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Which Lie Did I Tell: More Adventures in the Screen Trade
William Goldman's follow up to Adventures in the Screen Trade is a guide to the nuts and bolts of film making that can be found behind the glitzy facade of contemporary Hollywood.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
William Goldman
89 books2,669 followersGoldman grew up in a Jewish family in Highland Park, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, and obtained a BA degree at Oberlin College in 1952 and an MA degree at Columbia University in 1956.His brother was the late James Goldman, author and playwright.
William Goldman had published five novels and had three plays produced on Broadway before he began to write screenplays. Several of his novels he later used as the foundation for his screenplays.
In the 1980s he wrote a series of memoirs looking at his professional life on Broadway and in Hollywood (in one of these he famously remarked that "Nobody knows anything"). He then returned to writing novels. He then adapted his novel The Princess Bride to the screen, which marked his re-entry into screenwriting.
Goldman won two Academy Awards: an Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for All the President's Men. He also won two Edgar Awards, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Best Motion Picture Screenplay: for Harper in 1967, and for Magic (adapted from his own 1976 novel) in 1979.
Goldman died in New York City on November 16, 2018, due to complications from colon cancer and pneumonia. He was eighty-seven years old.
William Goldman had published five novels and had three plays produced on Broadway before he began to write screenplays. Several of his novels he later used as the foundation for his screenplays.
In the 1980s he wrote a series of memoirs looking at his professional life on Broadway and in Hollywood (in one of these he famously remarked that "Nobody knows anything"). He then returned to writing novels. He then adapted his novel The Princess Bride to the screen, which marked his re-entry into screenwriting.
Goldman won two Academy Awards: an Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for All the President's Men. He also won two Edgar Awards, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Best Motion Picture Screenplay: for Harper in 1967, and for Magic (adapted from his own 1976 novel) in 1979.
Goldman died in New York City on November 16, 2018, due to complications from colon cancer and pneumonia. He was eighty-seven years old.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews
November 28, 2020
The first three-fourths of this book is a funny and engaging behind-the-scenes look at being a Hollywood screenplay writer. Goldman wrote Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men, and both the book and screenplay to A Princess Bride. It was fun for me to read about how he floundered with The Princess Bride until he came up with the idea of having the grandfather read “just the good parts,” which enabled him to jump around.
This book is a little tricky because he’s writing it both for people who are just interested in movies as well as people who are aspiring screenplay writers. If I ever do want to write a screenplay or teleplay, I think I’ll read it differently, but until then, the very detailed breakdown of writing a screenplay wasn’t nearly as interesting as the insider’s look of being a successful screenplay writer. This book does not make being a Hollywood screenplay writer seem appealing at all, because they never get credit for a good film but are blamed when a film flops. There are a million things the screenplay writer has no control of, which is very different than being a novelist. Writing novels means you have to get an agent and an editor to like it. If you miraculously get a decent advance, the publishing house will market the heck out of you to make up the money they spent, but in general, the books that do really well, just like movies that succeed, do so because of word of mouth. To get a screenplay made involves getting a good director, the right actors, and, of course, the money to make it and properly market it. With Netflix and other streaming services, there seems to be more opportunities for writing screenplays and teleplays. He wrote this in 2000, before there were a million streaming services, so I have no idea what being a movie writer is like these days.
This book is a little tricky because he’s writing it both for people who are just interested in movies as well as people who are aspiring screenplay writers. If I ever do want to write a screenplay or teleplay, I think I’ll read it differently, but until then, the very detailed breakdown of writing a screenplay wasn’t nearly as interesting as the insider’s look of being a successful screenplay writer. This book does not make being a Hollywood screenplay writer seem appealing at all, because they never get credit for a good film but are blamed when a film flops. There are a million things the screenplay writer has no control of, which is very different than being a novelist. Writing novels means you have to get an agent and an editor to like it. If you miraculously get a decent advance, the publishing house will market the heck out of you to make up the money they spent, but in general, the books that do really well, just like movies that succeed, do so because of word of mouth. To get a screenplay made involves getting a good director, the right actors, and, of course, the money to make it and properly market it. With Netflix and other streaming services, there seems to be more opportunities for writing screenplays and teleplays. He wrote this in 2000, before there were a million streaming services, so I have no idea what being a movie writer is like these days.
January 2, 2022
This was my final read of 2021, and it made for a satisfying conclusion to the year. I think I like it better than Goldman's first memoir/tell-all/screenwriting manual Adventures in the Screen Trade; the nearly twenty years elapsed between the two books means Goldman is more mature here, with more experience (naturally) and a better understanding of himself and his craft. I would have liked a LOT more about The Princess Bride, though what's here is excellent, and I really appreciated his ability to size up his failures as well as his successes with honesty and clarity.
The most fascinating part of the book, to me, was Goldman's inclusion of a screenplay written specifically for this book and its readers. In addition to laying out his thoughts as he wrote it, he gave it to six other respected screenwriters to tear apart and includes their critiques. I only know I've read this book before, years ago, because I remembered a single detail from this screenplay (one I'm still not sure is possible). But what made it fascinating was that this time, I am a writer as well as a reader, and I followed those critiques with an eye to seeing what I agreed with and how I would have handled the story Goldman wrote differently. It felt kind of daring, actually, to identify plot elements I thought he should change, and while the screenplay isn't great (he acknowledges this, because it's the first draft of his process and they all have problems at that point) it's stuck with me all day.
Whether you're interested in specific films, an insider's look at Hollywood, or simply care about engagingly told anecdotes, you'll find something interesting here. I particularly recommend it for new writers--not just of screenplays, but any type of writing--who may need encouragement or just a sense of fellow-feeling, because Goldman failed at his college writing classes and sent out hundreds of queries before selling his first novel and felt about as much of a failure as it's possible to be. While I wouldn't want to take his path, his experience reveals the commonalities all writers share.
(Also, in a complete throwaway line, he mentions that his older brother wrote The Lion in Winter, one of my favorite movies ever. Like it's no big deal. I had no idea.)
The most fascinating part of the book, to me, was Goldman's inclusion of a screenplay written specifically for this book and its readers. In addition to laying out his thoughts as he wrote it, he gave it to six other respected screenwriters to tear apart and includes their critiques. I only know I've read this book before, years ago, because I remembered a single detail from this screenplay (one I'm still not sure is possible). But what made it fascinating was that this time, I am a writer as well as a reader, and I followed those critiques with an eye to seeing what I agreed with and how I would have handled the story Goldman wrote differently. It felt kind of daring, actually, to identify plot elements I thought he should change, and while the screenplay isn't great (he acknowledges this, because it's the first draft of his process and they all have problems at that point) it's stuck with me all day.
Whether you're interested in specific films, an insider's look at Hollywood, or simply care about engagingly told anecdotes, you'll find something interesting here. I particularly recommend it for new writers--not just of screenplays, but any type of writing--who may need encouragement or just a sense of fellow-feeling, because Goldman failed at his college writing classes and sent out hundreds of queries before selling his first novel and felt about as much of a failure as it's possible to be. While I wouldn't want to take his path, his experience reveals the commonalities all writers share.
(Also, in a complete throwaway line, he mentions that his older brother wrote The Lion in Winter, one of my favorite movies ever. Like it's no big deal. I had no idea.)
March 23, 2022
A bit repetitive after having read it on the heels of the first installment, but still highly entertaining and informative.
February 28, 2025
A primer for future screenwriters. William Goldman who wrote 9 or so books (The Princess Bride, The Marathon Man, Magic, Brothers, Heat, Control, ….) and many screenplays: (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Misery, The Marathon Man, The Great Waldo Pepper, Absolute Power, The Princess Bride, Magic, many more) helps us try and understand the process of writing.
