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Love in Vain
Robert Johnson is considered one of the greatest of the Mississippi Delta blues musicians. This screenplay dramatises his life, music and legend in a readable and vivid manner. It is supplemented with extensive historical notes, a selected discography and previously unpublished photographs. "Love in Vain" is directed by Martin Scorsese for Warner Brothers.
274 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 2, 2022
This screenplay about Robert Johnson dates from 1983 and is said by Werner Herzog, David Lynch and Martin Scorsese to be one of the best screenplays they've ever read, yet it remains unfilmed. As a reading experience, it's not entirely satisfying, but then it was not originally intended to be read as a book.
The copious and fascinating notes at the back reveal the impressive depth of Greenberg's research, and his splendidly colourful dialogue has an authentic ring throughout, while the setting of each scene is described in perfect succinct detail. I imagine it's for these reasons that it's held in such high esteem, though I wonder both how easy it would be to film and how well it would actually work on screen. Many of the scenes seem very short to me and there are a lot of characters flitting in and out of the story, which covers the last eight years of Johnson's life. In one scene, a mule laughs, which makes me wonder how a director would deal with that! And who could possibly play Charley Patton? In fact, you'd need quite a few highly talented black blues musicians to pull this off as most of Johnson's contemporaries also pop up in various scenes singing in jook joints. It's not as if you could have actors miming to the original recordings as they're too lo-fi and scratchy.
Supposedly, a film of this is currently in development starring actor and DJ Henry Noble, who does look spookily like Johnson. I'll believe it when I see it though!
This is a really nice edition which also includes a foreword by Scorsese, an intro by Stanley Crouch and a number of photos.
The copious and fascinating notes at the back reveal the impressive depth of Greenberg's research, and his splendidly colourful dialogue has an authentic ring throughout, while the setting of each scene is described in perfect succinct detail. I imagine it's for these reasons that it's held in such high esteem, though I wonder both how easy it would be to film and how well it would actually work on screen. Many of the scenes seem very short to me and there are a lot of characters flitting in and out of the story, which covers the last eight years of Johnson's life. In one scene, a mule laughs, which makes me wonder how a director would deal with that! And who could possibly play Charley Patton? In fact, you'd need quite a few highly talented black blues musicians to pull this off as most of Johnson's contemporaries also pop up in various scenes singing in jook joints. It's not as if you could have actors miming to the original recordings as they're too lo-fi and scratchy.
Supposedly, a film of this is currently in development starring actor and DJ Henry Noble, who does look spookily like Johnson. I'll believe it when I see it though!
This is a really nice edition which also includes a foreword by Scorsese, an intro by Stanley Crouch and a number of photos.
August 20, 2013
Listened to Johnson's records for a couple weeks (till they were a good friend) then read this book. Took three reads to really work through it all. First off, this screenplay is pure fiction, but it couldn't be any other way. Robert Johnson only exists on record-there is next to nothing biographically on him-so mythic fantasy is the only way to write about him. But even if that wasn't the case, there is no way one could reduce his songs to standard biopic fare. His songs defy ordinary reality, with each listen, of each song, opening up another world. I guess you could call it magical realism.
Beyond Johnson himself, the screenplay does a great job of showing that the use of music for imaginal, as opposed to literal or melodic, ends was absolutely central to country blues.
Beyond Johnson himself, the screenplay does a great job of showing that the use of music for imaginal, as opposed to literal or melodic, ends was absolutely central to country blues.
February 7, 2008
A great screenplay. You can see the movie waiting to be made. Someone pick up the gauntlet, damnit!
May 24, 2013
Very interesting film script that reads like a novel. The big mystery is why hasn't it been turned into a film as of yet?
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews