You would have to, I mean really really really have to, just to put yourself through the torture of writing for them, because that's the message that comes out of this again and again - prepare to be shat on. The business is constricting, studios are making fewer movies, and all anyone cares about anymore is IP and blockbusters. The only detractor is that the book was written in 1983 and the references to stars include: Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, etc.

The other movie, an improbable musical remake of Grand Hotel shot at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, never got made. His most famous axiom, that “nobody knows anything” is one of those things that grow truer with time and experience. PPPS-Don't confuse this author, WILLIAM GOLDMAN, with the other author named WILLIAM GOLDING, who wrote: Lord of the Flies (1954). The last section of this book where he goes from a short story to a screenplay and then tears it to shreds, is brilliant. PS-The title of this book is a PUN on the title: " Adventures in the Skin Trade, a collection of stories by Dylan Thomas.Although he himself is a bona fide insider, it's clear that he holds Hollywood at arms'-length and doesn't take it or himself too seriously, which allows him to be free and candid with his observations. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. I suppose some could find his tone curmudgeonly, but I like to think of it as old school and iconoclastic, he’s going to tell you how he sees things and not kiss anyone's ass along the way. I don't think I have much to say that hasn't been said repeatedly below but yes, this is an excellent behind-the-scenes look at the craft of screenwriting and yes, it's kind of crazy how well it holds up 30 years after it was written.

Goldman has many funny stories to tell about Hollywood insiders and a lot of the silliness that is present in the industry. Goldman never says that phrase exactly but his famous phrase, "nobody knows anything," says more than enough: all you can rely on is our own work, so try to make some good work and let the stuff you can't control take care of itself. Goldman launches his first fart rocket within the opening 20 pages, tattling four anecdotes to illustrate that movie stars are bad people. This collection of anecdotes, advice, and essays is one of the most engaging pieces of writing that I’ve read. That strange blend of bitterness and false modesty permeates the rest of this farrago of a -- what is it, a memoir?The only real stinker in the story is that Goldman was convinced (incorrectly) that nothing would be able to beat E.

Adventures in the Screen Trade is a sparkling memoir and every bit as entertaining as some of the landmark films he helped create (including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, and Marathon Man).Two big bonuses of this book: Goldman provides his entire screenplay of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and then analyzes what worked and what didn't. Some of Goldman's answers were edited into a magazine piece for Esquire; this was read by an editor at a publishing house who contacted him about writing a book on screenwriting. Oscar winner William Goldman, who wrote such classic films as HARPER, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, MARATHON MAN and ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN shares his unique, often difficult, experiences working with top directors, producers and stars like Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier. The full text of "Da Vinci" and the subsequent screenplay that he wrote are included, followed by interviews with key movie industry figures, including director George Roy Hill, cinematographer Gordon Willis, and composer Dave Grusin. For a long time, Sylvester Stallone could be Rocky or Rambo, but he succeeded in very few other roles.