He has some great stories of working with some great directors and actors. He is so brave he writes a new 90 page screenplay and sends it to the top screenwriters of 1999 for them to trash or applaud. They are brutal. They make suggestions. Good ones.
It’s a wild rollercoaster ride similar to his 1982 book Adventures in the Screen Trade, and sure he repeats himself a little but that’s fine. It’s entertaining and helpful!
Is William Goldman a genius? Yes. Does he know it? No. Would he agree with it? No.
Only read this if you’d like to be a writer, or see how a writer works and thinks. Or read it for which movie star, movie executive, director, or fellow screenwriter is a jerk, or a real nice person.
He has some great stories of working with some great directors and actors. He is so brave he writes a new 90 page screenplay and sends it to the top screenwriters of 1999 for them to trash or applaud. They are brutal. They make suggestions. Good ones.
It’s a wild rollercoaster ride similar to his 1982 book Adventures in the Screen Trade, and sure he repeats himself a little but that’s fine. It’s entertaining and helpful!
Is William Goldman a genius? Yes. Does he know it? No. Would he agree with it? No.
Only read this if you’d like to be a writer, or see how a writer works and thinks. Or read it for which movie star, movie executive, director, or fellow screenwriter is a jerk, or a real nice person.
February 26, 2013
I'm a sucker for William Goldman. But this REALLY was useful.
I will say it was better than Part I.
An absolute must have on shelf for any screenwriter.
While I took many notes, I know, like his first back, I will
be pulling this off of the shelf and using it as a reference.
I will say it was better than Part I.
An absolute must have on shelf for any screenwriter.
While I took many notes, I know, like his first back, I will
be pulling this off of the shelf and using it as a reference.
January 22, 2019
“สุดยอด” หนังสือเล่มนี้มีครบทุกองค์ประกอบจริงๆสำหรับคนที่มีฝันอยากเป็นนักเขียน ข้อคิดที่ได้จากการอ่านนอกจากช่วยจับประเด็นในการเขียนแล้วยังสามารถต่อยอดไปใช้กับเรื่องอื่นๆในชีวิตได้อีกด้วย เบื้องหลังเรื่องราวต่างๆที่ใส่มาก้อสนุกชวนติตาม
December 14, 2017
A classic every writer should read.
March 6, 2024
This gets four stars for Goldman's sheer bombastic writing style and enthusiasm about his profession. Producers? A**holes! Directors? A**holes! Copious use of italics, bold face and inserts to make his points in a graphic fashion. I certainly enjoyed his tale of the genesis of The Princess Bride. His stories about certain actors (A**hole!) align and disalign about what I previously read. For him, the screenwriter is king, and he shares over and over again why this is so. Readers under 50 will have no first hand knowledge of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Marathon Man, Misery - all cinematic works penned by Goldman. But in the end, it doesn't matter. His stories are engaging and, I sense, overflowing with that egotistical baloney that to this day imbues and infests all aspects of the filmmaking industry. (more than once I had visions of Gene Hackman's wonderful Harry Zimm in the film version of Elmore Leonard's Get Shorty) I can only imagine Goldman in the same room with the Mankiewicz brothers. Which Lie Did He Tell? Well, Goldman leaves that one up in the air... It's all illusion.
December 13, 2021
A great follow-up
December 7, 2020
I love William Goldman. I love both his screenplays and his books. “Adventures in the Screen Trade”, which I read years ago, was a brilliant book, full of interesting stories and funny anecdotes on Hollywood and its colourful fauna. “Which Lie Did I Tell?” Is a sort of sequel to “Adventures”, but, sadly, is no match for it. Too long, too rambling and too intended for the screenwriter-in-the-making, this book is something which William Goldman is certainly not: boring.
January 21, 2016
I have been a big fan of Goldman's since college days. I loved his novels like Temple of Gold and Marathon Man. I loved his screen plays, particularly Butch Cassidy. I loved his Adventures in the Screen Trade wherein he did a bit of kiss and telling. However,this follow-up is a bit too snarky and polished for me and fairly empty. As a record of Goldman's continuing journey, it's OK. I suppose he had to write it. But the quoting --at vast lengths-- of his favorite screen plays becomes tedious. Also, his imaginary script was interminable.
February 21, 2018
In this sequel to screenwriter William Goldman's first memoir, "Adventures In The Screen Trade", basically carrying his memoirs forward to the time period 1980-2000, Goldman captures the appeal and basic readability and charm of volume one. I think it's marginally inferior to its first book, but it's still very good.
Goldman has a gift for writing amiable anecdotes about Hollywood. They read very conversational and fun to read, and are aided by Goldman's insight into historically significant figures from film and stuff. It's so interesting to see insights into Michael Douglas' skills as a producer, or Clint Eastwood's stiff cool as a director, and numerous other examples.
Also, a lot of great and not very forced and not prolonged insights into the writing process. In the space of a page or less, he can break down poetry, discuss script structure, talk about Bergman. The immediacy and conservation of words combined with actual well reasoned wisdom is worth looking at, whether or not you're interested in screenwriting/Hollywood (Although that interest helps!)
It's not perfect, but not problematic enough to derail the enjoyment. Some of the anecdotes about movies Goldman wrote are a little meh. "The Princess Bride", arguably his best known novel and script to modern audiences, seems a little passive in its insights, fawning over the pleasurable experience (I guess bad experiences can be more interesting).
And the grand experiment of the last part of the book, where Goldman wrote a new script for the sake of publishing it in this book and having famous screenwriters critique it. The script, "The Big A", about a PI and his relationship with his ex-wife and his kids who want in on the family business, is pretty flat in its writing.
And the critiques from the Farrelly Brothers, Callie Khouri, and other fellow screenwriters felt very flat and redundant. And oddly truncated.
But even this pretty dumb section still has some quippy insights from Goldman. Everything that he writes and keeps in his introspective and quasi-conversational/educational voice is, dare I say, it Gold.
If you haven't, I highly recommend "Adventures In The Screen Trade" as a book with very similar structure that was honestly better than this one. The breakdown in "Butch Cassidy and Sundance" from that book alone...
...But this is still a great book cut from the same cloth. My review can't do it justice aside from just ripping block text from the book and putting it here. Read it for yourself.
5/5
Goldman has a gift for writing amiable anecdotes about Hollywood. They read very conversational and fun to read, and are aided by Goldman's insight into historically significant figures from film and stuff. It's so interesting to see insights into Michael Douglas' skills as a producer, or Clint Eastwood's stiff cool as a director, and numerous other examples.
Also, a lot of great and not very forced and not prolonged insights into the writing process. In the space of a page or less, he can break down poetry, discuss script structure, talk about Bergman. The immediacy and conservation of words combined with actual well reasoned wisdom is worth looking at, whether or not you're interested in screenwriting/Hollywood (Although that interest helps!)
It's not perfect, but not problematic enough to derail the enjoyment. Some of the anecdotes about movies Goldman wrote are a little meh. "The Princess Bride", arguably his best known novel and script to modern audiences, seems a little passive in its insights, fawning over the pleasurable experience (I guess bad experiences can be more interesting).
And the grand experiment of the last part of the book, where Goldman wrote a new script for the sake of publishing it in this book and having famous screenwriters critique it. The script, "The Big A", about a PI and his relationship with his ex-wife and his kids who want in on the family business, is pretty flat in its writing.
And the critiques from the Farrelly Brothers, Callie Khouri, and other fellow screenwriters felt very flat and redundant. And oddly truncated.
But even this pretty dumb section still has some quippy insights from Goldman. Everything that he writes and keeps in his introspective and quasi-conversational/educational voice is, dare I say, it Gold.
If you haven't, I highly recommend "Adventures In The Screen Trade" as a book with very similar structure that was honestly better than this one. The breakdown in "Butch Cassidy and Sundance" from that book alone...
