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Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting Paperback – March 10, 1989

by William Goldman (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 908 ratings
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Enter Hollywood's inner sanctums in this gosippy and honest book, named one the top 100 film books of all time by The Hollywood Reporter, by the Academy Award-winning screenwriter and bestselling author of The Primcess Bride.

 No one knows the writer's Hollywood more intimately than William Goldman. Two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter and the bestselling author of The Princess Bride, Marathon Man, Tinsel, Boys and Girls Together, and other novels, Goldman now takes you  behind the scenes for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, and other films . . . .into the plush offices of Hollywood producers . . ..into the working lives of acting greats such as Redford, Olivier, Newman, and Hoffman...and into his own professional experiences and creative thought processes in the crafting of screenplays. You get a firsthand look at why and how films get made and what elements make a good screenplay. Says columnist Liz Smith, "You'll be fascinated.."
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    608 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Grand Central Publishing
  4. Publication date
    March 10, 1989
  5. Dimensions
    5.2 x 1.2 x 7.95 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0446391174
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0446391177
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[This] is that big, sad, funny, incisive, revelatory, gossipy, perception-forming book about Hollywood that publishers have been promoting for years -- and now the real thing is finally here."―St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"A deliciously honest book...Goldman deserves a special Read of the Year award."―The Plain Dealer (Cleavland)

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing; Reissue edition (March 10, 1989)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 608 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0446391174
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0446391177
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.04 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 1.2 x 7.95 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 908 ratings

About the author

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William Goldman

William Goldman

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William Goldman (b. 1931) is an Academy Award–winning author of screenplays, plays, memoirs, and novels. His first novel, The Temple of Gold (1957), was followed by the script for the Broadway army comedy Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole (1961). He went on to write the screenplays for many acclaimed films, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and All the President’s Men (1976), for which he won two Academy Awards. He adapted his own novels for the hit movies Marathon Man (1976) and The Princess Bride (1987).

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
908 global ratings
Insight & Laughter
5 Stars
Insight & Laughter
We laughed - while obtaining a wealth of knowledge from a lifetime of experience. If you are part of the next generation of Hollywood screen writers or just wonder about the magic that appears on screen, we highly recommend this book.
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Top reviews from the United States

Janey Todd
5.0 out of 5 stars The Gold Man
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
I couldn't really get into The Princess Bride, so I was cruising for other WG books, and my finger accidentally hit the "buy with one click" button. Not that I didn't want to buy it, but now is a particularly poor sprint for me, so the accident was a sort of blessing - buy without guilt.
I wanted a WG book because I was watching the Directors Cut of North by Northwest, and Earnest Lehman, the screenwriter was one of the commentators. He said that Mr. Goldman put the script for the crop duster scene in his book The Adventure (sorry, I've forgotten the title). I found no such thing, but WG did write a lot about the scene.
What impressed me so much about Earnie (as another commentator called him) and, now, William Goldman, too, is that they're such sweethearts. Such truly kind and caring (about the whole human race) people. Yes, they're funny, but they're not only funny because they like being funny but also because they care, and they're smart enough to know that one of the most effective ways to scare people into being nicer, is to hit them in the funny bone.
I loved Willie's book, especially the tender, funny, frank story Da Vinci, about a young boy, his barber father, and the stranger who comes into their lives and challenges the young boy's sense of loyalty and his own true identity.
Of course it's an interesting view into what it takes to be a screen-writer and/or a creative person in general, but it's also a profoundly sweet book from a man who speaks from the heart.
2 people found this helpful
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A. Gavin
5.0 out of 5 stars Serious Writer, Serious Stories
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2013
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Having recently begun adapting my novel Untimed into a screenplay, I'm doing my usual slog through the relevant homework. What more can we say about William Goldman than: The Princess Bride (both the novel and the screenplay). If that doesn't make you feel invincible, then take Marathon Man, All the Presidents Men, or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. And those are but a few of his produced films. Last year, I read the equally famous Save the Cat, which is a good book, but I marveled that the late author, while a hugely touted screenwriter, hadn't written any good (produced) films. So not true of Goldman.

