Staff Pick (Intern Edition): Film Intern Wyatt Frantz reviews Big Eyes
Most of us are familiar with the all-American grind of waking up at 8AM every weekday and working tirelessly to make a living out of our passion. After countless hours of rigorous work, many of us can’t help but ask what success looks like. Is it all that we make it out to be? Tim Burton gives us a harrowing answer to the question in Big Eyes, based on nonfictional artist Margaret Keane. The story follows Margaret’s unconventional journey as a woman painter in 50’s America, which escalates to her demise when her newlywed husband Walter Keane begins to take credit for her work. The hoax spirals out of control when her paintings become a cultural hit, and Margaret is taken advantage of in more ways than one. As this haunting conspiracy unravels, glimpses of darkness come to light as her attempt at starting a new, honest life turns into one built completely on lies.
By crafting compelling caricatures of flamboyant frauds and modest muses, cowriters and recent Bill Wittliff awardees Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski showcase a true understanding of what it means to be an artist. We can’t help but see a little bit of ourselves in Margaret as she fights to make endless sacrifices without compromising the heart of her work, despite her hidden success. On the other hand, Walter’s demeaning persona embodies the ultimate portrait of insecurity, as his hollow interior is unearthed whenever he’s exposed to failure and criticism. The eventual clash between the two is a riveting spectacle that speaks to modern day posers, as Walter’s ego and wealth prospects become more inflated than the art’s popularity. The story as a whole speaks to the power of writing when it comes to spreading and preserving a true story that only the art world would have previously known about, bringing Margaret Keane’s hidden influence to the eyes of many. Her notable work at the underbelly of a male-dominated industry adds yet another hidden success story to the modern mix of womens’ tales that we continue to discover today.
This masterful collaboration between Alexander and Karaszewski is one of many, as their impressive filmographies prove themselves to be masters of covering surprisingly true stories, and worthy recipients of the award. If you’re interested in finding such hidden corners of history, this dynamic duo is not to be ignored.
Advance Sign-Up: 2023 Bill Wittliff Award Screenwriting Awardee Panel
Don’t miss our next Advance Sign-Up opportunity during the 30th Annual Austin Film Festival and Writers Conference. Producer Badgeholders may reserve their spot now for the 2023 Bill Wittliff Award Screenwriting Awardee Panel with Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski.
Alexander and Karaszewski are best known for writing very unusual biopics with larger-than-life characters. They wrote the highly-acclaimed ED WOOD, for which they were nominated for Best Screenplay by the Writers Guild. They followed this with THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT, for which they won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay, as well as a special Writers Guild award for civil rights and liberties. They scripted the extremely postmodern MAN ON THE MOON, the life story of Andy Kaufman. For their first television project, they created the hit miniseries AMERICAN CRIME STORY: THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON, for which they won the Emmy, Golden Globe, PGA and WGA Award for Best Limited Series.
Sign up now to make sure you get the chance to hear from this dynamic writing duo about their longtime partnership writing amazing film and television. Spaces are limited. Sign up is open to all current Producers Badgeholders.