Academic paper from 2002 in the field of Film Studies, grade: 2.0, University of Leipzig, language: German. Abstract: This paper deals with Lajos Egri's work "The Art of Dramatic Writing" and its application as a screenwriting theory. Although the book, published in 1946, primarily focuses on plays, I believe Egri's theses provide a significant discourse on material development in general, which is equally relevant to cinema. Lajos Egri does not primarily aim to provide a guide on how to write good screenplays, but rather seeks to help audiences and "laypeople" better understand dramatic structures through his work. To clarify the specifics of his concepts, I compare his theses in the third chapter of this paper with other screenwriting theories and will subsequently examine in the final part to what extent Egri's theses can be applied to film analysis, using the example of the Billy Wilder classic "Sunset Boulevard.".