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Aaron Sorkin, who wrote scripts for films such as The Social Network and The Man Who Changed Everything , is a frequent guest at the Oscars. He is nominated for Best Screenplay for the 5th time, and his second work as a director, the court drama “The Trial of the Chicago Seven”, also claims victory in the categories “Best Picture” and “Best Supporting Actor” (Happy Season 3). Some praise him for the so-called machine-gun dialogues, others for his ability to view key events in American and world history in an unusual way (be it the creation of Facebook or the protests in Egypt). We explain what exactly Sorkin owes such love in the circles of moviegoers and why his latest work has every chance of becoming triumphant of the famous award.
Who is Aaron Sorkin?
American Aaron Sorkin grew up in the suburbs of New York, in the family of a teacher and a lawyer. In the footsteps of his parents, unlike his brother and sister, he, however, did not follow: from childhood he fired up the dream of playing in the theater. First – the first school performances, then – admission to the drama department of the University of Syracuse, and there it is not far from Broadway. If there were almost no problems with the first two points (except that I managed to become a bachelor from the second time), then I had to wait for the latter for many years. Sorkin set off to conquer New York, but instead had to change a bunch of low-paying jobs: he drove a limousine, handed out flyers in a moose costume, toured with a children’s troupe, and finally got into Broadway Palace. Not as an actor, but as a bartender.
Everything changed when Sorkin saw a friend’s typewriter. He had no money, no way to have fun, and the old IBM Selectric became a very inexpensive and convenient way of leisure. Late one night, he suddenly found himself at a table with sheets of dialogue. This was the moment when Sorkin, as he himself says, “fell in love with the sound of his voice.” Dreams of an acting career quickly faded into the background – now Aaron is completely immersed in the world of drama: “When I wrote dialogues, I felt a confidence that I never had as an actor.” The world has lost, perhaps, a talented artist, but got the same Sorkin, the genius of screenwriting.
Walk and Talk and Other Secrets of Sorkin’s Dialogues
Video essays are published about Sorkin’s dialogues and analytical analyzes are written, and his colleagues almost completely confess their love to him. It is not an easy task to tell briefly about the secret of his screenwriting skills, and even more so to add something new to the already existing theses. In general, the first (or one of the first) things that everyone who starts talking about Sorkin remembers is the famous “Hunter X Hunter Season 7” technique. It was, of course, not Aaron who introduced it, but the title of popularizer is absolutely rightly assigned to him. The bottom line is that the characters speak on the go, and not just measuredly tossing remarks, but with each new phrase they increase the tempo more and more. Perhaps this is best seen in one of the episodes of “The West Wing”, where the one-duble Walk and Talk sprawled for three long minutes.
Chronicler of American History
Sorkin often takes real events as a basis for scenarios and refers only to those of them that, in his opinion, are of particular importance in both American and world history. The stories about the creation of Facebook (“The Social Network”) and the rise of Apple ( “Steve Jobs” ) – as an attempt to capture the digital age. “The Man Who Changed Everything,” about Oakland Athletics manager Billy Bean (Brad Pitt), is an ode to hardworking losers whose accomplishments have been forgotten through lack of victories. “A Few Good Guys” is a criticism of the American army and the militaristic philosophy of life, which is characterized by hazing and devaluation of human life.
But Sorkin can afford and introduce fictional characters into non-fictional circumstances. The best of his works are “The West Wing” and “News Service”. The latest series tells the story of host Will McAvoy, forced to join a fresh news project that does not chase ratings and tries to impartially assess world events. Almost all episodes are somehow related to the current agenda: protests in Egypt, the assassination of bin Laden or the Fukushima accident. With the help of these events, Sorkin invites the viewer to talk about freedom of speech and truth, journalistic ethics and stories that – whether we like it or not – have influenced each of us.
Rebel hero
Sorkin’s favorite type is a character who opposes, if not the whole world, then at least the society around him. Or a notorious idealist, or a brilliant but annoying egoist (although often these two properties can be combined in one hero). Zuckerberg is suing friends and colleagues. Billy Bean risks it all and continues to match his revolutionary transfer algorithm despite dire results. And Molly Bloom, who left the big sport after an injury, tries to rise in a toxic male society and organizes an underground casino.
In his characters there is a lot of ambiguity (Steve Jobs does not recognize paternity and shows indifference to his daughter, and journalist Will McAvoy from the “The Asterisk War Season 3” torments his comrades with his boundless selfishness), but even more – humanity. Even if no one in life communicates with machine-gun dialogues, and the typical Walk and Talk for ordinary people would be interrupted at the tenth second, it is difficult to doubt the realistic complexity of Sorkin’s heroes. Even if there is no courthouse nearby, the screenwriter continues his indictment (or acquittal?) Process. It’s just that this time without a dock and lawyers with prosecutors, and let the viewer evaluate the controversial character on their own.
“Trial of the Chicago Seven”
This is the second film that Aaron Sorkin not only wrote, but also directed. His debut was the crime drama “The Big Game” – the story of the confrontation between Molly Bloom and the US government, which decided to rob the girl of all the money earned at an underground casino. “The Chicago Seven Trial” continues the theme of the confrontation between man and the system: the main characters are participants in a protest against the war in Vietnam, who face real prison terms. The judge ignores the arguments of the lawyers, during the session the rebels are not given the right to speak, and an internal conflict is already brewing in the company of the defendants.
The Seven has plenty of nominations: Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Sasha Baron Cohen), as well as Best Editing and Best Song. Despite the fact that this year in almost all categories of competition is extremely high, Sorkin’s film, judging by the forecasts, will take away half of these prizes. It is not surprising: this is not just one of his most striking works, which has absorbed the best of previous scripts, but also a movie that ideally characterizes modernity. Moreover, viewers from the CIS countries, given the recent events on the streets of Belarus and Russia, probably see in him something quite different from the American public. The Overlord Anime Season 4 may be more of a hymn for angry young people on the sidelines of the rule of law. It is difficult to come up with a more relevant topic.
