesson? And will he come back to the “group”?

  Set-Up: A long flashback begins and introduces us to the many characters that inhabit the village of Giancaldo — they will be our “group,” the society that Salvatore ultimately will have to decide if he belongs to, as different as he is. We meet him as a lively young kid nicknamed Totó, our Naïf, who is fascinated with the work of mentor-to-be projectionist Alfredo (Philipe Noiret), especially the splices of film he collects of kissing scenes censored by the church. Other characters are introduced, such as his class companions, the censor/village’s priest, and Toto’s young mother, who still waits for her husband to return from the war. In one way or another, all of them are related to the local Cinema Paradiso.

  Catalyst: One night, after Salvatore has spent all his money at the movies, he is caught and punished by his mother in the street. Despite having kicked the kid out a few times from the projectionist’s booth, Alfredo comes by and “Saves the Cat” by pretending the money was found on the floor — obviously, he cares about the boy.

  Debate: Will they become mentor and mentee? Will Salvatore end up working with Alfredo, as is his wish? Can a boy like Salvatore grow up without a wise father figure in postwar Italy? After a child’s burial, Alfredo and Salvatore hang out and talk about the child’s father, furthering their bond and friendship. They will still have to wait for that, as Salvatore causes a fire that forces them apart again. After finding a way to spend time together again, the young boy asks to work with him, but Alfredo deems it too humble a job for the boy, showing that he has other plans for his pupil.

  Break into Two: During an exam for the school certificate that both Salvatore and Alfredo are taking, Alfredo requests the help of his mentee-to-be. The kid takes advantage of the situation, demanding to become his helper at the cinema in exchange. Thus, Salvatore becomes Alfredo’s “official” pupil.

  Fun and Games: Our promise of the premise consists of seeing the inner workings of an old cinema and, of course, to see mentor Alfredo teaching the ropes to mentee Salvatore. The kid learns fast! Film history, village occurrences and life itself happens — Salvatore learns through cinema that his father is actually dead. Soon after, Alfredo has an accident in which film catches fire and the cinema burns. Salvatore saves him, but Alfredo loses his sight, and the movie palace has burnt to the ground. But the Cinema Paradiso reopens again, better than ever, and the entire village turns out to celebrate and watch a movie. Little Salvatore officially gets Alfredo’s job, and when they reunite we see the affection they have for each other.

  We jump forward in time to see Salvatore has grown into a handsome young man, still close friends with Alfredo, and still passionate about working at the Cinema Paradiso. Salvatore also gets a camera, starting to become what he will be at the end: a filmmaker.

  B Story: Although late, here comes our B Story Character, bellissima Elena, a rich man’s daughter who Salvatore immediately falls in love with. Their love story will tighten the second part of the film and will strengthen our “choice” and “sacrifice” elements.

  Midpoint: Salvatore finds it difficult making Elena fall in love with him, in fact making a fool of himself every time he tries to speak with her. When he loses his temper at Alfredo in frustration, Alfredo tells Salvatore the story of “The Princess and the Soldier.” It’s a cryptic story that seems to give Salvatore the boost he needs to try once more with Elena… and this time, he wins her over.

  Bad Guys Close In: Time itself (ticking clock) becomes a Bad Guy as it passes; although Elena declares her love for Salvatore, her father separates them. Even the advent of television is a menace for the old Cinema Paradiso. Salvatore is called to military service, and Elena fails to show up at their last date before he leaves for the army. He tries desperately to find her, and when he stops back at the Paradiso, Alfredo tells him Elena never showed up. Salvatore enters the army without seeing Elena, and throughout his enlistment, he never forgets about her. His attempts to get discharged so that he can return to her more quickly only backfire and earn him punishment.

