Back To Black

Synopsis: The extraordinary story of Amy Winehouse’s early rise to fame from her early days in Camden through the making of her groundbreaking album, Back to Black that catapulted Winehouse to global fame. Told through Amy’s eyes and inspired by her deeply personal lyrics, the film explores and embraces the many layers of the iconic artist and the tumultuous love story at the center of one of the most legendary albums of all time.
Genre: Biography
Original Story by: Sam Taylor-Johnson
Year:
2024
495 Views


(Announcer) ‘Ladies and gentlemen, this is…

‘Amy Winehouse!’

(Crowd cheering)

(Amy) ‘I want people to hear my voice and just forget their troubles for five minutes.

‘I want to be remembered for being a singer… for sell-out concerts and sell-out West End and Broadway shows. For just being me.’

(Snorts) God, no wonder I got into drama school, “for just being me”!

(Laughing)

I can’t believe you’ve still got a copy of this, Nan.

What was I, like, thirteen?

Yeah, something like that.

Sylvia said you had a voice like Judy Garland.

Oh, yeah, was that before or after they expelled me?

Oi!

You never did any schoolwork, Amy!

I just love you in these photos, Nan.

You’re like the ultimate fifties pin-up girl.

Look at you! You look like Audrey Hepburn!

Oh, you think so?

I know so!

You are my style icon.

Oh!

I mean, look, you always have been, but now it’s official, so how do you feel?

‘Style icon’, me?

Yeah!

Oh, look, singing at Ronnie Scott’s here.

Ooh, I met ’em all there.

Ella Fitzgerald…

Ah!

Matt Munro.

Tony Bennett.

Oh! Anthony Benedetto, the Blessed One!

In voice… and trousers.

Nan!

(Chuckling)

Oh, cute.

From Osidge Primary School to sell-out concerts.

I believe it’s gonna happen one of these days, I really do.

A voice like yours, got to.

Oi! Oi! Oi! I’ll have that, thanks.

Can I borrow this memory box, Nan?

Yeah, as long as you promise to look after it.

Who wants a top-up?

(Woman) I won’t say no. Please!

(Low conversation and laughter)

(♪ Singing and clapping in background)

(♪ Raucous singing)

You sing better than this lot, Ava.

(♪ Singing traditional “Tzur Mishelo”)

(Laughing and clapping)

♪ Fly me to the moon

♪ Let me play amongst the stars

(♪ Pianist joins in)

Now we’re talking.

♪ Let me see what Spring is like

♪ On Jupiter and Mars

Angel.

♪ In other words

♪ Hold my hand

Oh!

♪ In other words

♪ Darling, kiss me

Here we go!

(Cynthia) Here he comes!

♪ Fill my heart with song

Mitchell Winehouse!

Whoo!

♪ And let me swing for ever more

♪ Cos, Renee, you are all I worship and adore

♪ In other words

Please be true

♪ In other words

♪ I love…

♪ You ♪

(Crowd) Aah!

(Woman) That’s lovely.

(Sirens wailing)

Whoo! Turn it, driver!

(♪ THELONIOUS MONK: “Straight, No Chaser” on radio)

Oh… how can some people not get this? It’s genius!

Oi! Driver!

Yes, madam?

How come some people don’t like jazz?

They’re mad.

You ever met a sane jazz fan?

No.

Well, maybe we’re the mad ones, then.

Too right.

How’s your brother doing at university?

Dunno. Why don’t you ask him?

Probably smoking and sleeping, eating Pot Noodle.

You know, the usual student stuff.

I worry about drugs.

Students love ’em.

Yeah, well, maybe you should worry about Mum instead. She isn’t well.

Do you have to make it so difficult?

Didn’t say anything.

You don’t have to. Your face says it all.

Tell your mum I said hello, and your brother to call me.

He never answers when I try.

Dad, Dad…

Come in for five minutes, say hi to Mum.

Ah…

I just miss you.

I know.

Look, I’ve got a gig on Sunday, at a pub off Hanger Lane.

Will you come?

I promised Jane I’d take her to her mum’s.

Right.

I’ll do the next one, yeah?

Whatever!

Oi, soppy drawers!

I’m not talking to you!

Sh*t.

You forgot this. You only had it ten minutes.

Take care of it.

Love you, too.

(Cab revs and recedes)

Mum!