This work is fascinating, but it's only about a third writing manual. It's really three books: 1) a witty and insightful skewering of Hollywood, 2) personal stories from the trenches about each of Goldman's pre 1982 films, 3) the Butch Cassidy screenplay, discussions of its strengths and weaknesses, and an adaption of a short story into a screenplay.

The skewering is caustic, hilarious, and even thirty years later, dead on. Goldman is famous for his "nobody knows anything" quote and how true it seems. His discussions of studio executives, agents, stars, and the intertwined nightmare of power is insightful bordering on clairvoyant. Most of the trends that he sees in motion in 1982 have continued and accelerated to bring us to the moderately dismal state of contemporary filmmaking (there are exceptions of course). Think both Entourage and the brilliant "The Day the Movies Died" GC article. Also, having worked with/for Universal, Sony, and Fox... well it was just all too funny and familiar.

The personal section terrified me. I hope to see Untimed make the leap to film, as it will make a great one, and it's made vividly clear in Adventures that even a major screenwriter like Goldman is but a candle in the wind before the studio gale. This is made all the more peculiar by the fact that the screenplay is the single most important ingredient that goes into a movie. Film is a highly collaborative and commercial medium, but you really can't make a good movie out of a bad script (unless you rewrite it to be a good script). You can however, make a lousy film out of a great script, or a hit film out of a bad one (Transformers anyone?).

Part three isn't a good introduction to either writing screenplays or writing, but I sure did find it useful. Goldman hammers home many of the oft-repeated (but for a reason) messages of screenwriting, particularly his emphasis on structure. He's a wonderful storyteller and his adaption example is so ridiculous, that it's impressive to watch how he makes such a trite concept almost work.

If any of these topics fascinate you, give Adventures a read. Besides, Goldman's such a good writer, he could make cereal-box copy a bestseller.

Andy Gavin, author of Untimed and The Darkening Dream
7 people found this helpful
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John Hamer, Jr.
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read by a Great Storyteller
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2020
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When he wrote this, there were still forty years of his career ahead. Because, I imagine, he was still hoping for some work to come his way, this book couldn't be a typical Hollywood Tell All. He tells some, he describes a lot. But mostly he chats interestingly about screen writing. Then, the last third of the book is more like a seminar or workshop that the reader observes while he writes a short story (which is a chapter in the book), turns it into a screen play (which is also in the book) and then submits it to a series of movie making professionals (director, producer, cinematographer, editor, etc.). That this book was published near the end of the era he describes (StarWars is new) makes it feel a little like a museum piece and causes me, a naif, to wonder if the culture and process he knows and describes so well exists. I'm glad I read it, but will wait a bit before going after subsequent volumes.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Alan Hamid
5.0 out of 5 stars A very practical book for newbie in script writing.
Reviewed in Canada on October 16, 2023
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A very practical book for newbie in script writing.
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CarCoop
1.0 out of 5 stars Extremely damaged.
Reviewed in Mexico on May 24, 2021
Verified Purchase
Book came in very poor conditions. I ordered it new and it looks used.
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CarCoop
1.0 out of 5 stars Extremely damaged.
Reviewed in Mexico on May 24, 2021
Book came in very poor conditions. I ordered it new and it looks used.
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jorge miguel freitas espinha
4.0 out of 5 stars i'm not a screen writer but..
Reviewed in Spain on November 2, 2021
Verified Purchase
The book is a bit dated (1982) but it gives you a few precious insights.
I'm not a writer of any kind but the creative process intrigues and that's the reason I bought the book.
I think it makes us understand movies and the narrative choices.
The author has some strong opinions that might ruffle some feathers.
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Gayathri
5.0 out of 5 stars Some items are not good
Reviewed in India on June 10, 2021
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Ok
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D. Chaudoir
5.0 out of 5 stars Despite being over 30 years old there are still relevant ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2017
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Despite being over 30 years old there are still relevant stories, tips and anecdotes in here for budding screenwriters and film fans alike.
3 people found this helpful
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