  All Is Lost: After his military service, Salvatore returns to Giancaldo and looks around as if he barely recognizes the place. He sees that his old job has been taken by another projectionist. He finds that Alfredo is housebound; he’s seemingly lost all interest in interacting with anyone in the village. What’s more, Alfredo hasn’t seen Elena and doesn’t know where to find her. When Salvatore says he finally understands the meaning of the story — that love is an illusion, and heartbreak is inevitable — Alfredo tells him to leave, and don’t look back. “You have to go away… before you can come back and find your people.” This is the “sacrifice” he must make — to leave his life, family and past behind.

  Dark Night of the Soul: We now see present-day Salvatore returning to Giancaldo. He sees his mother and his old childhood home. When he sees Alfredo’s widow (our whiff of death), she tells Salvatore that Alfredo always talked about him, and that he genuinely loved Salvatore. In a few beautiful moments, we can read on Salvatore’s face the regret and the question that begins to form in his mind: did he do the right thing by leaving this place, and all of these people, behind?

  Break into Three: At dinner with his family, Salvatore expresses he’s not sure when, exactly, he’ll be leaving. His “battle” in Act Three will be contending with his past, and deciding what his future holds. He visits the old Cinema Paradiso, now condemned and slated for demolition in a few days. Salvatore also glimpses a young woman he almost mistakes for Elena… but it can’t be.

  Finale:

  Gathering the Team: Salvatore has a heart-to-heart with his mother – a first, he realizes – asking her why she never re-married. She explains that’s just how she is – loyal – and that he’s a lot like her. But, she tells him, he needs to let go. Here, there are “only ghosts.”

  Executing the Plan: Salvatore follows the young Elena look-alike, learning she is actually his former love’s daughter. He manages to track down Elena, who at first refuses to see him. But they finally connect and and begin to catch up, politely filling each other in about their respective lives.

  High Tower Surprise: When Salvatore can’t take it anymore and, anguished, wants to know why Elena never showed up for their last date, the truth comes out: she did, but she was late. And instead of Salvatore, she found Alfredo at the cinema. He convinced her that it would be best for Salvatore if she let him go so that he could have a future. She agreed, then secretly left a note where Salvatore could find her. But Salvatore never saw the note. Having never made love in the past, they now share their first intimate night together.

  Dig, Deep Down: Salvatore is hurt and confused as he visits Alfredo’s widow to collect what she says Alfredo had left for him. But he can’t be angry with Alfredo — the man only wanted Salvatore to have every happiness and opportunity in life. Salvatore returns to the old cinema, desperately searching for that note Elena claims to have left, as though he needs to confirm it’s the truth. And it does, as he finds it and reads her words to him.

  The Execution of the New Plan: Salvatore calls Elena to discuss their future, but she tells him there is no future, only the past. Though clearly in pain, Sa
lvatore accepts this. He cuts the last ties with his past when he sees the old Cinema Paradiso being demolished. He fulfills his “new plan” of going back to his life and his career, but he remembers Alfredo had something in store for him.

  Final Image: In the dark projection room of a modern cinema, Salvatore watches his teacher’s last life lesson: a montage of all the previously-censored passionate kisses he promised to save for young Salvatore. Moved, he cries, showing that, thanks to that last lesson, he has made peace with his past.

  PULP FICTION (1994)

  Few films in the late 20 th century have been more commented on, contested, quoted, studied, analyzed, criticized, lauded and — insert basically any past participle here — than Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece Pulp Fiction. Released in 1994, it established the director as a great filmmaker after his promising Reservoir Dogs, and made him the star-director he still is today. Of course, we had to include it in this book!

  Pulp Fiction fits naturally in our “Institutionalized” genre, in which some characters decide if they want to be part of the “group” with its particular rules (in this case, a group of criminals) or take their own way, which always implies a “choice” (to act on one’s own wishes or conform to the underworld code), and a “sacrifice,” which of course, may involve death.

  It is our chosen film for the “Issue Institution” subgenre, defined by Blake as one with an ensemble cast, several storylines and a theme, in this case, loyalty. As he reminded us, stories like this force the

  writer to compress and intensify every beat, so only the most relevant ones are shown and described.

