Green Behind The Screen

WHILE FILM WRITER BILL Phillips '71 recovers from the longest year of his life, spent in Paramount's West Coast studios directing one of his own creations, Robert Redford will put the finishing touches on a movie adaptation of a book about two Dartmouth alumni.

Phillips's "There Goes the Neighborhood," a movie he dedicated to his Dartmouth film professor and mentor, the late Blair Watson, is due for a fall release. The movie follows the adventures of Willis Embry (Jeff Daniels), a prison psychologist who learns from one of his inmate patients that an eight million dollar cache of stolen money rests hidden beneath a house in a quiet, suburban neighborhood. When Embry pursues the buried treasure he encounters more than he bargained for, in eluding nosy neighbors, difficult realtors, and another team of robbers excavating at the wrong address.

Awriter of more than 20 film scripts, including "Christine" and the TV movie "In a Child's Name," Phillips described his first foray into the world of Hollywood directing as a grueling but rewarding experience. "Directing is about 100 times harder than writing," he said. "There were times when [the crew] would say, 'What do you want to do?' and I'd have to remind myself that I was the boss."

Also to appear this fall: Redford's "A River Runs Through It," based on the book by Norman Maclean '24. The film spins the story of two brothers, including a Dartmouth grad (modeled after Maclean's brother) who dies in a drunken brawl.

Film inspirations: Phillips,Watson, Maclean, Redford.