...But this is still a great book cut from the same cloth. My review can't do it justice aside from just ripping block text from the book and putting it here. Read it for yourself.
5/5
October 24, 2013
I'll start this off by saying I love movies penned by William Goldman.
I'll also say that, for my money, the novel of The Princess Bride is funnier than the movie.
So with those two things in mind, join me as I walk through the economically depressed streets of San Pedro, CA. I'm there with a friend, killing time while we wait for the Lovecraft Festival to start up and next door to the (soon-to-be) crowded Whale and Ale Pub is a little bookshop that's just about to close down. Our presence convinces the owner to keep it open just a few minutes longer as we peruse the few shelves of books. I look around and see a few things that intrigue me ... but nothing that fascinates me until I come across this book. In hardcover. For $4. I don't feel the need right now, so my friends and I thank the man and head over for a slap-dashed dinner and Lovecraftian horror.
Still there's this book in the back of my mind.
I glanced inside the cover. I knew that there would be interesting tidbits about the writing of The Princess Bride , both the movies and the book. Also discussed is one of my favorite horror films of all time, "Misery." And there's that quality I associate with the name (yes, even "The Stepford Wives" I liked).
The next day, my friends and I wander the streets again, and I notice just how economically depressed the city is. There are almost as many storefronts closed as there are open (if anything, the former might outnumber the latter), and those that are open and busy are of the "thrift" variety. The rest are just open. Even Art Galleries with chimes on the door have no one working ... not even a security guard as my friends and I enter. So I return to the little independent bookstore just to purchase this book that has sown seeds in my head.
And I'm glad I did.
Broken up into four parts, Which Lie Did I Tell is the sequel to Adventures in Screenwriting, a book I did not know existed and have not read. It begins right where the last one ended ... right as Goldman begins a dry spell in Hollywoodland. This is a time when no screenplay he writes gets greenlit and those are the few times he's able to write anything. This first part discusses the dry spell and the (major) movies that followed: "The Princess Bride", "Misery", "The Year Of The Comet", "Maverick", "The Ghost and the Darkness" and "Absolute Power". This section is full of backdoor Hollywood "how did it get made" stories ... the type of thing I LOVE reading. Goldman is amazing at this type of thing.
The second part is an analysis of six scenes (well, seven, but six movies). This part is all about the writing of these scenes, why they work and - sometimes - why they were written. This section spoke to the (aspiring? dying?) writer in me; craft discussed all over the place, what does it mean to write, how is structure affected by the scenes we write (or don't write) ... a writer's dream.
The third part is a selection of story ideas. So we've gone from credentials (Part 1) to analysis (Part 2) to formulation and possible concept creation. In Part 3, he also discusses limitations. Why doesn't William Goldman just write the screenplays discussed in this section? Well, cause they aren't his bag, baby. He can be inspired by them, but he can also see the difficulties inherent in bringing some of these to the screen (ageism in Hollywood, too much repetition with too little variation, etc.). Still, he doesn't think they are impossible to bring to the screen ... just not things he is willing to attempt. Again, we get a smattering of craft and backdoor Hollywood gossip intermixed with the interesting concept of "when inspiration strikes and what's left is silver".
The book ends with an exercise of sorts for the fourth part. A screenplay (first draft) written exclusively for the book called "The Big A." First off, it's incomplete with a great deal of the screenplay written as notes and such (and with William Goldman being a bit more of a seller than storyteller ... with reason). Second off, it's a rather poor screenplay. The exercise is, what would make it better? What is worth keeping and what should be excised? Where did you get excited and visualize the imagery and where did you throw the book across the room with boredom. As a way to further help his readers (and this book is geared towards the aspiring Screenplay Writer, completely), he sent this script to five screenplay writers for them to tear apart. The five are (in order of presentation): Peter and Bobby Farrelly (this book was printed right after the success of "There's Something About Mary" when the two were lauded as amazing comedy writers ... something they haven't quite lived up to since), Scott Frank ("Get Shorty", "Out of Sight" and "Minority Report"), Tony Gilroy ("The Cutting Edge" and "Dolores Claiborne" which is, btw, almost as good as "Misery"), Callie Khouri ("Thelma and Louise") and John Patrick Shanley ("Moonstruck"). What they have to say about the draft is just as interesting as everything that came before.
So I'm glad I returned to the little bookshop. I'm glad I picked up this book. I'm really glad I read it. And even if I'm not the intended audience (Screenplay Writer), this has changed the way I watch movies and been an engrossing read. Worth seeking out, especially if you like Goldman's flicks.
I'll also say that, for my money, the novel of The Princess Bride is funnier than the movie.
So with those two things in mind, join me as I walk through the economically depressed streets of San Pedro, CA. I'm there with a friend, killing time while we wait for the Lovecraft Festival to start up and next door to the (soon-to-be) crowded Whale and Ale Pub is a little bookshop that's just about to close down. Our presence convinces the owner to keep it open just a few minutes longer as we peruse the few shelves of books. I look around and see a few things that intrigue me ... but nothing that fascinates me until I come across this book. In hardcover. For $4. I don't feel the need right now, so my friends and I thank the man and head over for a slap-dashed dinner and Lovecraftian horror.
Still there's this book in the back of my mind.
I glanced inside the cover. I knew that there would be interesting tidbits about the writing of The Princess Bride , both the movies and the book. Also discussed is one of my favorite horror films of all time, "Misery." And there's that quality I associate with the name (yes, even "The Stepford Wives" I liked).
The next day, my friends and I wander the streets again, and I notice just how economically depressed the city is. There are almost as many storefronts closed as there are open (if anything, the former might outnumber the latter), and those that are open and busy are of the "thrift" variety. The rest are just open. Even Art Galleries with chimes on the door have no one working ... not even a security guard as my friends and I enter. So I return to the little independent bookstore just to purchase this book that has sown seeds in my head.
And I'm glad I did.
Broken up into four parts, Which Lie Did I Tell is the sequel to Adventures in Screenwriting, a book I did not know existed and have not read. It begins right where the last one ended ... right as Goldman begins a dry spell in Hollywoodland. This is a time when no screenplay he writes gets greenlit and those are the few times he's able to write anything. This first part discusses the dry spell and the (major) movies that followed: "The Princess Bride", "Misery", "The Year Of The Comet", "Maverick", "The Ghost and the Darkness" and "Absolute Power". This section is full of backdoor Hollywood "how did it get made" stories ... the type of thing I LOVE reading. Goldman is amazing at this type of thing.
The second part is an analysis of six scenes (well, seven, but six movies). This part is all about the writing of these scenes, why they work and - sometimes - why they were written. This section spoke to the (aspiring? dying?) writer in me; craft discussed all over the place, what does it mean to write, how is structure affected by the scenes we write (or don't write) ... a writer's dream.
The third part is a selection of story ideas. So we've gone from credentials (Part 1) to analysis (Part 2) to formulation and possible concept creation. In Part 3, he also discusses limitations. Why doesn't William Goldman just write the screenplays discussed in this section? Well, cause they aren't his bag, baby. He can be inspired by them, but he can also see the difficulties inherent in bringing some of these to the screen (ageism in Hollywood, too much repetition with too little variation, etc.). Still, he doesn't think they are impossible to bring to the screen ... just not things he is willing to attempt. Again, we get a smattering of craft and backdoor Hollywood gossip intermixed with the interesting concept of "when inspiration strikes and what's left is silver".
