"Nobody Knows Anything": A Tribute to William Goldman
My first thought when I saw the news trending on Twitter was, "Really? What's next? Casablanca? The Wizard of Oz? Singin' in the goddamn Rain? Have those stupid Hollywood bastards completely lost any semblance of integrity and creativity? Have they seriously run out of ideas?" Thankfully, despite the mini-breakdown you can clearly guess I experienced, I survived.
I survived in large part because of my second thought, which came from the man who created The Princess Bride himself, William Goldman: "Nobody knows anything."
The Princess Bride Film PosterFor those of you who don't know William Goldman by name, you will certainly know some of the films, in addition to The Princess Bride, he's credited with writing or co-writing. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Chaplin, Misery, All the President's Men, A Bridge Too Far, Magic, Marathon Man, Harper, The Great Waldo Pepper, and The Stepford Wives. And for two of those films (Butch Cassidy... and President's Men), he won two Oscars for his screenplay writing.
Goldman wasn't just a screenwriter however. He got his start as an accomplished novelist and, later, a non-fiction writer. Princess Bride, Magic, and Marathon Man all began life as novels he penned and later adapted for the screen. Later in his career, he also wrote two books about the world of Hollywood screenwriting titled Adventures in the Screen Trade and Which Lie Did I Tell?: More Adventures in the Screen Trade.
The man was a multi-talented wordsmith. Trying to pin down what exactly Goldman's forte was as a writer is nearly impossible. He wrote in so many different genres that the only way to classify his work as "William Goldman" stuff. Thrillers, Fantasy, Comedies, Westerns, Literary Fiction--everything except special-effects movies. He was simply a writer, plan and simple, and I think he preferred it that way.
In was in the former work of non-fiction however (Adventures...) that Goldman penned the line that eased my mind: "Nobody knows anything."
So what exactly did Goldman mean? Well, in the context of his book, Goldman writes, "Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what's going to work. Every time out it's a guess--and, if you're lucky, an educated one." In other words, every film Hollywood produces is a gamble.
This sort of insight is typical of Goldman's writing, and his ability to distill it down to such a succinct phrase a classic example of his sharp wit. Many of his books, just like his movies, are immensely quotable, particularly the dialogue. To write anything so memorable that it sticks in the mind and remains there for someone to whip out in the midst of conversation, is gift not many writers have. In addition to getting right to the heart of the truth with regard to how Hollywood works, he also managed to give us all a great metaphor for life.
Life, after all is said and done, is a gamble.
Nobody knows what's coming right the corner. Nobody knows whether something terrible will happen or if something wonderful will happen. Our only choice is to go forward with what we have and try to do our best--and que será, será.
This coming November will mark the one year anniversary of Goldman's death. The best way to honor him to do two things: watch his films and read his books. And I wish more people would read his book, if only to realize that the man was better than he gave himself credit for being (he famously hated his own writing). However, even though that's the case, we as viewers and readers can still appreciate his work for its quality. He may have only thought the only two things he had going for him were (and I quote), "an ear for dialogue and a sense of story," but if one takes the time to fully appreciate his body of work, one can see there's a lot more there than that.
If you want to see the man behind the typewriter, check out this extended interview of him talking about his life and career from 2010:
Goldman wasn't just a screenwriter however. He got his start as an accomplished novelist and, later, a non-fiction writer. Princess Bride, Magic, and Marathon Man all began life as novels he penned and later adapted for the screen. Later in his career, he also wrote two books about the world of Hollywood screenwriting titled Adventures in the Screen Trade and Which Lie Did I Tell?: More Adventures in the Screen Trade.
The man was a multi-talented wordsmith. Trying to pin down what exactly Goldman's forte was as a writer is nearly impossible. He wrote in so many different genres that the only way to classify his work as "William Goldman" stuff. Thrillers, Fantasy, Comedies, Westerns, Literary Fiction--everything except special-effects movies. He was simply a writer, plan and simple, and I think he preferred it that way.
In was in the former work of non-fiction however (Adventures...) that Goldman penned the line that eased my mind: "Nobody knows anything."
So what exactly did Goldman mean? Well, in the context of his book, Goldman writes, "Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what's going to work. Every time out it's a guess--and, if you're lucky, an educated one." In other words, every film Hollywood produces is a gamble.
This sort of insight is typical of Goldman's writing, and his ability to distill it down to such a succinct phrase a classic example of his sharp wit. Many of his books, just like his movies, are immensely quotable, particularly the dialogue. To write anything so memorable that it sticks in the mind and remains there for someone to whip out in the midst of conversation, is gift not many writers have. In addition to getting right to the heart of the truth with regard to how Hollywood works, he also managed to give us all a great metaphor for life.
Life, after all is said and done, is a gamble.
Nobody knows what's coming right the corner. Nobody knows whether something terrible will happen or if something wonderful will happen. Our only choice is to go forward with what we have and try to do our best--and que será, será.
This coming November will mark the one year anniversary of Goldman's death. The best way to honor him to do two things: watch his films and read his books. And I wish more people would read his book, if only to realize that the man was better than he gave himself credit for being (he famously hated his own writing). However, even though that's the case, we as viewers and readers can still appreciate his work for its quality. He may have only thought the only two things he had going for him were (and I quote), "an ear for dialogue and a sense of story," but if one takes the time to fully appreciate his body of work, one can see there's a lot more there than that.
If you want to see the man behind the typewriter, check out this extended interview of him talking about his life and career from 2010:
