Peter Hanson

The War of the Roses -- In this blackest of comedies, a perfect 18-year marriage suddenly becomes unglued and the gleefully evil Barbara (Kathleen Turner) and Oliver (Michael Douglas) Rose single-mindedly inflict as much misery as possible on each other. Rather than just get divorced, they declare war, fighting to the bitter end over their huge mansion and every possession in it.

The Ten Commandments -- The Egyptian Prince, Moses, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people.

Screenwriters ranging from newcomers to living legends share their triumphs and hardships in this probing, insightful, and often hilarious odyssey through the world of movie storyingtelling. Candid and unafraid to name names, dozens of participants reveal the fascinating creative adventures that gave birth to notorious flops and beloved classics. The storytellers include Shane Black ("Lethal Weapon"), John Carpenter ("Halloween"), Frank Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption"), William Goldman ("The Princess Bride" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"), and Paul Schrader ("Taxi Driver").

An ex-Confederate Army officer, John Parrish (Glenn Ford, 3:10 to Yuma, 1957), plans to sell up to nearby Anchor Ranch and move east with his fiancée, but the low price offered by Anchor's crippled owner, Lee Wilkenson (Edward G. Robinson, Mackenna's Gold), and the outfit's bullyboy tactics make him think again. When one of his ranch hands is murdered, he decides to stay and fight, utilizing his war experience. Meanwhile, all is not well at Anchor Ranch where the owner's wife, Martha (Barbara Stanwyck, T.V.'s The Big Valley), has been carrying on for years with her husband's brother who, in turn, keeps a local Mexican sweetie in town.