The book ends with an exercise of sorts for the fourth part. A screenplay (first draft) written exclusively for the book called "The Big A." First off, it's incomplete with a great deal of the screenplay written as notes and such (and with William Goldman being a bit more of a seller than storyteller ... with reason). Second off, it's a rather poor screenplay. The exercise is, what would make it better? What is worth keeping and what should be excised? Where did you get excited and visualize the imagery and where did you throw the book across the room with boredom. As a way to further help his readers (and this book is geared towards the aspiring Screenplay Writer, completely), he sent this script to five screenplay writers for them to tear apart. The five are (in order of presentation): Peter and Bobby Farrelly (this book was printed right after the success of "There's Something About Mary" when the two were lauded as amazing comedy writers ... something they haven't quite lived up to since), Scott Frank ("Get Shorty", "Out of Sight" and "Minority Report"), Tony Gilroy ("The Cutting Edge" and "Dolores Claiborne" which is, btw, almost as good as "Misery"), Callie Khouri ("Thelma and Louise") and John Patrick Shanley ("Moonstruck"). What they have to say about the draft is just as interesting as everything that came before.
So I'm glad I returned to the little bookshop. I'm glad I picked up this book. I'm really glad I read it. And even if I'm not the intended audience (Screenplay Writer), this has changed the way I watch movies and been an engrossing read. Worth seeking out, especially if you like Goldman's flicks.
April 18, 2017
Fantastic book on the adventures of one of the most acclaimed Hollywood screenwriters, full of insightful information and a very sarcastic sense of humour. Essential for every movie buff.
May 6, 2023
Goldman said it best, “Sequels are for whores.” This book didn’t have the same magic as the first for me. Several good stories, but the interjections to teach were not doing it for me.
February 15, 2024
Nothing wrong with this extremely chatty anecdotal book, except that 500 pages is a lot of chat. Stopped at page 274.
October 9, 2010
William Goldman's (his name might sound familiar because he's the author of the book The Princess Bride, and the film's screenplay) follow-up to Adventures in the Screentrade, Which Lie Did I Tell, covers his works post-1982 such as The Princess Bride, Misery and The Ghost and the Darkness. While 'Adventures' is about the happy accidents and why no one really knows anything about how to make movie magic, 'Lie' is a great book about making choices and where to go from there. I can apply his stories to most things about writing that I've read since. Other things, too. Best of all, it's written as no-nonsense conversational style and the best teacher you've ever had voice. It's probably the most personal thing I've ever read about the loneliness of sitting down by yourself and putting something down on blank paper (or screen, whatever). It's not alone when you've got all this that came before you to look back on.
('Adventure' pissed off tons of big movie people and pretty much fizzled out his career. Goldman went from writing the big ones like All the President's Men and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to not much of anything. That he wrote this second book anyway is pretty cool in my book. The man genuinely loves storytelling. [Of course he does, he wrote The Princess Bride.])
Time has passed and my memory blurs some of the two books together. The 'Butch Cassidy' parts were from the first book, The Princess Bride novel for 'Adventures' and the screenplay for 'Lie', A Bridge Too Far for 'Screentrade' (I've never seen the movie)... I've already reviewed 'Adventures' so I'll just include the rest of my thoughts for this book. (These are not well known books on gr, I've gathered.) How Goldman came up with the ideas for scripts from real events such as Butch Cassidy, the homosexual maneating lions from The Ghost and the Darkness (Michael Douglas would probably be one of the people pissed off by Goldman's book. Boy, does he ever come across as a douche bag), and set down to adapting them for the screen made me think about other stories based on real events, the choices the authors make, relying or not on just what actually happened, finding what was interesting about it in the first place (the Tsavo lions, for example. That wasn't natural, happens every day lion behavior). Choosing which aspect to focus on a story out of a big picture like with the 'Bridge' screenplay. These are all things that anyone wishing to write a story should take into account. Goldman doesn't write a how-to guide but gives you something you can use. He uses his own experiences as examples, and teaches by the benefit of experience. Goldman is a bona fide raconteur, so his stories are amusing and readable, no matter the interest in finding producers, or the money behind the scenes falling apart. [I gotta wonder when Hollywood is going to run out of inspirational true-to-life sports stories. When they do, Mark Wahlberg's career is over.]
The account of the death of his friend Andre the Giant (Fezzick from 'Princess' film) was very sad. That Goldman deeply loved the man I have no doubt. (Sniffles. I'm not crying!) I read a gr friends review on 'Princess' that said that Goldman could come off as full of himself, but I have to disagree on that. His comments about his wife in the additional 'Princess' texts came off as the distantly personal jokes a comedian would make about people they know (one could also consider that the two are not married any longer), but when it comes to stories Goldman is all heart. That's why his examples are not your average "don't do this or that" but relatable 'cause I recognized why I loved the good stuff to begin with.
(I didn't realize that playwright James Goldman [writer of The Lion in Winter] was his brother until reading his screenwriting books. Amazing.)
('Adventure' pissed off tons of big movie people and pretty much fizzled out his career. Goldman went from writing the big ones like All the President's Men and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to not much of anything. That he wrote this second book anyway is pretty cool in my book. The man genuinely loves storytelling. [Of course he does, he wrote The Princess Bride.])
Time has passed and my memory blurs some of the two books together. The 'Butch Cassidy' parts were from the first book, The Princess Bride novel for 'Adventures' and the screenplay for 'Lie', A Bridge Too Far for 'Screentrade' (I've never seen the movie)... I've already reviewed 'Adventures' so I'll just include the rest of my thoughts for this book. (These are not well known books on gr, I've gathered.) How Goldman came up with the ideas for scripts from real events such as Butch Cassidy, the homosexual maneating lions from The Ghost and the Darkness (Michael Douglas would probably be one of the people pissed off by Goldman's book. Boy, does he ever come across as a douche bag), and set down to adapting them for the screen made me think about other stories based on real events, the choices the authors make, relying or not on just what actually happened, finding what was interesting about it in the first place (the Tsavo lions, for example. That wasn't natural, happens every day lion behavior). Choosing which aspect to focus on a story out of a big picture like with the 'Bridge' screenplay. These are all things that anyone wishing to write a story should take into account. Goldman doesn't write a how-to guide but gives you something you can use. He uses his own experiences as examples, and teaches by the benefit of experience. Goldman is a bona fide raconteur, so his stories are amusing and readable, no matter the interest in finding producers, or the money behind the scenes falling apart. [I gotta wonder when Hollywood is going to run out of inspirational true-to-life sports stories. When they do, Mark Wahlberg's career is over.]
The account of the death of his friend Andre the Giant (Fezzick from 'Princess' film) was very sad. That Goldman deeply loved the man I have no doubt. (Sniffles. I'm not crying!) I read a gr friends review on 'Princess' that said that Goldman could come off as full of himself, but I have to disagree on that. His comments about his wife in the additional 'Princess' texts came off as the distantly personal jokes a comedian would make about people they know (one could also consider that the two are not married any longer), but when it comes to stories Goldman is all heart. That's why his examples are not your average "don't do this or that" but relatable 'cause I recognized why I loved the good stuff to begin with.
(I didn't realize that playwright James Goldman [writer of The Lion in Winter] was his brother until reading his screenwriting books. Amazing.)
August 21, 2012
Enjoyable follow-up to William Goldman's excellent 80's book "Adventures In the Screen Trade." At times repetitive and frustrating, "Which Lie Did I Tell?" touches on perhaps too many things that were first brought up in "Adventures In the Screen Trade." His continual references to BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID got annoying after awhile. Not only does he mention the movie (and his script) throughout the book, Goldman also devotes an entire chapter to his 1969 Oscar-winning script. William Goldman had a long and illustrious career, yet he does himself an injustice by harping on "BUTCH" so often that one could easily think him to be a one-trick pony.
The structure of "Adventures In the Screen Trade" is very odd. Chapters start with one topic, then go off into tangents in sections that are highlighted in grey. Why grey? I still don't know. Also, Goldman's short-hand got on my nerves after a while. He'd say "Mr. Warner" instead of Warner Bros. At times he uses one-name monikers as opposed to full names.