(Janis) I’m upstairs, love!

Oh, a boy called, kept calling… (Chuckles)…this afternoon, Jack.

Oh.

Who is he?

Karen’s boyfriend.

Oh, Karen’s boyfriend?

And Chris has been calling you as well. Your actual boyfriend.

Cool. See you later.

Emulate… all the sh*t my mother hates.

♪ Emulate

♪ All the sh*t my mama hates

♪ I can’t help but demonstr…

♪ I can’t help…

♪ I can’t help…

♪ But demonstrate my Freudian fate…

(Sighs)

Understand once he was a family man

♪ So, surely I would never ever go through it first-hand

♪ Emulate

♪ All the sh*t my mama hates

♪ I can’t help but demonstrate my Freudian fate

♪ My alibi for taking your guy

History repeats itself, it fails to die

♪ And animal aggression is my downfall

♪ I don’t care about what you got, I want it all

♪ It’s bricked up in my head

♪ And shoved under my bed

♪ And I question myself again, what is it about men?

♪ My destructive side has grown a mile wide

♪ And I…

(Sighs)

♪ And I question myself again, what is it about men?

♪ What is it about men? ♪

(Knocking)

Hey!

(Amy mutters) Hey…

I tried calling a few times this evening. I don’t know if Janis told you.

I thought you might be back earlier, so I thought I’d just turn up,

try my luck…

I got you these.

Ah…

Amy… Amy, can we just, like…?

Look, I thought that we could just chill out for a bit first,

and then… you know, listen to Massive Attack,

and then maybe, whatever.

Was your maid away on holiday again?

(Phone ringing)

Mum!

(Ringing continues)

For f***’s sake, what? Hello?

‘Amy? Amy, it’s me, Tyler.’

Tyler, you f***ing mentalist. What time is it?

‘Ah, it’s just gone twelve o’clock.’

Listen, Amy, I’m here with my manager Nick.

You know the one I gave your demo to?

‘Am I on speakerphone?’

Yeah, hi, Amy. It’s Nick Shymansky from 19 here.

Sorry to wake you.

‘I’ll let you off.’

So, I’ve had a listen to your demo, and…

Yeah, can we have a chat? It’d be great to see you play live.

19 Management. That’s Simon Fuller, right?

That’s right.

‘Girl Power’ Simon Fuller?

Yep.

Do you know what ‘Girl Power’ means to me, Nick?

Sarah Vaughan. Dinah Washington. Lauryn Hill.

That’s real ‘Girl Power’, mate.

‘I understand.’

What do you understand?

Erm…

‘You need to know this now.’

I ain’t no f***ing Spice Girl.

‘But you have a lovely day, Nick Shymansky.’

And I’ll have a good think about that chat, yeah?

Love you, Tyler, babe. See you later.

(♪ LAURYN HILL: “Doo-Wop (That Thing)”)

♪ Cats used to harmonise like… Whoo!

♪ Whoo! ♪

(♪ Song continues)

♪ It’s been three weeks since you been looking for your friend

♪ The one you let hit it and never called you again

Remember when he told you he was ’bout the Benjamins?

♪ You act like you ain’t hear him then give him a little trim to begin

♪ How you think you’re really gonna pretend

♪ Like you wasn’t down and you called him again?

♪ Plus, when you give it up so easy you ain’t even foolin’ him

♪ If you did it then, then you’d probably f*** again

♪ Guys, you know you’d better watch out

♪ Some girls, some girls are only about

♪ That thing, that thing, that thing

♪ That thing, that thing, that thing

♪ Yo, yo, come again

♪ My French men, come again

♪ My sister, come again

♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah… ♪

I love it!

(Screaming)

(♪ Music playing and overlapping chatter)

(Cheering and whooping)

Thank you.

Hello.

Hello!

Whoo!

♪ You should be stronger than me

♪ You’ve been here seven years longer than me

♪ Don’t you know you’re supposed to be the man?

♪ Not pale in comparison to who you think I am

♪ You always wanna talk it through, I’m okay

♪ I always have to comfort you every day

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote

Matt Greenhalgh

Matthew Greenhalgh is an English screenwriter from Manchester. He is best known for writing the screenplay to the film Back to Black and Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool, which earned him a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. more…

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Submitted by jayshawn_t on June 20, 2024

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    "Back To Black" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/back_to_black_27500>.

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