Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 6, 1994                   TAG: 9402270165
SECTION: HORIZON                    PAGE: F4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: reviewed by Neil Harvey
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

PRICE LOOKS PAST CAMERA LENS WITH '3 SCREENPLAYS,' FINDS GOLD

\ Richard Price, who began his writing career as a novelist, is now primarily known as a screenwriter and script doctor. The new collection, "3 Screenplays," contains his final, shooting script for "The Color of Money," a second draft of "Night and the City" and an early version of "Sea of Love," as well as interviews with Price concerning the films.

For the amateur screenwriter, or an avid moviegoer, "3 Screenplays" is important reading. Price writes economic yet vivid descriptions; his trademark, rapid-fire, street-wise dialogue, held still on the page, is stunning; and in all three works, a likeable personality comes through.

Reading "The Color of Money" is like imagining a smoother, faster version of the movie. Price had to submit countless revisions before the film's key player, Paul Newman, approved this final draft (passing on Price's hard-edges in order to portray a nicer pool hustler) but rewriting might have been an advantage: virtually fat-free, this script is a streamlined masterpiece.

The original version of "Sea of Love" is entertaining for just the opposite reason. Price was trying to adapt his unusual novel "Ladies Man" for the screen (adding in the serial killer to beef up commerciality) and, as a fledgling effort, it lacks polish and control but succeeds anyway. Most of the best scenes and lines of dialogue eventually did make it into the film, though in a sort of scrambled order, and overall one can tell where his true interest lies: writing about people, not killers. And, yes, even back in its fetal stage, the ending of "Sea of Love" was unsatisfying and obtuse.

"Night and the City" is almost a transcript of the 1992 film, a critical and commercial failure. I wish they had instead included either Price's script for "Life Lessons," or "Mad Dog and Glory." Even better, though it may seem redundant, would have been the inclusion of the original draft of "The Color of Money" to illustrate the "before and after" of the revision process of screen writing.

Nonetheless, two out of the three definitely ain't bad. "3 Screenplays" provides an enlightening glimpse at movie making that extends far beyond the camera's lens.

\ Neil Harvey lives in Blacksburg.