In two books now, Goldman has claimed that GUNGA DIN is the greatest movie ever made and "only an idiot (or critic) would argue that point." Yet he never explains what's so great about it, nor does he ever discuss the screenplay for GUNGA DIN. I recently watched GUNGA DIN, and hated it...leaving me completely baffled by Goldman's remarks.
For reasons beyond me, Goldman brings up the tragic 1999 Columbine murders (which he annoyingly refers to as "Littleton"...the less-common reference to the town where the tragedy took place).
Goldman at one point praises Ernest Lehman's screenplay for NORTH BY NORTHWEST, which is fine. Yet does he have to trash and discredit Alfred Hitchcock in the process? According to William Goldman, Alfred Hitchcock just shot Ernest Lehman's script "and not well." Is he serious? Goldman's idiotic statement told me that Goldman, despite his many years of experience, had no clue what a director does. He is entitled to his opinion sure...yet to say that the greatness of NORTH BY NORTHWEST comes entirely from Lehman's script is to have never have seen the film at all.
I think I most enjoyed the final part of the book, where Peter and Bobby Farrelly, Scott Frank, Tony Gilroy, Carrie Khouri and John Patrick Shanley all give Goldman detailed notes on his original screenplay "The Big A."
Despite my issues with "Which Lie Did I Tell?," I can't help but marvel at William Goldman's writing. He is a damn good writer. Even his bad story ideas are good. When Goldman tries to show examples of dialogue, scenes and other script elements that are wrong and don't work...he fails. The reason? Goldman does not know how to be a bad writer. He's too good at it.
The structure of "Adventures In the Screen Trade" is very odd. Chapters start with one topic, then go off into tangents in sections that are highlighted in grey. Why grey? I still don't know. Also, Goldman's short-hand got on my nerves after a while. He'd say "Mr. Warner" instead of Warner Bros. At times he uses one-name monikers as opposed to full names.
In two books now, Goldman has claimed that GUNGA DIN is the greatest movie ever made and "only an idiot (or critic) would argue that point." Yet he never explains what's so great about it, nor does he ever discuss the screenplay for GUNGA DIN. I recently watched GUNGA DIN, and hated it...leaving me completely baffled by Goldman's remarks.
For reasons beyond me, Goldman brings up the tragic 1999 Columbine murders (which he annoyingly refers to as "Littleton"...the less-common reference to the town where the tragedy took place).
Goldman at one point praises Ernest Lehman's screenplay for NORTH BY NORTHWEST, which is fine. Yet does he have to trash and discredit Alfred Hitchcock in the process? According to William Goldman, Alfred Hitchcock just shot Ernest Lehman's script "and not well." Is he serious? Goldman's idiotic statement told me that Goldman, despite his many years of experience, had no clue what a director does. He is entitled to his opinion sure...yet to say that the greatness of NORTH BY NORTHWEST comes entirely from Lehman's script is to have never have seen the film at all.
I think I most enjoyed the final part of the book, where Peter and Bobby Farrelly, Scott Frank, Tony Gilroy, Carrie Khouri and John Patrick Shanley all give Goldman detailed notes on his original screenplay "The Big A."
Despite my issues with "Which Lie Did I Tell?," I can't help but marvel at William Goldman's writing. He is a damn good writer. Even his bad story ideas are good. When Goldman tries to show examples of dialogue, scenes and other script elements that are wrong and don't work...he fails. The reason? Goldman does not know how to be a bad writer. He's too good at it.
August 25, 2015
William Goldman, the screenwriter of two of my favorite movies (and in my opinion, two of the best movies of all time)--"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Princess Bride"--offers an witty, insightful, acerbic and neurotic look at the world of writing in Hollywood. I haven't read this book's predecessor, "Adventures in the Screen Trade," but I have no doubt it was equally enjoyable and eye-opening.
Apart from recounting his own experiences in Hollywood (or "Out There" as Goldman calls it) from 1985 until just prior to the book's publication in 2000, Goldman also analyzes key scenes from films like "Fargo" and "When Harry Met Sally," explaining what makes these scenes work from a filmmaker's point of view. He also introduces several story ideas, presents a potential synopsis that could lead to a "selling script" (the script that gets the studio to buy your work and make the movie), and then explains why or why not he personally would be interested in that script. Finally, he presents parts of an original screenplay ("The Big A") and gives the reader the responses of several fellow writers who looked it over to give often harsh but potentially helpful pieces of advice.
I would give this book five stars (as far as books on writing go, this one is up there with Strunk's "The Elements of Style" and Stephen King's "On Writing") except that Goldman made a few comments that bugged me, such as disparaging Roger Ebert, my favorite film critic, and criticizing film sequels for being all about the money while ignoring the *good* (i.e. critically acclaimed and fan-adored) sequels that exist, apart from a brief mention of "The Godfather Part II." I wouldn't mind this too much except that I hold sequels like "Aliens," "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" pretty close to my heart. Plus, my ALL-TIME FAVORITE MOVIE just so happens to be "The Empire Strikes Back," which in my mind has never been surpassed by any other film, sequel or otherwise. Apart from these issues, which are as much about opinion differences as anything else, I loved the book.
If you want to learn more about Hollywood, writing, or writing in Hollywood, be sure to grab this one. You won't be disappointed.
Apart from recounting his own experiences in Hollywood (or "Out There" as Goldman calls it) from 1985 until just prior to the book's publication in 2000, Goldman also analyzes key scenes from films like "Fargo" and "When Harry Met Sally," explaining what makes these scenes work from a filmmaker's point of view. He also introduces several story ideas, presents a potential synopsis that could lead to a "selling script" (the script that gets the studio to buy your work and make the movie), and then explains why or why not he personally would be interested in that script. Finally, he presents parts of an original screenplay ("The Big A") and gives the reader the responses of several fellow writers who looked it over to give often harsh but potentially helpful pieces of advice.
I would give this book five stars (as far as books on writing go, this one is up there with Strunk's "The Elements of Style" and Stephen King's "On Writing") except that Goldman made a few comments that bugged me, such as disparaging Roger Ebert, my favorite film critic, and criticizing film sequels for being all about the money while ignoring the *good* (i.e. critically acclaimed and fan-adored) sequels that exist, apart from a brief mention of "The Godfather Part II." I wouldn't mind this too much except that I hold sequels like "Aliens," "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" pretty close to my heart. Plus, my ALL-TIME FAVORITE MOVIE just so happens to be "The Empire Strikes Back," which in my mind has never been surpassed by any other film, sequel or otherwise. Apart from these issues, which are as much about opinion differences as anything else, I loved the book.
If you want to learn more about Hollywood, writing, or writing in Hollywood, be sure to grab this one. You won't be disappointed.
July 19, 2023
“Adventures in the Screen Trade” by William Goldman is rightly a classic of film/scriptwriting books by a classic script writer so when I saw this 457 page paperback I had to pick it up. If I ever find another copy of “Adventures in the Screen Trade” I will read it again.
As entertaining as “Adventures in the Screen Trade” and incredibly well-written this is no-bs inside dope from a writer and master who’s been around every block.
A particular pleasure was the story of how ‘The Princess Bride’ got written and the movie got maid, involving Richard Lester of ‘Three Musketeers’ fame (and deservedly so).
I’m starting to see a pattern. If I really like a book, I don’t bother writing notes about it cause I just like to read it.
This is definitely one of them. Fascinating stories about ups, downs, hits and flops, and how it affected him as a person.
Every word is riveting. I have to force myself not to devour this in a night!
I’ve gotten at least 3 movies that I have to see now that I never would have if I hadn’t read this book!
Wow! This book is amazing. It tells the kind of wisdom that can only be gained from being in the trenches. The very words and ideas and id’s that can show why it’s almost impossible to get ANYTHING good made in Hollywood. A master class.
