‘Writing is finally about one thing: going into a room alone and doing it...’
William Goldman is one of the most respected and successful screenwriters in cinema history having written Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men and The Princess Bride (among many others). Adventures in the Screen Trade, Goldman’s love letter to Hollywood and scriptwriting in general, has become something of a writer’s bible in the industry since its publication in 1983. It’s still essential reading for cinephiles today…
In typical writerly fashion, the book is split into three distinct sections. “Part One: Hollywood Realities” is a collection of essays that breaks down the various different elements of Hollywood with subjects ranging from studio executives to movie stars. The great thing about this section is that even though Goldman is clearly steeped in the film industry, his warm and conversational prose ensures that his explanations here are suitable for the layperson. “Part Two: Adventures” has stories from 11 projects that Goldman had been involved with up until that time including the aforementioned Butch Cassidy and All the President’s Men. If there is a better guide through the labyrinthine machinations of what it takes to get a movie made, I haven’t read it. “Part Three: Da Vinci” sees Goldman explain how he would adapt his short story Da Vinci into a screenplay, including interviews with director George Roy Hill, cinematographer Gordon Willis, and composer Dave Grusin. This section is probably best suited to someone with a genuine interest in working within the industry but as a how to guide, it’s pretty indispensable.
I’ve read a lot of books about Hollywood and cinema more generally now, and Adventures in the Screen Trade, along with Easy Riders, Raging Bulls is probably the one that I would be most likely to recommend to someone new to this area of literature. There is something incredibly refreshing about receiving an insight into something from someone who is a genuine expert in that field. Goldman’s knowledge and passion practically bleed through the page, and by the time I’d finished reading, I felt my own passion for cinema had been renewed all over again.
Adventures in the Screen Trade, as with Stephen King’s On Writing, is what happens when you allow something with bags of talent the time and space to write about something they love. And, of course, it’s brilliant.