Vale William Goldman

[Bramblethorn]

William Goldman has died at 87.

For my generation he's probably best known as the author of "The Princess Bride", book and film. But he was a versatile writer who covered many genres. He won Oscars for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "All The President's Men" (where he apparently coined the expression "follow the money").

His other credits include "Marathon Man", the screenplay for "Misery", and a lot of other screenwriting work. His non-fiction "Adventures in the Screen Trade" is well worth reading, amusing and informative about working in Hollywood.

"Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Revenge. Giants. Monsters. Chases. Escapes. True love. Miracles."

"It doesn't sound too bad. I'll try and stay awake."

 

[ElectricBlue]

An exceptional screenwriter - although I've never seen The Princess Bride.

For many years Butch Cassidy used to circulate as a double feature with MASH, always guaranteed a full house on a Friday night. Sixty cents for the ticket and rolling jaffas down the aisle, choc top ice creams and a hand on your girl's tit, sitting in the back row under the projection box.

Hmm, I'm not reminiscing about the movies, am I .

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

... I've never seen The Princess Bride.

HOW ARE WE FRIENDS!?!?

 

[SimonDoom]

although I've never seen The Princess Bride.

.

I have to echo LoquisordidaAdme -- I don't know how this is possible.

You have been missing out. All these years and you don't know what an ROUS is. Shameful.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

Realistically, practically-speaking from someone who has been in the mainstream movie racket... Bill Goldman was regarded widely as the best modern/recent screenwriter by far, he could make deadlines with fully completed work, and his writing-for-the-screen actually made sense when filmed, which not a lot of present-day 'screenwriters' can claim they achieve.

He taught a lot of other good writers and he left a serious meaningful legacy about how to write for the screen.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I have to echo LoquisordidaAdme -- I don't know how this is possible.

You have been missing out. All these years and you don't know what an ROUS is. Shameful.

I went on line to find out why I've never saw it.

Two words: Cary Elwes.

Seriously.

Plus: 1987 = marriage, moved to a new city, started a major new job, dual income, no kids, Full Metal Jacket - you think some fucking rom com gets a look in when I've waited seven years for a Kubrick movie? I don't think so. There. A whole set of completely logical reasons .

 

[Handley_Page]

An exceptional screenwriter - although I've never seen The Princess Bride.

Hmm, I'm not reminiscing about the movies, am I .

I went on line to find out why I've never saw it.

Two words: Cary Elwes.

Seriously.

Plus: 1987 = marriage, moved to a new city, started a major new job, dual income, no kids, Full Metal Jacket - you think some fucking rom com gets a look in when I've waited seven years for a Kubrick movie? I don't think so. There. A whole set of completely logical reasons .

I take the liberty of directing your attention to You Tube and similar, that you may [at last] enjoy a thoroughly amusing film. For instance, I doubt there's been a clever sword-fight quite like this one.

Or the best visit to a medical man like this one?

and this film gave us one of those quotable lines:
"My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my Father; prepare to die".

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

I've never seen it either.
I don't like comedies at all.
I loathe going to the movies. The last time I went to the movies was 1997 to see Spawn, with my now ex but we were 'dating' then.
Did I mention I don't like comedies? I really don't.
There's a handful I like, but for the most part no.

Maybe I refuse to see it because my ex loved it so much?

 

[SimonDoom]

I went on line to find out why I've never saw it.

Two words: Cary Elwes.

Seriously.

Plus: 1987 = marriage, moved to a new city, started a major new job, dual income, no kids, Full Metal Jacket - you think some fucking rom com gets a look in when I've waited seven years for a Kubrick movie? I don't think so. There. A whole set of completely logical reasons .

They don't limit you to one movie a year in Australia, do they?

I wouldn't really call Princess Bride a rom com. It would be like calling Shrek a rom com. It's kind of its own thing. That's what made it so fun. It was so irreverent it was a bit Monty Pythonesque, but sweeter.

 

[ElectricBlue]

They don't limit you to one movie a year in Australia, do they?

I wouldn't really call Princess Bride a rom com. It would be like calling Shrek a rom com. It's kind of its own thing. That's what made it so fun. It was so irreverent it was a bit Monty Pythonesque, but sweeter.

You're brave, invoking Monty Python to convince me to see something I obviously had no interest in thirty years ago .

I repeat, Cary Elwes. By definition, for me, not funny. Like Jim Carrey. Not funny.

(EB stands back and waits for the reaction on that one.)

One movie? No mate, your mom and I, every Tuesday night, back row .