“I’ve written this before and please tattoo it behind your eyeballs: we are all at one another’s mercy…”
OMG, I’m cracking up just reading the script for a scene in ‘What about Mary?’
“As I write this, Littleton is still very much in people’s consciousness. The usual shit, oh oh oh, violent movies did it-no, rap music-no, TV-no, the Internet-no, blank did it (fill in your own medium). May take, by the by? If those amazingly crazed young men had gone into that school, with the same murderous intent, but armed with knives and clubs, the incident would have been death-free.”
“The Brits are so different from us, there are no words; but nowhere is the difference clearer than when it comes to war: we venerate victories, they adore disasters. So the greatest battle for them in World War II was Dunkirk.”
What I love about this book is that he shows you good scripts, but he doesn’t just leave it at “Write like that!”. He also goes into the specifics of what makes it work. He also shows examples of scripts and ideas that DON’T work and explains why — at least why HE can’t make them work and that’s an important point he makes throughout the book. That there is no ‘one-true-way’ that will work for every idea and every scriptwriter.
In a really interesting twist, he fills 35 pages with a script - roughly an hour long, for the reader (and some of his friends) to critique.
I personally don’t like reading scripts, but his is much more readable than most.
This is really the most badass thing I’ve ever read in a script writing book (and I’ve read a few).
He’s written a script and he’s not just telling you to finish it, he’s showing you the thought process and the ideas about how the scenes should work. And none of it is set in stone, in the sense that he’s not saying “this works” and “that doesn’t” but a much more nuanced idea of what might work and what might not.
It’s amazingly raw but also helpful because you’re reading him go through the pain as ‘practice’ for you going through the same pain!
I don’t know if the script will be done by the end of the book — and I seriously doubt it — that’s kind of the point!
It’s what REALLY happens in a writer’s mind - I want this image and this image and I know there’s got to be this scene - but it’s all as vague and unstructured as it is in real life.
That’s the skill. Structuring it, not based on a formula exactly, but on what ‘plays’. What works.
What is wonderful about this example is that it is set up as if there is a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer in how the script should continue, but it’s made very clear is that it could go ANYWAY!
There is no ‘right’ answer except the one that you feel makes it ‘play’. Makes it ‘work’ as a movie! “(I am smiling as I wrote that last sentence because you probably think I know how [the scene should go from here]. And the truth is: not a clue.)”
And then of course, while you are stewing, he kills it. He writes the scenes that work, that play well and are the most logical next steps in the movie. It may not be Oscar-bait, but it’s a film you’ll like AND YOU WILL KNOW WHY ITS WRITTEN THAT WAY.
You may even consider it predictable, but that’s a subjective view that you can only have AFTER READING THE SCRIPT. And you can always rewrite it to change it.
Now I’m at the point where I like this book so much I have to deliberately slow myself down reading it cause I want it to last longer.
It get really interesting when the people he’s sent the script too start commenting on it. Right away they have great suggestion that make the film even better.
The criticisms of his script certainly appear honest! “I know why he fell in love with her. The same reason all men fall in love with women: she’s beautiful.”
What’s wonderful about reading these critiques and learning from them is that this is what you are going to get! Both barrels! And while some of it is right, some of it is also wrong, so the critics aren’t giving you help so much as telling you, YOU’VE GOT EVEN MORE WORK TO DO!
I’ve never read a writing book, that told you that kind of truth!
WOW! Bill’s friends dump all over him - and they are absolutely right! I wish I had friends that honest!
What’s fascinating about the criticisms of the script - which I saw no problem with on first reading - is not just how correct they are about the holes in the script, but about the details that they red flag are minute (my-noot?). The little details are what completely blows the whole premise out of the water!
You might not notice them as you’re watching the movie, but they WILL come to you later - and certainly when you read reviews of the film.
I know that when I am writing I have to constantly search for those plot holes and then find ways to plug them and it’s really hard without outside help.
So more than anything else it emphasizes the need to a) have a thick skin and b) have people read your work and eviscerate it!
You want to write a screen play? THIS is how you do it!
Even to the last pages, he gives advise I’ve NEVER read in any other script writing book or any other book on writing.
I’m definitely giving this 5 stars.
I probably won’t keep it because I don’t need to tempt myself…
But I’ll bet I regret it when it’s gone…
As entertaining as “Adventures in the Screen Trade” and incredibly well-written this is no-bs inside dope from a writer and master who’s been around every block.
A particular pleasure was the story of how ‘The Princess Bride’ got written and the movie got maid, involving Richard Lester of ‘Three Musketeers’ fame (and deservedly so).
I’m starting to see a pattern. If I really like a book, I don’t bother writing notes about it cause I just like to read it.
This is definitely one of them. Fascinating stories about ups, downs, hits and flops, and how it affected him as a person.
Every word is riveting. I have to force myself not to devour this in a night!
I’ve gotten at least 3 movies that I have to see now that I never would have if I hadn’t read this book!
Wow! This book is amazing. It tells the kind of wisdom that can only be gained from being in the trenches. The very words and ideas and id’s that can show why it’s almost impossible to get ANYTHING good made in Hollywood. A master class.
“I’ve written this before and please tattoo it behind your eyeballs: we are all at one another’s mercy…”
OMG, I’m cracking up just reading the script for a scene in ‘What about Mary?’
“As I write this, Littleton is still very much in people’s consciousness. The usual shit, oh oh oh, violent movies did it-no, rap music-no, TV-no, the Internet-no, blank did it (fill in your own medium). May take, by the by? If those amazingly crazed young men had gone into that school, with the same murderous intent, but armed with knives and clubs, the incident would have been death-free.”
“The Brits are so different from us, there are no words; but nowhere is the difference clearer than when it comes to war: we venerate victories, they adore disasters. So the greatest battle for them in World War II was Dunkirk.”
What I love about this book is that he shows you good scripts, but he doesn’t just leave it at “Write like that!”. He also goes into the specifics of what makes it work. He also shows examples of scripts and ideas that DON’T work and explains why — at least why HE can’t make them work and that’s an important point he makes throughout the book. That there is no ‘one-true-way’ that will work for every idea and every scriptwriter.
In a really interesting twist, he fills 35 pages with a script - roughly an hour long, for the reader (and some of his friends) to critique.
I personally don’t like reading scripts, but his is much more readable than most.
This is really the most badass thing I’ve ever read in a script writing book (and I’ve read a few).
He’s written a script and he’s not just telling you to finish it, he’s showing you the thought process and the ideas about how the scenes should work. And none of it is set in stone, in the sense that he’s not saying “this works” and “that doesn’t” but a much more nuanced idea of what might work and what might not.
It’s amazingly raw but also helpful because you’re reading him go through the pain as ‘practice’ for you going through the same pain!
I don’t know if the script will be done by the end of the book — and I seriously doubt it — that’s kind of the point!
It’s what REALLY happens in a writer’s mind - I want this image and this image and I know there’s got to be this scene - but it’s all as vague and unstructured as it is in real life.
That’s the skill. Structuring it, not based on a formula exactly, but on what ‘plays’. What works.
What is wonderful about this example is that it is set up as if there is a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer in how the script should continue, but it’s made very clear is that it could go ANYWAY!
There is no ‘right’ answer except the one that you feel makes it ‘play’. Makes it ‘work’ as a movie! “(I am smiling as I wrote that last sentence because you probably think I know how [the scene should go from here]. And the truth is: not a clue.)”
And then of course, while you are stewing, he kills it. He writes the scenes that work, that play well and are the most logical next steps in the movie. It may not be Oscar-bait, but it’s a film you’ll like AND YOU WILL KNOW WHY ITS WRITTEN THAT WAY.
You may even consider it predictable, but that’s a subjective view that you can only have AFTER READING THE SCRIPT. And you can always rewrite it to change it.