  As a result, this approach allows us to have not only one Beat Sheet, but three — one for each of the main characters: hitman Vincent Vega, fellow gunman Jules Winnfield and runaway boxer Butch Coolidge. Add a non-linear narrative, flashbacks, cool sexy music and fresh witty pop dialogue, and you’ll realize just how flexible our favorite tool is when it’s time to get creative!

  I Type: Issue Institution

  I Cousins: Short Cuts, 21 Grams, Rashomon, Night on Earth, Happiness

  PULP FICTION

  Story by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary

  Written by Quentin Tarantino

  Directed by Quentin Tarantino

  Opening Image / Theme Stated: The Opening Image establishes tone and genre, and gives us a glimpse of who the three primary characters are in terms of loyalty, our theme. Vincent has his doubts about it, Jules is totally sure of his allegiance to Marcellus, and Butch is already planning his betrayal — quite different from whom they will be at the end! Also, the film opens with Pumpkin (Tim Roth) and Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer) discussing whether or not to leave their criminal lives, stating, “They’ll probably put us in a situation where it’s us or them.” Sounds a lot like our Institutionalized genre, doesn’t it? So, will our characters choose “us” or “them”?

  Set-Up / Catalyst / Debate: As in most Set-Ups, we meet each one of the characters to learn a little bit more about who they are: their pasts, their current situations, their motivations and the things that need fixing in their lives. Then a Catalyst (order, deal or occurrence) causes them to wonder (Debate) about who (our “group”) they really owe their loyalties to.

  Vincent Vega: Vincent (John Travolta) has just arrived from Amsterdam after three years working there for Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames), and once he is back in the gang, he gets a “call to adventure”: taking his boss’s wife Mia (Uma Thurman) for a night out. Sensing a probable sexual tension, Vincent Debates with Jules about the consequences of being disloyal to his boss, which will probably involve a very serious punishment.

  Butch Coolidge: Butch (Bruce Willis) is a heavyweight boxer well past the heyday of his career, so Marsellus Wallace has an offer and a Catalyst for him: to take a dive in an upcoming match and get a lot of money out of it. But while he listens, Butch internally Debates what he is about to do instead — and it involves being disloyal to their deal.

  Jules Winnfield: Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent perform an easy job (to retrieve a briefcase for Marsellus), which involves coldly shooting some people and delivering an ominous Bible recitation, but his Catalyst moment arrives when a hail of bullets from a hidden shooter miraculously misses them. Jules openly Debates about it being a sign to abandon his until-now loyal thug life.

  Break into Two / Fun and Games: Each of the characters “gets the case” with no possibility of turning back, so they move forward with their missions and goals, for now keeping the plot light, while still playing with theme.

  Vincent Vega: Vincent Breaks into Two by finally taking Mia out. They have literal Fun and Games going for a dinner at Jackrabbit Slim’s and performing their unforgettable swing dance. Their attraction is evident, and more so when they end up at home dancing together. Vincent knows it is a critical moment... can he “choose” to stay loyal?

  Butch Coolidge: After a strange dream about his father’s watch, Butch goes forward with his plan and wins the boxing match, killing his opponent and cementing his “choice” of disloyalty toward Marsellus. A strange taxi driver asks him how it feels to kill a man.

  Jules Winnfield: Mulling about the miracle, Jules enters Act Two when Vincent accidentally shoots a man inside their vehicle. In danger of being caught, we witness the “pros and cons” of being a criminal, and they decide to go to his friend Jimmy’s (Quentin Tarantino) to seek his help. Jules doesn’t seem happy at all about it, until Winston “The Wolf” (Harvey Keitel) arrives to solve the “Bonnie situation.”

  Midpoint / Bad Guys Close In / All Is Lost: In these beats, after a brief false victory that makes them believe that their problems are over, stakes are raised when Bad Guys complicate each character’s situation, making them reach a place where All Seems Lost.

