The Hours: A Timeless Classic the Whole Family Can Enjoy!

After a few minutes of arduous consideration, I have come to the conclusion that a movie adaptation of a book such as Michael Cunningham’s “The Hours” can exist only in one of three forms: a science fiction thriller, a murder mystery, or a war movie. I will now briefly explain the premise of each...

Proposed Movie Script #1: The Science Fiction Thriller

It is the distant future – the year 2012, to be exact – and Switzerland has taken over the world (minus Poland, of course). The consumption of Swiss cheese has risen drastically, as have instances of obesity. In order to keep their empire in order and their monopoly on dairy products unchallenged, the Swiss are developing a special type of machine. This machine will allow them to see into the future...

The scientist in charge of the development of this machine is the notable (and notably eccentric) Dr. Richard Brown. He is aided by Dr. Vaughn (whom he affectionately calls Mrs. Dalloway) and Louis.

They test the machine, and are shocked by what it shows them: there will be a death, in their building, in their department... They do not know the circumstances of this death. They don’t even know who the victim will be. Their only clues are the two items they saw next to the corpse: a copy of Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway” and a photograph of a woman.

They try to prevent what they believe will be an imminent murder. They manage to find a set of videos of the woman in the photograph, Laura Brown. In her workplace – which she has recently left – they also find a copy of Mrs. Dalloway. They believe that she is the one who will be killed, and thus set about trying to find her.

They watch the videos in order to be able to figure things out. They learn that the woman disliked her son. They finally find her – in the place they clearly recognize the murder will take place – and try to convince her that she needs to leave. In talking to her, however, they learn that she is the mother of Dr. Richard Brown. He is taken aback by this, but, looking down into his hands – where he is holding the book, which, coincidentally, contains the photograph of his mother – he finally understands. He jumps to his death, the book and the photograph falling down beside him.

Proposed Movie Script #2: The Murder Mystery

Detective Laura Brown has been asked by a mysterious woman – a Mrs. Dalloway – to solve the murder of her beloved friend Richard. She immediately notices the similarities between his death and that of a woman called Virginia Woolf. The case also reminds her strangely of her past...

As she finally solves the mystery, she learns that both Richard and Virginia Woolf committed suicide and that Richard was the son that she abandoned.

She then goes to eat supper.

Proposed Movie Script #3: The War Movie

Private Vaughn and Private Brown are searching behind enemy lines (Switzerland!) for the missing Dr. Laura Brown. They are being followed, for some random reason, by a nosy reporter, Virginia Woolf. The three of them piece together the story of Dr. Brown...

In the end, they find that Dr. Brown has joined the so-called “dark side” (well, there was the cheese, not to mention the chocolates, which were both strong incentives).

To make matters more dramatic, they also learn that Dr. Brown is the mother of Private Brown.

Private Brown kills himself.

Following his death, Dr. Brown has a change of conscience. She joins the resistance against the Swiss and their dairy products.

(She also eats Private Brown's rations.)