EVERYTHING IS COPY
US, 2011, 85 minutes, Colour.
Members of the Ephron family, Jacob Bernstein, journalists, writers, actors.
Directed by Jacob Bernstein.
Everything is Copy is a quotation from Phoebe Ephron given to her daughter, Nora, and advice for all experiences to be able to transferred to writing.
Many audiences may not know Nora Ephron in herself but would have seen some of her significant films, especially the autobiographical Heartburn, the popular romantic comedies, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail.
The film was written and directed by her son, Jacob Bernstein. He also appears in many of the sequences, especially talking personally to his three aunts and their talking not only about their sister but her relationship to him.
Initially a journalist, with a strong talent, writing for newspapers and magazines, feted in New York, admired for her provocative articles, she did move to film writing with such films as Silkwood and Heartburn, the story of her marriage, her second marriage, to Carl Bernstein, of All the President’s Men fame, and the separation and bitter divorce. The director is the son of Nora and Carl Bernstein.
The film goes back to her family life, the role of her parents, the celebrated playwrights Henry and Phoebe Ephron who also moved to screenwriting. Some of the memories of the parents are not particularly happy.
The film also shows Nora Ephron’s marriage to writer Nicholas Pilleggi, who does not appear in the film except in photographs but is presented with great esteem.
Nora Ephron died at age 71 of leukaemia, having kept this information to herself, strange for a person who advocated everything to be available, everything as copy, in public.
It is an interesting film with a Hollywood background. An informative picture about journalism from the 1960s and filmmaking from the 1980s.
1. Audience knowledge of Nora Ephron? The film supplying information, insight, a tribute?
2. The director, her son, his perspective, the device of interviewing his relatives, the talking heads, and his being seen in many of the sequences? The effect of his relatives talking to him and making their memories personal?
3. The title, a quotation from Nora’s mother about all experiences? The Ephron family, the parents, their skills as playwrights, screenwriters, moving to Los Angeles? The mother cold, eventual drinking, her death? The distant father? The four sisters, the interviews, Nora as the oldest, the memories of their childhood?
4. Nora, becoming the writer, the 1960s, the support of journalists and talented writers of the period, her articles, work with newspapers, magazines, the topics? Provocative? Social? Her rolling New York society, entertaining, socials, dinners, friends and celebrities?
5. The excerpts from her writings, and their being read by various actresses who appeared in her films?
6. The range of talking heads, family, writers, journalists, family friends, her first husband, Carl Bernstein and memories of their courtship, marriage, bitter divorce? Jacob Bernstein and his brother? Carl Bernstein in the aftermath of the marriage and his former wife’s death?
7. Nora Ephron and her screen career, writing Silkwood, the scenes, the scenes from Heartburn and the autobiographical tone? The roles of Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson? Her great success with Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, testimony of Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan? And the background of the famous scene from When Harry Met Sally (and the key line from Estelle Reiner written by Billy Crystal)? The place of This is My Life and the autobiographical touches? The lack of success of Mixed Nuts and Lucky Numbers? A return to success with Julie and Julia?
8. The variety of stars and their memories?
9. Her marriage to Nicholas Pilleggi, his not appearing in the film, the photos and the tributes to him?
10. Nora Ephron as a storyteller, writer, films – and wanting control?
11. Leukaemia, her illness, keeping it quiet, keeping it from her closest friends?
12. An interesting Hollywood background film?
