Rakesh's movie talk
William Goldman













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Structure! Structure! Structure!

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It began with the film All The President's Men. I realised that there was something greater in that movie than Hoffman, Redford and the direction by Alan J. Pakula. It was the script. Who wrote it?

Then onwards, I was on journey to discover the art of scriptwriting that eventually land me into doing a very short course on writing one. The man responsible is no doubt the writer for that wonderful movie, William Goldman. Consider his credits: Harper (1966), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), All the Presidents Men (1976), Marathon Man (1976), A Bridge Too Far (1977) Magic (1978), The Princess Bride (1987), Maverick (1994), and Absolute Power (1997) and co-writer of Chaplin (1993) and Generals Daughter (1999).

Goldman, like most scriptwriters, started off writing novels, and landed up in Hollywood shore, and ended up writing The Adventures on the Screen Trade (1983), that almost, in turn, ended up his career. This book is my bible. It gave me the insight on Hollywood as well the craft of writing screenplay. It is candid and very funny. It reads like a conversation between scriptwriters, not just a book. He returned in 2000 with a sequel called Which Lie Did I Tell, and More Adventures on the Screen Trade. In the second book, he explained how he became to be regarded as a leper after the first book was published, and how he bounced back. There is much more anger in this book, but it delighted us movie buffs and budding scriptwriters. Again, it was movie talk, not a written literature. After so many years in the industry, Goldman is more human than ever. That is why we can comfortably look forward for more contributions from him.

In both books, he talked about one sure thing about Hollywood. "Nobody knows anything!" That, sometimes, answers many of our frustration, especially about the present day movies. He calls the nineties as the worst decade in film making. Maybe he is getting old, but why do I find myself agreeing to him? Nineties, especially, has not been nice with him. His only good film of the decade has been Maverick. Most of the time, he just functioned as a hack writer or a script doctor. But he has a long history of contribution worth looking at. For me, I am more enamoured with that two books of his. Now, I got two bibles. The greatest advice he had given to budding scriptwriters is simply this: 'Structure! Structure! Structure!'

Maybe it might explain why he won two Oscars for screenplay for Butch and All The Presidents Men. I should say that he should be awarded for Bridges Too Far, which I believe, is too complicated, but made easier thanks to him. With a tremendous cast, number of characters, incidents and varying locations, it would be bloody tough for anybody to turn Cornelius Ryan's book into a filmable screenplay. Goldman did it. You can read about it in his first book.

It takes one to watch those films to understand his credibility. I have seen the most, and still looking the rest. While I am doing it, I still find time to reread his two books on Hollywood. They are my bibles, remember.
















His filmography and the links in IMDB:
 
  1. Dreamcatcher (2003) (screenplay)
  2. Hearts in Atlantis (2001) (screenplay)

  3. General's Daughter, The (1999) (screenplay)
    ... aka Wehrlos - Die Tochter des Generals (1999) (Germany)
  4. Absolute Power (1997) (screenplay)
  5. Fierce Creatures (1997) (uncredited)
  6. Ghost and the Darkness, The (1996) (written by)
  7. Chamber, The (1996) (screenplay)
  8. Maverick (1994) (written by)
  9. Chaplin (1992) (screenplay)
    ... aka Charlot (1992) (Italy)
  10. Year of the Comet (1992) (written by)
  11. Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992) (screenplay)
    ... aka Aventures d'un homme invisible, Les (1992) (France)
  12. Misery (1990) (screenplay)

  13. Princess Bride, The (1987) (also novel)
  14. Heat (1987) (also novel)

  15. Mr. Horn (1979) (TV)
  16. Magic (1978) (also novel)
  17. Bridge Too Far, A (1977)
  18. Marathon Man (1976) (novel)
  19. All the President's Men (1976)
  20. Great Waldo Pepper, The (1975)
  21. Stepford Wives, The (1975)
  22. Hot Rock, The (1972)
    ... aka How to Steal a Diamond in Four Uneasy Lessons (1972) (UK)

  23. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) (written by)
  24. No Way to Treat a Lady (1968) (novel)
  25. Harper (1966)
    ... aka Moving Target, The (1966) (UK)
  26. Masquerade (1965)
    ... aka Operation Masquerade (1965)
    ... aka Shabby Tiger, A (1965)
  27. Soldier in the Rain (1963) (novel)