The "ABCs of BBM": Round 965! (Rules in first post)

[southendmd]

After deciding the story would be a great screenplay, Larry and Diana's next task was obtaining the rights from Annie.

[memento]

After reading Annie's story, Larry and Diana had to start the process of adapting it to a screenplay.

[Fran]

It wasn't just the wrenching plot and tragic characters, (Diana) Ossana was also struck by the leanness of the prose.  Proulx is a master of understatement, given to rock-ribbed nouns and vivid verbs.  In her work, adjectives show up about as frequently as grandma's wedding china.

"It was so visual that I immediately began to see it in pictures," Ossana said.

She corralled McMurtry, who told her he didn't read short fiction. McMurtry is no snob; he views the short story as a desperately difficult form. "The only thing harder than a short story is a lyric poem," he said. "The reason I don't read short stories is because I never could write them."
 

-- William Porter, The Denver Post

[southendmd]

It wasn't just the wrenching plot and tragic characters, (Diana) Ossana was also struck by the leanness of the prose.  Proulx is a master of understatement, given to rock-ribbed nouns and vivid verbs.  In her work, adjectives show up about as frequently as grandma's wedding china.

"It was so visual that I immediately began to see it in pictures," Ossana said.

She corralled McMurtry, who told her he didn't read short fiction. McMurtry is no snob; he views the short story as a desperately difficult form. "The only thing harder than a short story is a lyric poem," he said. "The reason I don't read short stories is because I never could write them."
 
-- William Porter, The Denver Post

=aside= Fran
Thanks again.

[memento]

When writing the screenplay, Larry McMurtry used a Hermes typewriter which he thanked in his acceptance speech at the Golden Globes.

[Fran]

It wasn't just the wrenching plot and tragic characters, (Diana) Ossana was also struck by the leanness of the prose.   Proulx is a master of understatement, given to rock-ribbed nouns and vivid verbs.  In her work, adjectives show up about as frequently as grandma's wedding china.

"It was so visual that I immediately began to see it in pictures," Ossana said.

She corralled McMurtry, who told her he didn't read short fiction.  McMurtry is no snob; he views the short story as a desperately difficult form.  "The only thing harder than a short story is a lyric poem," he said.  "The reason I don't read short stories is because I never could write them."
 

-- William Porter, The Denver Post

[southendmd]

To paraphrase Mr. Porter:

Diana was struck by the leanness of Annie's prose, which is noted for the rock-ribbed nature of its nouns and the vividity of its verbs.

[memento]

"I had no idea of what to expect as I had had no input into the making of the film beyond some conversation with Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry when they were writing the screenplay, and a letter to Focus president James Schamus and Ang Lee begging them to keep the language of the story intact. I did not visit the set. I feared the landscape on which the story rests would be lost, that sentimentality would creep in, that explicit sexual content would be watered down. None of that happened. The film is huge and powerful. I may  be the first writer in America to have a piece of writing make its way to the screen whole and entire."                                       

Annie Proulx, Five O'clock Tea

[Fran]

In addition to the screenplay for Brokeback Mountain, Diana Ossana, an x-law firm administrator, has collaborated with Larry McMurtry on two novels:  Pretty Boy Floyd  and Zeke and Ned.

[Fran]

Round 556!

Trusty Sidekicks

More McMurtry/Ossana/screenplay....