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Adventures in the Screen Trade | 
 enlarge | Author: William Goldman
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $19.99
Buy Used: $2.31
You Save: $17.68 (88%)
New (33) Used (59) Collectible (3) from $2.31
Rating:  35 reviews
Sales Rank: 10629
Media: Paperback
Pages: 594
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.2 x 1.5
ISBN: 0446391174
Dewey Decimal Number: 384.80979494
EAN: 9780446391177
ASIN: 0446391174
Publication Date: March 10, 1989
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
As befits more than twenty years in Hollywood, Oscar-winning screenwriter William Goldman's sparkling memoir is as entertaining as many of the films he has helped to create. From the writer of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men and Marathon Man, Adventures in the Screen Trade is an intimate view of movie-making, of acting greats such as Redford, Olivier, Newman and Hoffman, and of the trials and rewards of working inside the most exciting business in the world.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 30 more reviews...
 Thorough, fun, but dated June 9, 2009
Manuel (Newcastle, Australia)
This is a good read and in a relaxed style. The movies and people are dated but having said that, this is still very good at describing the basics of how Hollywood works.
A Bit Dated, But Still Good May 7, 2009
Jason A. Martin (Sarasota, FL)
William Goldman, otherwise known as the "Godfather of Screenwriting" has some sagely advice to give, when it comes to the industry.
Although the book is a bit dated (he mentions the development of Rocky 2, and wagers that there will be a third one, eventually...) it still has great stories of his adventures in dealing with the industry. He admits his failures (Stepford Wives) and points out the times that lightning was caught in a bottle (Sundance Kid).
If you're interested in the industry, or pursuing the trade, it's a good primer for what you are to expect. An important aspect to note, however--the style of his screenwriting is not considered conventional, anymore. With each screenplay handled like a shooting script (CUT TO: boy running in flowers) it's not a book one should get to learn about screenwriting structure.
But, as he says himself in the book, you must remember--"Nobody knows anything." So perhaps you can make your OWN rules apply in the industry.
 Tells It Like It Is September 28, 2008
Michael B. Druxman (Austin, TX)
This is perhaps the best book about screenwriting and the film business ever written.
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.
If survival in the Hollywood film industry is possible, then there is no better "survival guide" than this book, because Goldman tells it like it is. He pulls no punches.
According to Goldman, the single most important fact in the movie industry is that "Nobody Knows Anything".
Most of the book's second-half is a primer on how to write a successful screenplay.
What does Goldman feel is the most important lesson to be learned about writing for films?
1. "Screenplays Are Structure"
2. You protect the "spine" of that structure "to the death".
If you want to work (and succeed) in Hollywood, then this is a book that you must carry around with you...like a Bible.
Michael B. Druxman
Removing Some of Hollywood's Glitter March 22, 2008
Franklin the Mouse (Gorham, ME USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Mr. Goldman has written a classic. A great panacea for anyone that gets too starry-eyed over celebrities and aspires to "make it big" in show business. I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Goldman's no-holds-barred approach to explaining just how Hollywood works. His book is instructive and illuminating. His sarcastic approach is extremely funny and a great stress reliever. His quasi-sequel, Which Lie Did I Tell?, was also very enjoyable. I would highly recommend both books.
Thoroughly Enjoyable October 5, 2007
Frederic Woodbridge (ID, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
What kind of book can the writer of such great screenplays as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Marathon Man, A Bridge Too Far, Dreamcatcher, and my sentimental favorite, The Princess Bride write? A romping, great ride through the movie making business, complete with behind-the-scenes stories. It opens with an astutely worded history of Hollywood, covers splendid tales about movie stars--both good and very, very bad, and the screenwriting process. `Adventures In The Screen Trade' is a true classic.
Goldman understands movies and more than that, he truly understands how to tell a story and be funny at the same time. In the book, he writes that comedy is not his forte. Nonsense! I was laughing half the time I was reading; I had to put the book down occasionally, I was laughing so hard.
More than simply comedy, the book is filled with insights not only on human nature, but also on writing about human nature. Near the end of the book, after a most enjoyable read about what parts he played in the many good movies he's written or had a part in writing (including only the last line from the Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman movie, Papillon), he shows his true genius. He actually demonstrates his thinking process in adapting a short story of his into a screenplay.
After reading that story, but before I read his working plan of adaptation, I decided to experiment and see what angle I could come up with on the story in a rough outline. After doing that, I read his plan of attack in comparison and I was simply blown away. Here is a master storyteller at work--I'm not worthy.
I enjoyed reading this book and if you're a fan of film, you'll like this one too.
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