Greetings! Please allow me to introduce my screenplay DUTCHESS COUNTY. If you are sympathetic with my message and would like to help me get this script to the screen, please drop me a line! DUTCHESS COUNTY is something that has never been done before: a cinematic retelling of the life of Washington Irving, America’s first professional author and the creator of one of our most beloved tales, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Washington Irving lived at a pivotal time in our nation’s history. We had just won our independence from Great Britain and were searching for our own culture and identity. It seemed there was little place for a professional writer in a society that emphasized practical things: business, industry, trade, and land.
DUTCHESS COUNTY is the story of one man who questioned that assumption. As the story opens, Washington Irving is deeply in love with a sensitive, romantic young woman named Matilda. But Matilda’s father does not consider a penniless, dreamy writer to be a good match. Irving sets out to create a literary work that will not only win him fame and money but also prove himself to Matilda.
As he struggles to become a successful author, Irving must overcome obstacles which anyone today can relate to: finding inspiration, achieving financial independence, overcoming the tragic death of his sweetheart—and finding the possibility of new love. Irving finds a companion and guide in Washington Allston, a young man who is seeking to become a successful painter.
The continued success of period drama proves that audiences love immersing themselves in the richness, elegance, and romance of past eras. DUTCHESS COUNTY makes a unique twist on this formula with a story set in early 1800s America—something that has hardly ever been attempted on screen. Scenes set in the beautiful Hudson River Valley of New York state, blending reality and fantasy, past and present, lend an exciting atmosphere to a script that will appeal to all ages.
At a time when Americans are deeply divided over how to interpret our nation’s history, DUTCHESS COUNTY is a story that needs to be told—the story of a man who united his countrymen through the power of imagination and storytelling.
