Ask Swerdlow #2

Thoughts and questions on screenwriting

Well, the big screenwriting seminar didn’t go off with the bang I had hoped. I was expecting to hear from Substackers lost in the middle of the second act, asking how to keep their B-story alive, but either people aren’t writing screenplays or they are doing fine on their own.

But I did get this question from Noha Beshir, so I will answer it.

The scene you included ‘I see pride! I see power!’ is one of my family’s all-time favourite scenes in any movie! We quote it constantly, along with ‘I am feeling very Olympic today. How about you?”

Why is it one of your favourite scenes?

There are several reasons I like the “pride, power” scene. The first has to do with the simplicity of it and the energetic transfer between the characters. The characters start out one place and end in another, especially Junior. That’s a classic objective of scene writing, to have it change the characters and therefore the story.

I also like that the scene has an underlying theme of forgiveness. Yul is furious at Junior for tripping him at the Olympic trials (in the 100 meter dash). He threatens to beat him up when they meet again, but now that they are teammates he takes him under his wing, saying, you may have no self-esteem but I have it for you. Yul takes his rage and with the same force offers healing, hope and transformation… And then Junior, now transformed into a “bad-ass mutha,” goes out and gets his ass kicked a few seconds later, Yul having to come to his rescue. So Junior’s transformation is not complete but the change has begun. And it can’t be complete because there is a lot of movie left.

Another thing I like about this scene is the use of the mirror. Mirror scenes are classic, characters forced to confront themselves. They are moments of literal and symbolic reflection, but to have a witness as you do it is an interesting twist on the theme. To see yourself as you are being seen by another, and have them say, you don’t see what I see. So you get the power and privacy of a mirror scene, but also another character/mentor there to blow that privacy up. To turn inner transformation into outward action.

I also like the repeated use of “I see pride, I see power…” as poetic refrain— a call of dignity and self-belief that holds the story code of the entire movie (perhaps the strongest theme in the movie is, always have pride in who you are and where you come from). Whenever I see a chance for poetry, I go for it and repetition is powerful. Like a hook in a pop song, it is what you remember.

And lastly I like the scene, because it is true. It isn’t about what others see, it’s about what we see, and sometimes we need others to remind us that we aren’t seeing ourselves clearly. We need our brothers and sisters to come to our aid and shed some light on the matter, and when that light is shed by our nemesis or bully then things get juicy. And if you can make people laugh while you deliver that authentic truth then you’re really cooking with gas.

So thanks for asking the question Noha. As for “I’m feeling very Olympic today” that’s just a bit of shtick that came to me (being universal by being reductive is one of my favorite tricks). I will add that it never ceases to amaze me how much love there is throughout the world for Cool Runnings. I was twenty-nine when I wrote it, and I think not knowing what I was doing and just writing with joy and heart and freedom was the key. Also the great help and talent of my partner Michael Goldberg, the executive producer Chris Meledandri (who was like a third writer and was tireless in getting us where we needed to go) and the producer Dawn Steel, who knew there was a movie in that story and why it mattered.

I’m still open for screenwriting questions or thoughts if anyone has any, and if not I may just muse a little on the subject. Let’s see where it goes.