Get to “I Love You” – Part 4
The “Get to ‘I love you'” principle works for tragic endings too. Even if the lovers are torn apart by fate or necessity, if we as storytellers can leave them with a moment where they declare their love, even if it’s silent or doomed … we’ve got something good.
The classic in this category is the ending of Casablanca, when Bogey puts Ingrid on the plane to Lisbon, giving up his shot at this love-of-his-life for the higher calling of freeing her (and her Resistance leader husband, played by Paul Henreid) to carry on their heroic work.
INGRID
But what about us?BOGEY
We’ll always have Paris.
In other words, “I love you.”
Another great moment of this type is the final scene of the first Godfather. This one is all visual. No dialogue.
The moment takes place in the Don’s house in New Jersey. In the background, we see the new don, Michael Corleone (played by Al Pacino), receiving the obeisance of his capos, who kiss his ring and address him as “Godfather” for the first time. In the foreground is Michael’s wife Kay, played by Diane Keaton, folding household laundry, willfully oblivious of the moment that is playing out behind her. One of the capos slowly closes the door to Michael’s office, shutting out Kay forever.
This is “I love you” in its most heartbreaking and emotionally powerful forms.
No wonder AFI has Casablanca at #2 on its all-time list and The Godfather at #3. (Citizen Kane edged them both out.)
DO THE WORK
Steve shows you the predictable Resistance points that every writer hits in a work-in-progress and then shows you how to deal with each one of these sticking points. This book shows you how to keep going with your work.
THE AUTHENTIC SWING
A short book about the writing of a first novel: for Steve, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Having failed with three earlier attempts at novels, here's how Steve finally succeeded.
NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T
Steve shares his "lessons learned" from the trenches of the five different writing careers—advertising, screenwriting, fiction, nonfiction, and self-help. This is tradecraft. An MFA in Writing in 197 pages.
TURNING PRO
Amateurs have amateur habits. Pros have pro habits. When we turn pro, we give up the comfortable life but we find our power. Steve answers the question, "How do we overcome Resistance?"
I have a somewhat rocky love affair with the war of my art. I can’t stand the battlefield sometimes. I don’t want to write my book or do basic chores. I just want to lay around and daydream. But that hurts even worse. The old passion eventually drives me back into the arms of the keyboard. I begin writing my book again and all is well.
The Way We Were..especially the song
I agree. So, the triad is this: ‘Citizen Kane’, ‘Casablanca’ and ‘The Godfather’. And so, we remember other equally sensational endings. Great lesson, Steve.
Neil Simon’s Plays- all of them, especially as revealed in his book “Rewrites”. A lifetime of “I Love you”.
A good writer should understand that love never completely ends. If a character is obviously getting on with life, seemingly never even thinking about the past, “Smack!” show him a certain sound, a song, a carousel tune to throw him to the mat. Maybe the scent of of Jasmine or cotton candy. Anything to make him bleed. Don’t let him forget Paris.
Jody
I love this thread! I’m very appreciative of the clear exemples, especially with video clips. Two days ago, I was watching The Matrix – Resurrections, and after the “All is Lost Moment” close to the ending, Trinity says to her husband: “Stop calling me that, I hate that name; my name is Trinity”. It appeared to me that this was a way to say “I love you” to Neo. Thanks again, Mr. Pressfield! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEcKDk0qqmg