Which Lie Did I Tell?: More Adventures in the Screen Trade

This book actually made me sick: he just phoned this in. Honestly, it felt like some college kid wrote it. I wish I could delete some of the awful sentences he actually tried to pass off as literature. And his "unproduced" screenplay? Unproduced for a good reason.

I haven't enjoyed a book about the film industry so much since reading the mesmerising The Kid Stays in the Picture, by Robert Evans (an appalling man, a great book). As an aspiring and horribly procrastinating writer, I found this a deeply moving and energising book. Did I know that every writer hates writing, finds reading their own stuff mortifying and hates people criticising it? To be honest, I didn't. The other thing is that is truly extraordinary, is his revelation that the only book thing he has written, really loves, and is proud of, is the Princess Bride, again a very worthy and inspirational one. Having read a lot of books, and often the whole works of individual authors, I really believe that even great authors only have one world class book in them.For me, there were two episodes from the book that really moved me. The first, is his meeting with his hero author, and makes a complete prat out of himself. His treatment of him as a god, upsets his hero, because he ignores the pain and suffering that his writing has caused. While his moving writing on the life and death of Andre the Giant, really brought tears to my eyes.This isn't a gossipy book about Hollywood. It isn't even a book about screen writing. It's about the fundamental process of being a writer, and how to do it. I now know two major things about writing. You don't have a hope of being a successful writer unless you find someone to criticise your work, deeply, and thoroughly, and you can't ever hope it will get any easier. You're always going to want to be somewhere else, doing something more interesting, than putting stuff on paper.Just for the record I've only read this and The Princess Bride, I don't think I will be reading any more, because I don't want my illusions about the man destroyed. But thank you, my friends for buying me the book to try and give me a kick, and thank you Mr Goldman, for having written a self help book for one aspiring and horribly procrastinating writer. The only points of discord for me are niggles, and not related to the value of the book. His repect for David Lean, for example, puts my teeth on edge, as he was a monomaniacal abomination who destroyed a large number of lives, to make one great film, and a number of very bad ones (Ryan's Daughter anyone). The other is that he sometimes doesn't see the wood for the trees. Simply put, in his screenplay at the end of the book, it all works if set in the noir era (1930's to 1940's). The other point is that if his great film (The Princess Bride, obviously) had been put throught the proper Hollywood marketing machine and had the right budget, it would not have come out with the same wonderful cheesy feeling (bad sets, etc), that is part of its joy. So he, very luckily in my opinion, traded a hit film with a beautiul looking Zoo of Death, for a eternal classic. An ironic example of the luck, that he is so at pains to emphasise, is all part of the movie business.

Some of the other reviewers criticize Goldman for expressing strong opinions. Personally, I would prefer reading a strong opinion with which I might disagree to being spoonfed crap that I supposedly Want To Hear. I *love* strong opinions. Goldman wrote a Clint Eastwood movie that didn't become a classic, so How Dare He Dislike "Saving Private Ryan"? So, "Absolute Power" wipes out "The Princess Bride" and "Butch Cassidy"? And if he writes a mediocre movie, his opinions about what makes a movie good are no longer valid?This is akin to what a book reviewer came up with when James Cagney wrote that one of the finest actresses he'd ever worked with was Doris Day. The reviewer raked Cagney over the coals for that, forgetting that (A) Doris Day was damned good in "Love Me or Leave Me" with Cagney and (B) Cagney was certainly a better judge of whom he liked to work with than the reviewer. Cagney was talking about Day's talent and potential; the reviewer only saw "Pillow Talk" glazing in front of his eyes. Opinions from professionals like Cagney or Goldman may be disagreed with, but certainly not dismissed.This book is highly recommended, both for its extremely fun anecdotes and especially for the screenwriting tutorial, which is blessed with abundant common sense. As an aspiring screenwriter, my goal after reading this book is to study the breeziness, the flow of Goldman's storytelling and find a way to apply it to my own voice. If you are a movie fan, buy this book. If you want to write screenplays, buy two copies, one for the shelf and one you can mark up with hi-liter pens and post-it notes.

There is a world of difference in perspective between an Academy Award winning screenwriter and a writer that has optioned a couple of scripts (at best) and then goes on to write a "how to" book. You gotta give Mr. Goldman respect. I appreciate that he has taken the time (even if it does seem like therapy at times) to tell his side of the story. There are many great writers out there that haven't and I'm sure they've got some stories to tell as well. Maybe they don't want to rock the boat or they couldn't be bothered. The fact that William Goldman does makes him special.

Goldman is not only the wisest of authors writing about screenwriting, he probably has the best credentials for doing it. A writer's writer, Goldman supplies another treasure trove of advice, inspiration and insight for the screenwriter. Some say this book doesn't compare to the first, but the two go together remarkably well. This book illuminates one of the great dilemnas of screenwriting careers - keeping them alive. Goldman talks about his 'leper years' with great honesty and describes his road back, including the good (Princess Bride, Misery) and the bad (Year of the Comet). If you're a writer, you should already own this book. If you're interested in movies, even remotely, you should own both volumes of Adventures in the Screen Trade. And finally, if you like good writing, it's tough to go wrong with William Goldman.