Green Mile, by Frank Darabont Several Aspects

¶ … Green Mile, by Frank Darabont [...] several aspects of the second draft of the script. "The Green Mile" is a fascinating film with mystical and miraculous aspects, and the script is quite interesting to read, and see just how a script can make a film more memorable. THE GREEN MILE This second draft of the script for "The Green Mile" seems to follow the film quite closely; most of the scenes are pretty much verbatim how they appeared on the screen.

The format of the script is standard screenplay format, with dialogue usually initiated with a centered name in capital letters, and usually some description of the scene and setting before the dialogue begins.

In these first fifteen or so pages (the pages were not numbered or illustrated in any way, so it was difficult to tell), the major characters in the film are not all introduced in the first fifteen pages, but at least two of the major characters are: Paul Edgecomb, played by Tom Hanks, and he is introduced this way in the script: INT. GEORGIA PINES NURSING HOME - MORNING (PRESENT DAY) CLOCK RADIO spews the morning weather report, abruptly pulling us into the present with a prediction of rain.

PAUL EDGECOMB, late 70's/early 80's, wakes to another day INT. PAUL'S ROOM - MORNING Paul stands at his bathroom mirror, meticulously buttoning his shirt. He picks up a hairbrush, starts tidying his hair Immediately the viewer knows that Paul is elderly, and this film will probably include a flashback to his previous life.

As the scenes in the nursing home (in real time) progress, Paul seems to be older than the rest of the residents, but that is subtle, and the viewer does not find out until the end just how old he is, and the true nature of his "present" life as opposed to his past life that the film concerns.

Its is clear from Paul's actions that his mind is alert, and that he is a vital man who has outlived his usefulness in society, but not his hopes, dreams, and intelligence. He is a meticulous man, who just wants to be left alone to live what remains of the rest of his life. In fact, Paul does not speak during the entire opening sequence, and so, the viewer gets a mental picture of him before he ever speaks a word of dialogue.

This helps add to the air of mystery that surrounds the film, and ultimately helps the viewer more readily accept the end of the film, and the miraculous things John Coffey can do. In the scene where black prisoner John Coffey is introduced the action certainly begins to portray the character.

The first sight the viewer has of Coffey is his huge, black feet, which convey the physical size of the man, but also gives a sense he is larger than life, and this of course turns out to be true. The script first describes him this way: JOHN COFFEY is a huge black man, nearly 7 feet tall and 300 pounds, his massive head shiny and bald, his skin a tapestry of old scars, his prison overalls (the biggest size they had) ending at mid-calf.

He looks dull and confused, as if wondering where he is and how he got there. Percy and Harry lead him toward E. Block in shackles. Just as in the first scene with Hanks, Coffey, played.