Napoleon of Broadway

I was able to read a copy of the final draft of Twentieth Century, and while it is about as long as most scripts were in those days, it was enjoyable to read. This of course is due to the sharp dialogue and great characterizations. This is probably the third or fourth script of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's that I read and I must say they really had a gift for finding a character's voice, as well as delivering irony. The film in itself is probably not a favorite, and while the script is pretty much the same as the film, I have to say I enjoyed reading the script more than watching the film.

It's amazing how distinct each character's voice is. I could hear the actors speaking the words and was able to see how they interpreted the dialogue since there were instances in which the script gave no direction. Reading Lily's lines, for example, I wasn't as distracted by the whining or constant shrieking that you hear in the film. Even still though, it's clear that Lily is quite a diva. There is stage direction that Lily collapses into tears, and the thing that struck me the most was how often she says people keep "hammering and hammering" and I think I just tuned it all out because she was shrieking in those instances. Interesting enough, as I read Lily's part and remembered Carole Lombard's performance I suddenly started thinking on Jean Harlow and wondered if Lombard was emulating Harlow. There's a way that Lombard delivers her lines after the three years have passed and on throughout the film that's reminiscent of Harlow's manner of speaking, sort of as in an exaggerated way of asking rhetorical questions.

As for Jaffe, well this is Jaffe's story. The play was originally called Napoleon of Broadway and I think perhaps they should've stuck with that name because it fits the film perfectly. Changing the name to Twentieth Century, after the train and a line that has a double meaning, it just ended up being more of a marketing ploy to me to show the film wasn't just starring John Barrymore, but also Lombard. In any case, Jaffe is every bit the dictator, the tyrant on page as he is on screen. Even still there are moments in which Barrymore takes it a bit further. Many of his lines are just straight forward without much direction. The great thing about it is that dialogue speaks for itself, makes it easier for Barrymore to act them out. So when he pauses and drags out a line for emphasis, it makes sense, especially considering the histrionics Jaffe tends to throw around.

The one thing that's interesting in the script though is that Jaffe is the one that discovers Lily is boarding the train and gets Webb and O'Malley to scheme with him to get her back. He further goes on to profess his love for her to O'Malley. While this is obviously implied by his actions, in the film Jaffe always makes it seem as if what he's really after is the star for his stage, his plays. I have to say, though, that it was a wise move to take this bit of dialogue out precisely because it's already implied. And because Jaffe does make it seem like it's more of a professional thing he's after, again, it's obvious it isn't, and Jaffe because even more complex and definitely more entertaining.

Even after reading the screenplay, I think that the film is more about Jaffe than the screenplay. There are more than a few bits of short scenes or lines between characters that were taken out. Perhaps this was due to time and I'm assuming that shooting with sequences or reels in mind where taken into account. But there was a short scene between Lily and George that was taken out, as well as some lines between O'Malley and Webb. Sometimes lines were merged or taken out of the omitted scene and put into a new scene. It works, but again, the finished film turns out to be more about Jaffe I think than about Lily and Jaffe.

Unlike some other scripts, Twentieth Century didn't take that long to read, and I have to say that it must be due to the great dialogue, which made it easy to go through. The great thing about the dialogue here is that it advances the story and not much stage direction is needed because it happens naturally. This isn't to say that there's no action written down, but instead that the dialogue facilitates the storytelling in a way that stage direction and action is only used when absolutely necessary. And above all, the dialogue is much funnier when you get to read it and listen to it at your desired volume in your head so that you can still understand it. The script is sharp, different from other comedies, and worth the read.