When discussing Butch Cassidy, Goldman humbly suggests that he's not that skilled at comedy. I disagree. In all of Goldman's movies, his humor—and his humanity—shines through, even in deadly serious movies such as All the President's Men. BTW, I was saddened to learn in this book that Goldman regrets his involvement with All the President's Men, for which he won his second Academy Award for adapted screenplay in 1977.

Adventures in the Screen Trade (Audio Download): William

As far as the filmmaking process is concerned, stars are essentially worthless -- and absolutely essential.” The Brits are so different from us, there are no words; but nowhere is the difference clearer than when it comes to war: we venerate victories, they adore disasters. So the greatest battle for them in World War II was Dunkirk.”In the middle section, Goldman gets a little personal, sharing stories about his life in the biz, working with larger-than-life names like Laurence Olivia, Robert Redford, and Dustin Hoffman. He also digs into why he believes some of his films failed.

Adventures in the Screen Trade - William Goldman | Bezhan Adventures in the Screen Trade - William Goldman | Bezhan

Goldman has many funny stories to tell about Hollywood insiders and a lot of the silliness that is present in the industry. Although he himself is a bona fide insider, it's clear that he holds Hollywood at arms'-length and doesn't take it or himself too seriously, which allows him to be free and candid with his observations.Part Two: Adventures" has stories from 11 projects that Goldman has been involved with, from Charly and Masquerade, to the Academy Award-winning Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President's Men, to some projects that remained unrealised, such as a musical remake of Grand Hotel. But even this pretty dumb section still has some quippy insights from Goldman. Everything that he writes and keeps in his introspective and quasi-conversational/educational voice is, dare I say, it Gold.