preview

Prisoners Of War Play Analysis

Decent Essays
Open Document

A young couple overcome hardship when the husband goes missing in war and a lighter and a ring keep the families connected, giving them hope.

BRIEF SYNOPSIS
EDWARD “Ed” HEWITT feels an emotional connection to his Uncle Earl’s silver lighter. It’s a lighter that the family treasures and reminds them of Earl, who died.
When Ed’s father, LLOYD, comes upon a car accident, he helps save two women, EMILY NOVAL (20’s) and her mother, MARY. Lloyd is surprised when he sees Mary. He recognizes the ring on her finger. It was the ring that Earl was going to give her. After Earl’s death, Lloyd gave Mary the ring. She has never taken it off.
When Mary dies, her daughter sends back the ring to Earl who gives it to Ed for him to eventually hand it down …show more content…

Eventually, the prisoners of war are released and Ed returns home to pick up his life.
Ed and Dorothy reunite and finally begin their family. The lighter and the ring are passed down to their kids.

STORY COMMENTS
ROAD TO EARL is a character-driven drama adapted from a novel. The script explores themes about life choices, destiny, hope, never giving up, and one’s life legacy. It explores the power of timeless love.
The script spans many years and the time periods and culture feel authentic. The story focuses on the love story of a couple that endure hardship and with the spirit of their family heirlooms they overcome their adversity and find hope.
The goal is more emotional rather than physical. Ed has to find his way back home from war and Dorothy struggles with not knowing what happened to her husband.
While one can see how this story works as a novel, as a screenplay the script needs strong revisions. The areas to explore include the structure, the pace, and the tension.
One of the main concerns about the presentation is the structure. The structure relies too heavily on a series of flashbacks, which sometimes leads to a confusing timeline. The timelines become very challenging to …show more content…

Maybe Dorothy develops feelings for another man. Maybe when Ed left she was pregnant.
In addition, when Ed returns home, the audience feels cheated out of seeing the moment that Ed and Dorothy are finally reunited. This is what the audience has been anticipating, but then suddenly on page 89 they are together. Once they reunite, the story needs to end pretty quickly.
The story currently goes on for another 22 or so pages without any real goal or focus. It focuses too much on Ed and Hel. The audience doesn’t see Dorothy get sick or die.
There’s no doubt that the characters are likable and potentially intriguing. It’s easy to root for Ed and for Dorothy. Unfortunately because there are too many characters and shifting timelines, the main characters, like Ed and Dorothy, don’t get as much focus as they should. Once the non-essential scenes, subplots, and characters are streamlined, these characters will stand out more.
Overall, the dialogue is consistent with the personalities of each of the characters and reveals information about them. However, avoid sounding overly melodramatic, like when Lloyd sees the ring and says “Oh my God!”
There are formatting

Get Access
Related
Get Access