May 19, 1996
JOE GOULD'S SECRET
Screenplay by Howard A. Rodman, book by Joseph Mitchell
Synopsis by Brian Aldrich
In NYC, in June 1949, JOSEPH MITCHELL, 38, is a staff writer for THE NEW YORKER magazine. He is originally from Fairmont, North Carolina and lives in a flat in Greenwich Village with his wife THERESE and their daughters NORA, 17, and ELIZABETH, 15. One morning on the way to work, he stops at the Jefferson, a diner run by HARRY PANGAKOS, and sees: JOE GOULD, 58, a small, bearded, homeless man who bums meals and money while claiming to record an opus ORAL HISTORY, a written account of the stories of the common man written by the commonest man of them all, a poet in rags. Gould writes these essays in cheap composition books and stores them with acquaintances all over town as well as a huge cache of notebooks hidden at a rural duck farm. Intrigued, Mitchell gets to know Gould, follow him around, meet his friends, see how he survives, listen to his rantings, experience his purity and innocence, and finally evaluate him as an undiscovered artist lost in modern civilization. Mitchell features Gould in a New Yorker article.
Gould becomes somewhat famous. While he doesn't go on Oprah, the locals begin to appreciate him. He gets free meals and extra contributions to the "Joe Gould Fund." An anonymous PATRON pays for his room and food at a boardinghouse. Life gets easier for Gould and he tells Mitchell that he is living like a rich man. However, when Mitchell sets up an interview with a PUBLISHER, Gould fails to show up. So, Mitchell sets up an "accidental" meeting with another PUBLISHER. Gould refuses to cooperate with the Publisher's desire to read Gould's notebooks. Finally, Gould refuses to have his work published prior to his death. Suspicious, Mitchell gains access to some of Gould's notebooks and finds them to contain gibberish. Gould is a liar. When Gould hustles Mitchell for some more fame, Mitchell confronts Gould. Gould is speechless.
Time passes. Gould is back on the streets. Mitchell writes, recording individual history his way. Gould goes to the hospital and is diagnosed with arteriosclerotic senility. Mitchell visits, bringing him money from his regular contributors. They don't mention the secret. Gould sends Mitchell an essay about his own life, explaining his failure to live up to his family's history of success due to his eccentric way of thinking. Mitchell visits again. Gould celebrates his own life for what it has been. They come to an understanding of one another. Eventually, Gould dies. Mitchell accompanies a literary group of Gould fans in search of the hidden notebooks, but he never reveals Gould's secret that they do not exist.
Summary Criticism: An intriguing, colorful central character is the focus of this compelling, literate, and excellently-crafted screenplay.
Joe Gould's Secret (2000) - imdb
Joe Gould's Secret (2000) - wiki
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