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93 reviews for:
Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting
William Goldman
4.11 AVERAGE
93 reviews for:
Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting
William Goldman
4.11 AVERAGE
Goldman, William. Adventures in the Screen Trade. Grand Central, 1983.
William Goldman was the screenwriter for many of my favorite movies, from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, to All the President’s Men to Princess Bride (which, sadly, had not been made when the book was published). This memoir lets us know how he went about his work. His strength as a writer is an unwavering sense of where the backbone of a story lies, so his movies don’t get off track as frequently as many others. Most surprisingly, we learn how much he hated working on All the President’s Men because there were divas wherever he turned, from Robert Redford to Woodward and Bernstein themselves. Goldman takes us through the elements of a screenplay and provides insight into the important and ambiguous role of the writer in the movie-making process. Highly recommended.
William Goldman was the screenwriter for many of my favorite movies, from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, to All the President’s Men to Princess Bride (which, sadly, had not been made when the book was published). This memoir lets us know how he went about his work. His strength as a writer is an unwavering sense of where the backbone of a story lies, so his movies don’t get off track as frequently as many others. Most surprisingly, we learn how much he hated working on All the President’s Men because there were divas wherever he turned, from Robert Redford to Woodward and Bernstein themselves. Goldman takes us through the elements of a screenplay and provides insight into the important and ambiguous role of the writer in the movie-making process. Highly recommended.
funny
informative
OMG .. if we think sexism in Hollywood is bad in 2018, reading this showed me what it was like in the late 70s and early 80s. Not that Goldman himself is necessarily sexist, but in a book about the movie business, there was an interview with one woman (a film editor) and a mention of a female screenwriter. The rest of the book was dudes, dudes, dudes and dudes. I have new-found admiration for any woman in Hollywood in this time.
The stuff about the industry was fascinating .. and I am left wondering if it all still works that way 30-40 years laters.
But the best part of definitely when Goldman talks about writing. Both the core of the craft and screenwriting basics, but also when he is critiquing his own work. That man has been around the block and is refreshingly open and honest about the craft. I only wish he had done an update to cover his work on The Princess Bride.
If you're interested in movie making or screenwriting, this is definitely worth a read for Goldman's wisdom, but also for the very frank look into Hollywood.
The stuff about the industry was fascinating .. and I am left wondering if it all still works that way 30-40 years laters.
But the best part of definitely when Goldman talks about writing. Both the core of the craft and screenwriting basics, but also when he is critiquing his own work. That man has been around the block and is refreshingly open and honest about the craft. I only wish he had done an update to cover his work on The Princess Bride.
If you're interested in movie making or screenwriting, this is definitely worth a read for Goldman's wisdom, but also for the very frank look into Hollywood.
All about screenwriting. Not about the writing process, but everything else.
A legendary book by a legendary writer. Written in anecdotal bites, it's a breezy read and filled with interesting insights to old school Hollywood.
Man oh man, what to think?! For some, admittedly arbitrary, reason, I have always loved William Goldman. I think this whim found roots when reading Cary Elwes's account of the making of The Princess Bride, a book called As You Wish, in which Elwes describes Goldman as sincere and humble, but simultaneously odd and somewhat hysterical. Now that I've finally read Goldman's writing in its purest form, I would add witty and intelligent to that list of qualities. My favourite section is definitely part 2, because there is nothing more interesting than behind-the-scenes gossip. Goldman's writing takes on even more relatability when discussing his writing projects. He's just so charming! I was ready to give this a 5-star review at that point. But then we entered part 3, and I gotta say, I really don't like barber stories. Don't like barbershops, don't find haircuts dramatic, and especially don't have any patience for artist characters who see their talent as justification for being shitty people (as George Roy Hill so eloquently notes in the book). So the fact that the entire final section of the book required me to read a barber-centric short story, the adapted screenplay for that story and several interviews about how one might produce a film from that story left me far from charmed. It literally pains me to say such harsh things about this random man I admire but never met. Furthermore, around the time of my reading part 3, I also began reading reviews of a different book by Goldman that make note of some concerning remarks he made in said book about the queer, female and other minority communities. From what I can tell, a lot of this can be chalked up to the outdated language and social awareness of the 60s, but it definitely soured my reading. Moral of the story: don't have heroes?
brilliantly written. The last few chapters were incredible to read as he takes you from short story to finished screenplay.
Old movies tales meant to enlighten. Was disappointed but did point out a number of films to check out.
It was an entertaining book, but it didn't know what it wanted to be. A primer on how to hustle as a screenwriter? Amusing anecdotes about the movies he's worked on? A script workshop for tourists and beginners?
Yes all of these. Good, but not great. It could have been split and expanded into two better books, imho.
For fans of Goldman: He's a good writer and an entertaining read.
Yes all of these. Good, but not great. It could have been split and expanded into two better books, imho.
For fans of Goldman: He's a good writer and an entertaining read.