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

You're brave, invoking Monty Python to convince me to see something I obviously had no interest in thirty years ago .

I repeat, Cary Elwes. By definition, for me, not funny. Like Jim Carrey. Not funny.

(EB stands back and waits for the reaction on that one.)

One movie? No mate, your mom and I, every Tuesday night, back row .

I didn't see it in the theater in '87 either. I saw it around 90 or 91 after one friend rented the VHS tape, and then another did and another, and they all agreed that I HAD TO RENT THIS MOVIE. I'd call it closer to a Mel Brooks style movie than Monty Python. If Billy Crystal hadn't been available, Mel could have stepped into the role of Miracle Max without missing a beat. And as for Cary Elwes, he gets one or two funny lines, but for the most part he's the straight man. Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Chris Sarandon and the rest of the supporting cast provide the funny. And they provide it in spades.

It's inconceivable to me that you've managed to go this long without someone convincing you to see it, but maybe that's just my bubble. Most people I know got tired of re-renting it and bought it on VHS and then DVD. It is infinitely re-watchable. It's well worth a few bucks and 98 minutes out of your day to rent it, if for no other reason than to see what all the fuss is about.

There's a reason why it is Goldman's most popular work.

 

[Bramblethorn]

You're brave, invoking Monty Python to convince me to see something I obviously had no interest in thirty years ago .

I repeat, Cary Elwes. By definition, for me, not funny. Like Jim Carrey. Not funny.

(EB stands back and waits for the reaction on that one.)

One movie? No mate, your mom and I, every Tuesday night, back row .

Well, we don't all have to like the same things. One thing you can say for Goldman, he wrote something for everybody.

 

[Handley_Page]

You're brave, invoking Monty Python to convince me to see something I obviously had no interest in thirty years ago .

I repeat, Cary Elwes. By definition, for me, not funny. Like Jim Carrey. Not funny.

(EB stands back and waits for the reaction on that one.)

One movie? No mate, your mom and I, every Tuesday night, back row .

I think most would agree with you. But there are two characters that are seen 'straight' as opposed to being funny. The other is 'Prince Humperdink', who is so barking mad that it's funny.

I urge you to put aside your fears & Views and give it a go; There are some parts which are excruciating (Yeuck !) and some bits are simply 'good'.

 

[ElectricBlue]

There's a reason why it is Goldman's most popular work.

That's probably caught the reason why - I resist popular. I thought Star Wars was stupid and derivative too, when it came out - clearly, nobody had seen any decent Kurosawa movie, forgotten about the classic westerns, and didn't know about Triumph of the Will. Carrie Fisher was pretty cute, I grant that, but who did her hair?

I was an art-house movie snob when I was still at school, one classic movie every Sunday night for three years gets you a lot of Fellini, Eisenstein, Pasolini, Bergman et.al. Hollywood pretty much went below my radar during the eighties, except for directors like John Waters and John Hughes (I died and went to heaven for Mary Stuart Masterton playing Watts in Some Kind of Wonderful).

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

Carrie Fisher was pretty cute, I grant that, but who did her hair?

Well if that's all it takes to get you to rent a movie, can I interest you in a young Robin Wright?

 

[Handley_Page]

That's probably caught the reason why - I resist popular. I thought Star Wars was stupid and derivative too, when it came out - clearly, nobody had seen any decent Kurosawa movie, forgotten about the classic westerns, and didn't know about Triumph of the Will. Carrie Fisher was pretty cute, I grant that, but who did her hair?

I was an art-house movie snob when I was still at school, one classic movie every Sunday night for three years gets you a lot of Fellini, Eisenstein, Pasolini, Bergman et.al. Hollywood pretty much went below my radar during the eighties, except for directors like John Waters and John Hughes (I died and went to heaven for Mary Stuart Masterton playing Watts in Some Kind of Wonderful).

I was with you up to when you went all 'art house'.
Kurosawa was a bloody good film-maker (although I think it might be 'improved' with a modern translation, including the notices, etc.).
I have a copy of 'Triumph of the Will'; I gather it used techniques which were previously unheard-of (like watching the legs of the runners ?).

But Princess Bride makes me smile. . . .

 

[HBergeron]

R.I.P. One of the premiere screenwriters. I saw him speak once - a quick and clever wit. He will be missed.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Well if that's all it takes to get you to rent a movie, can I interest you in a young Robin Wright?

Prefer the older version, to be honest .

 

[Handley_Page]

Prefer the older version, to be honest .

A remarkably pretty thing, regardless, IMO