Now I’m at the point where I like this book so much I have to deliberately slow myself down reading it cause I want it to last longer.
It get really interesting when the people he’s sent the script too start commenting on it. Right away they have great suggestion that make the film even better.
The criticisms of his script certainly appear honest! “I know why he fell in love with her. The same reason all men fall in love with women: she’s beautiful.”
What’s wonderful about reading these critiques and learning from them is that this is what you are going to get! Both barrels! And while some of it is right, some of it is also wrong, so the critics aren’t giving you help so much as telling you, YOU’VE GOT EVEN MORE WORK TO DO!
I’ve never read a writing book, that told you that kind of truth!
WOW! Bill’s friends dump all over him - and they are absolutely right! I wish I had friends that honest!
What’s fascinating about the criticisms of the script - which I saw no problem with on first reading - is not just how correct they are about the holes in the script, but about the details that they red flag are minute (my-noot?). The little details are what completely blows the whole premise out of the water!
You might not notice them as you’re watching the movie, but they WILL come to you later - and certainly when you read reviews of the film.
I know that when I am writing I have to constantly search for those plot holes and then find ways to plug them and it’s really hard without outside help.
So more than anything else it emphasizes the need to a) have a thick skin and b) have people read your work and eviscerate it!
You want to write a screen play? THIS is how you do it!
Even to the last pages, he gives advise I’ve NEVER read in any other script writing book or any other book on writing.
I’m definitely giving this 5 stars.
I probably won’t keep it because I don’t need to tempt myself…
But I’ll bet I regret it when it’s gone…
January 12, 2009
I want to write a screenplay.
I want to be friends with William Goldman, author of The Princess Bride and this awesome book! He has the most delightfully conversational style. This book gets pretty technical, but I like that. I don't know if a non-writer would enjoy it quite so much, but maybe if he or she just skipped over the advice in grey, it would be just a book full of dirt on a screenwriter's adventures in Hollywood (among other places.)
This is apparently a sequel, but here are the movies he worked on that he writes about: Memoirs of an Invisible Man; The Princess Bride; Misery; The Year of the Comet [to which he adds "(Alas)"; Maverick; The Ghost and the Darkness; and Absolute Power. He also writes about other people's movies that work and why they do, including: There's Something About Mary; When Harry Met Sally; North By Northwest; Chinatown; and Fargo. The third and fourth sections get more into analyzing writing and technique. My fiancee gave up on the final section, about very first drafts and script doctoring, but I found that really fascinating and inspiring.
I think I am going to reread this, pretty soon even. And I am not kidding about writing that screenplay, guys.
I want to be friends with William Goldman, author of The Princess Bride and this awesome book! He has the most delightfully conversational style. This book gets pretty technical, but I like that. I don't know if a non-writer would enjoy it quite so much, but maybe if he or she just skipped over the advice in grey, it would be just a book full of dirt on a screenwriter's adventures in Hollywood (among other places.)
This is apparently a sequel, but here are the movies he worked on that he writes about: Memoirs of an Invisible Man; The Princess Bride; Misery; The Year of the Comet [to which he adds "(Alas)"; Maverick; The Ghost and the Darkness; and Absolute Power. He also writes about other people's movies that work and why they do, including: There's Something About Mary; When Harry Met Sally; North By Northwest; Chinatown; and Fargo. The third and fourth sections get more into analyzing writing and technique. My fiancee gave up on the final section, about very first drafts and script doctoring, but I found that really fascinating and inspiring.
I think I am going to reread this, pretty soon even. And I am not kidding about writing that screenplay, guys.
December 28, 2018
I'm surprised this has so many good reviews. It's clearly a case of getting a book deal to do a sequel and then afterwards trying to figure out what to write. I mean, there are some good anecdotes, but the writing is full of unnecessary superlatives of what everyone must know (in bold with exclamations!!) about writing or the film industry. And gratuitous swearing to make him sound just so real and honest. (And I really have no problem with swearing in writing.)
It all just seemed forced and he sounded really full of himself. A great example of that is how he's harder on himself than his critics, but he's also a better writer than almost anyone. Ha ha ha...such modesty.
Btw, I really liked the first one, Adventures in the Screen Trade. And I do like the movies of his I've seen. So I'm not a critic of the guy. But I would've kept a higher opinion of him if he didn't write this. Maybe he should've listened to his own advice (in this book) about how "sequels are whores" and not written it.
It all just seemed forced and he sounded really full of himself. A great example of that is how he's harder on himself than his critics, but he's also a better writer than almost anyone. Ha ha ha...such modesty.
Btw, I really liked the first one, Adventures in the Screen Trade. And I do like the movies of his I've seen. So I'm not a critic of the guy. But I would've kept a higher opinion of him if he didn't write this. Maybe he should've listened to his own advice (in this book) about how "sequels are whores" and not written it.
March 12, 2024
I had read this book years ago when it was first released and I recently reread parts of it. Sadly, there will never be another Goldman book. I love his conversational style. Reading this book feels like you're listening to him talk over a couple of beers at the bar. His knowledge of Hollywood is extensive and he doesn't shy away from poking fun and those who probably deserve it. A great screenwriter and a great storyteller.
June 19, 2018
This is my favorite Hollywood memoir / insider's guide, one which I've read many times but keep coming back to like an old friend. Goldman's combination of wit, self-reflection and biting honesty is a potent elixir.
April 29, 2024
While it's perhaps not quite as fluid and effortless a stream of reminiscence as Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood, this continues Goldman's wry, scabrous, delightful mining of his glory years in Hollywood for anecdotes of all kinds. There's humour running through every page, along with celebrity gossip from the golden years of the silver screen (plus some more up-to-date references, too); insights into the studio system and how it treats stars, writers, directors and other underlings; mischievous dissection of fragile egos; and all kinds of anecdotes about the process of writing. This is the glitz and glamour of Hollywood from the (non-glitzy, unglamorous) perspective of the writer.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, and although screenwriting is my wheelhouse, Goldman is so consummately entertaining that this is a book for anyone with a love of film: you don't have to be in the trade to enjoy being taken behind-the-scenes and shown around, especially by a legend like Goldman. Definitely read Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood first; and then perhaps David Niven's similarly entertaining memoirs, The Moon's a Balloon / Bring on the Empty Horses and Bring on the Empty Horses – which encompass a slightly earlier era of Hollywood, but which seem of a piece with Goldman's accounts despite being from the actor's, not the writer's, point of view. It may not make you want to work there – in fact, it may make you want to run a mile – but it's such fun peeking over the studio lot wall.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, and although screenwriting is my wheelhouse, Goldman is so consummately entertaining that this is a book for anyone with a love of film: you don't have to be in the trade to enjoy being taken behind-the-scenes and shown around, especially by a legend like Goldman. Definitely read Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood first; and then perhaps David Niven's similarly entertaining memoirs, The Moon's a Balloon / Bring on the Empty Horses and Bring on the Empty Horses – which encompass a slightly earlier era of Hollywood, but which seem of a piece with Goldman's accounts despite being from the actor's, not the writer's, point of view. It may not make you want to work there – in fact, it may make you want to run a mile – but it's such fun peeking over the studio lot wall.
June 7, 2019
Goldman’s first book on “Adventures in the Screen Trade” should be required reading for anybody interested in the business of film. This one should be required for all critics and screenwriters or wannabes. Goldman is a superb raconteur and he has a full quiver of stories to tell about his business and how it runs (and doesn’t run!) He is remarkably humble for someone who has written “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Princess Bride,” among others. He tells us how he did it and focuses on structure. It is, as he reiterates throughout the book, all about telling a STORY. He relates anecdotes relating to mistakes made in films and others about how films were made successful because of the writing. He also explains how unforgiving the business is: once the screenwriter is done with his work, he is most largely ignored entirely. He also explains the power of stars in the business: often the film will be made or not depending on the presence of the right star—or one who seems right for the part. He also explains how quirky stars can get, demanding specific handling of script to keep the focus on them and how to alter scripts so the emphasis remains on the star—both male and female. There are plenty of laughs in the book though there are somber moments as well. My favorite is this commentary on the way scripts are changing because of other media pressure and the state of the world in general.
“Is the second-rateness of the world right now going to drag us storytellers down? The answer is, I don’t know; but I do know we have to try harder. It’s easier, as the audience dumbs down and expects less, to be satisfied with less than our best work.” Amen.
This is just plain old-fashioned fun reading. Don’t miss it.
“Is the second-rateness of the world right now going to drag us storytellers down? The answer is, I don’t know; but I do know we have to try harder. It’s easier, as the audience dumbs down and expects less, to be satisfied with less than our best work.” Amen.
This is just plain old-fashioned fun reading. Don’t miss it.
June 19, 2025
I've already written a few short reviews about the two other Goldman ~inside Hollywood and screenwriting~ books I've read this year. This was a worthy extension and one I similarly enjoyed. Yes, I like movies and I like books about movies and the movie industry and he is sort of the OG in that category so this was a fun time. A couple more specific observations and notes I'll share rather than going deep on why it's interesting to hear a screenwriter's firsthand account of how their movie got made.
Butch Cassidy - it's goofy because Goldman seems to poke fun at this several times, but jesus christ this guy is obsessed with referencing that movie. Congrats on the Oscar. Out of maybe anything he worked on that I've heard of, this is the one that so clearly is incredibly dated. I just watched Marathon Man last night - made in the early 70s and feels like a super old ass movie and I would still tell you BCSD feels 25 years older than that.
The Last Section (the Big A) - I wasn't a giant fan of the screenplay specifically, but it was incredibly interesting how he talked through the approach, stopped halfway and explained more and to read the notes given by his writer friends. It really speaks to their brilliance (and maybe how you get good at giving notes when you've worked in the industry for 30 years) when you read the comments and just how many great, innovative ideas they have for how to make the movie better.
Had a great time with these books this year - will I write a screenplay for fun? Who f'n knows it seems kind of boring.
Butch Cassidy - it's goofy because Goldman seems to poke fun at this several times, but jesus christ this guy is obsessed with referencing that movie. Congrats on the Oscar. Out of maybe anything he worked on that I've heard of, this is the one that so clearly is incredibly dated. I just watched Marathon Man last night - made in the early 70s and feels like a super old ass movie and I would still tell you BCSD feels 25 years older than that.
The Last Section (the Big A) - I wasn't a giant fan of the screenplay specifically, but it was incredibly interesting how he talked through the approach, stopped halfway and explained more and to read the notes given by his writer friends. It really speaks to their brilliance (and maybe how you get good at giving notes when you've worked in the industry for 30 years) when you read the comments and just how many great, innovative ideas they have for how to make the movie better.
Had a great time with these books this year - will I write a screenplay for fun? Who f'n knows it seems kind of boring.
July 6, 2017
I was intrigued by this book, as a novelist with an interest in writing screenplays, and as a huge fan of the movie The Princess Bride (which Goldman wrote). Overall, I thought it was interesting, entertaining at times, informative at times, and a altogether a decent 'insider's view' of 'the biz'.
What I liked: Some of Goldman's stories were highly entertaining, and I like that he wrote in 'his own voice' and often said things other people might be afraid to say in fear of being rebuffed. It was very honest. I enjoyed the samples he used from movies, and the possibilities of why they worked, and some backgrounds about the stories. I also appreciated the inclusion of an original screenplay (half of it) in the book that he had several other successful screenwriters evaluate and critique. (Some of the critiques were exactly what I was thinking, which made me feel I can do this too!) It really showed not only how tastes differ, and that there are several ways to write a story successfully, but also WHY parts of his story worked or why not, to help you evaluate your own writing by looking at it objectively.
What I didn't care for: Some of his connections between what he was pointedly talking about and his digressions left me highly confused. Sometimes he also seemed to sway between being bitter towards actors, directors, etc., and highly revering them and counting on them for his success, which was often confusing.
What I liked: Some of Goldman's stories were highly entertaining, and I like that he wrote in 'his own voice' and often said things other people might be afraid to say in fear of being rebuffed. It was very honest. I enjoyed the samples he used from movies, and the possibilities of why they worked, and some backgrounds about the stories. I also appreciated the inclusion of an original screenplay (half of it) in the book that he had several other successful screenwriters evaluate and critique. (Some of the critiques were exactly what I was thinking, which made me feel I can do this too!) It really showed not only how tastes differ, and that there are several ways to write a story successfully, but also WHY parts of his story worked or why not, to help you evaluate your own writing by looking at it objectively.
What I didn't care for: Some of his connections between what he was pointedly talking about and his digressions left me highly confused. Sometimes he also seemed to sway between being bitter towards actors, directors, etc., and highly revering them and counting on them for his success, which was often confusing.
July 18, 2020
Conseguido en una librería de segunda mano. Uno de esos libros que se venden por un pastal y que son muy difíciles de encontrar. Es interesante como una forma de curiosear el mundo del cine hollywoodiense vivido de primera mano por un guionista y escritor de éxito como Goldman. Creo que el primer volumen debe de ser más enjundioso en anécdotas. Este se centra en la parte inicial en comentar parte de esas vivencias que supongo no tuvieron cabida en el primer volumen. Hay partes realmente interesantes y divertidas sobre reuniones con productores, actores, los vericuetos de una película hasta el momento en que se pone en marcha. Avanzado el libro, se analizan los métodos y técnicas narrativas con una selección de algunos guiones de películas de éxito (alguna de Goldman, otras no), aunque de una manera poco profunda. Y hacia la parte final, Goldman nos ofrece un guion inédito que después comenta. Nos brinda también los comentarios de compañeros guionistas que complementan el tema. Esta parte me pareció muy aburrida. Por lo demás, es un libro interesante para conocer al propio autor y conocer algunos intringulis del cine de Hollywood y tal. La traducción a veces es un poco reguera, al igual que la puntuación y demás. Pero es un libro curioso.
July 14, 2021
This is a good textbook for film students, not something that is an easy read for the average person. The first third is filled with great Goldman stories, the next third are his takes on some famous film screenplays (kind of boring), and the last third is his original screenplay written for this book with blunt feedback from famous Hollywood people.
Read it for the first third. But be aware you have to accept Goldman's wild writing style. He has written ADHD where he can't tell a simple story. There are all sorts of asides and tangents, often taking 20 pages to tell a story that could have taken two. If you accept this quirky style then you can enjoy the book. But it really needs editing (it's 460 pages!) and better organization. The first third I thought was brilliant, the rest was just okay, really meant for film history or screenwriting students. I wonder how he became the success that he was if he had this verbose style in person.
And he says throughout the book that he thinks poorly of himself and that he's a bad writer. Don't believe that false self-deprecation. This is non-stop bragging about himself and him being one of the few writers to communicate how Hollywood works.
Read it for the first third. But be aware you have to accept Goldman's wild writing style. He has written ADHD where he can't tell a simple story. There are all sorts of asides and tangents, often taking 20 pages to tell a story that could have taken two. If you accept this quirky style then you can enjoy the book. But it really needs editing (it's 460 pages!) and better organization. The first third I thought was brilliant, the rest was just okay, really meant for film history or screenwriting students. I wonder how he became the success that he was if he had this verbose style in person.
And he says throughout the book that he thinks poorly of himself and that he's a bad writer. Don't believe that false self-deprecation. This is non-stop bragging about himself and him being one of the few writers to communicate how Hollywood works.
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