  Vincent Vega: Vincent enjoys a brief false victory when he decides to leave Marsellus’s home without hooking up with Mia, although “the choice gets harder.” Stakes are raised dramatically when she accidentally snorts heroin. Now Bad Guys Close In as she is overdosing, and he must find help to try to save her life.

  Butch Coolidge: Our boxer enjoys a brief false victory with Sex at 60 when he arrives at the motel to meet his girlfriend Fabienne. However, he discovers that she has left his important watch at home, so he must go back to get it, knowing Bad Guys will have Closed In. He kills Vincent and thinks he can finally go in peace, but after Marsellus finds him, they both are kidnapped by a couple of BDSM lunatics. All Is Lost for both of them.

  Jules Winnfield: After “The Wolf” has sorted out their bloody, messy problem (AKA false victory), Jules and Vincent can relax and have a “Midpoint celebration” where he publicly comes out and says he is out of the gangster life for good. But Bad Guys Close In when two robbers hold up the restaurant; he will probably have to kill them, indicating that his new determination is “lost.”

  Break into Three / Finale: Our characters perform a very difficult decision which tests their strength and focuses on our movie’s theme: loyalty. After that, loose ends are tied up and they can go on to live their new lives, however short or long they may be — that is their “choice.”

  Vincent Vega: Vincent finally Breaks into Three by brutally injecting adrenaline into Mia’s heart, bringing her back to life. He takes her home, and both can be happy — even though they like each other very much, they have kept their loyalty to Marsellus. Vincent has finally “chosen,” and we will see where this takes him.

  Butch Coolidge: Butch Breaks into Three by managing to escape his ties and KO’ing the creepy Gimp, after which he decides to escape. In an unexpected twist, he gets a katana and frees Marsellus, “choosing” to show him respect and loyalty. Evening the score between them, he also secures that he and Fabienne will live.

  Jules Winnfield: For Jules, the easiest thing to do at the restaurant would be to shoot Pumpkin and Honey Bunny, but he has a new life ahead. So he “digs, deep down,” performs his biblical monologue for the last time and “chooses” to let the
m go… alive.

  Final Image: Every closing image shows the characters as very different individuals than they were at the beginning. Butch was an underestimated man who aimed to betray his employer and has gained respect by means of loyalty. Jules has kept that loyalty, bringing the suitcase to his boss while risking his life and his new determination, but his “choice” is to terminate his relationship with the “group,” starting a new life. Finally, Vincent, the one who decided to keep that loyalty by living like a mobster... ends up dead.

  10SUPERHERO

  Let’s say you are special. You have a certain set of talents, powers, a kind of inspiration, a dream for the future, a mission or a difference in you that can make the world a better place. You try to tell your fellow humans about it, hoping they will join you in your fight. After all, it’s for the common good, isn’t it? But instead...

  Instead, you get duh -faces, disbelief, rejection, persecution and sometimes violence, torture and even death. Well, thanks, but no thanks! You just wanted to make their lives better! In a nutshell, these are the trials and tribulations that make up the foundation of our “Superhero” stories.

  Judging from its name, you might automatically think about spandex-clad guys and gals with their undies on top, but despite well-known franchise superheroes like the ones who fight to conquer the box office each week (and that’s an epic battle for sure), not everything in the hero-y world comes from the Marvel/DC realm. In fact, these are some of the oldest stories ever told!

  The tale of the mysterious stranger — so different from “us” — who inspires awe and fear is as ancient as humanity, and demonstrates how we reject the good they bring simply because they are not like us. Thus, any “chosen one” will suffer from “our” rejection, and the system’s too. In a way, as we will see, this repudiation balances their powers (and likability).

  As always, we have five subgenres. First we have the People’s Superhero in which someone as apparently normal as you or I discovers a “power within” that can make them “the chosen one” to defy power or meet a great challenge — even if only a small number of people accepts them. This is the story told in The Big Blue, The Wrestler and The Insider. The films don’t have to begin their title with “The,” though! Consider our chosen film, Erin Brockovich.