Read Online Which Lie Did I Tell? by William Goldman - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: William Goldman
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these were the faces he looked out on.
Marlon Brando
E. G. Marshall
Montgomery Clift
Kevin McCarthy
Mildred Dunnock
Patricia Neal
Tom Ewell
William Redfield
John Forsythe
Jerome Robbins
Anne Jackson
Maureen Stapleton
Sidney Lumet
Eli Wallach
Karl Malden
David Wayne
The talent in that room was enough to change the entire world of acting. To this day.
I would like to throw in one more reason why movies are what they are. If you were to ask me, more than anything else, this is the reason: studio executives.
Not that they are not bright—they are. Not that they’re not hardworking—they are. But from my point of view, precious few of them bother to read screenplays. They are far more interested in saving their asses with a deal than with a quality flick.
Here’s what’s far worse than the fact that they don’t read screenplays: precious few of them know how.
What we have is a world, as former studio headDavid Picker so wisely stated, where Hollywood is no longer making movies, they are selling a product. And the product they are selling only happens to be movies.
Ask not for whom the bell tolls …
----
Sequels
In the summer of 1999, the most hyped art object in history (well, since Viagra, anyway) said “Here I am” to the world: George Lucas’s money machine, The Phantom Menace. And the reviews were mainly two things: surprised and bad.
Lucas countered that the critics have never liked him, that Star Wars got unfriendly reviews, too. (This pronouncement was reported as fact, another reason to wonder about the hardworking entertainment media, since Star Wars was nominated for eleven Oscars, won seven. Personally, I would like to get hammered like that each and every time at bat.) I knew the movie would be bad, so I was not at all surprised. Why?
Because sequels are whores’ movies.
And always will be. Understand, there is zero criticism of Lucas intended, nor should there be. Probably you didn’t see the Butch and Sundance prequel. I was kind of the producer. And that, too, was a whore’s movie.
Steven Spielberg, the most successful figure of our time, has six sequels to his credit so far: one Jurassic Park, one Gremlins, two Indiana Jones es, and two Back to the Future s.
With Phantom Menace, Lucas has tied him: one American Graffiti, two Indiana Jones es, and three Star Wars. But when the next two Star Wars sequels are in the can, he will have undisputed possession of the championship.
So the two richest film guys have the most whores’ movies. Class, take a minute and think real hard: Is there maybe just possibly some teenie-weenie connection between those two facts?
Let me talk about beginners for a second, which we all were. When that is who and where you are, and your prayer is someday to be in the movie business, your fantasies cannot stop going into overdrive. You’re going to meet Bergman or Fellini or Lean (or fill in your own master). And you’re going to be loved by the critics and the public. AndCameron Diaz will fold herself into your strong arms. (Or Marilyn or Audrey or Kate. For me it was alwaysJean Simmons.)
Our talent will fucking stun the civilized world. And when we start out to write our screenplay, it must be so original and dazzling, so different and glorious, people will have no choice but to love us. And why?
Because we are so wonderful.
The pulse of what we write then is always this: creative. The pulse for a sequel is always this: financial. So they are never of a similar quality.
Are there exceptions? I was on the Cannes jury a decade back, wandering with the Australian directorGeorge Miller, the doctor. (So designated because there were two Australian directors named George Miller and the other one didn’t go to med school.)
Forgetting his credits, I gave him my whore theory just as I have to you.
Such a cry of outrage you have never heard. I had forgotten George had done Mad Max as his first flick, Mad Max 2 ( Road Warrior here) two years later. “I had no
Marlon Brando
E. G. Marshall
Montgomery Clift
Kevin McCarthy
Mildred Dunnock
Patricia Neal
Tom Ewell
William Redfield
John Forsythe
Jerome Robbins
Anne Jackson
Maureen Stapleton
Sidney Lumet
Eli Wallach
Karl Malden
David Wayne
The talent in that room was enough to change the entire world of acting. To this day.
I would like to throw in one more reason why movies are what they are. If you were to ask me, more than anything else, this is the reason: studio executives.
Not that they are not bright—they are. Not that they’re not hardworking—they are. But from my point of view, precious few of them bother to read screenplays. They are far more interested in saving their asses with a deal than with a quality flick.
Here’s what’s far worse than the fact that they don’t read screenplays: precious few of them know how.
What we have is a world, as former studio headDavid Picker so wisely stated, where Hollywood is no longer making movies, they are selling a product. And the product they are selling only happens to be movies.
Ask not for whom the bell tolls …
----
Sequels
In the summer of 1999, the most hyped art object in history (well, since Viagra, anyway) said “Here I am” to the world: George Lucas’s money machine, The Phantom Menace. And the reviews were mainly two things: surprised and bad.
Lucas countered that the critics have never liked him, that Star Wars got unfriendly reviews, too. (This pronouncement was reported as fact, another reason to wonder about the hardworking entertainment media, since Star Wars was nominated for eleven Oscars, won seven. Personally, I would like to get hammered like that each and every time at bat.) I knew the movie would be bad, so I was not at all surprised. Why?
Because sequels are whores’ movies.
And always will be. Understand, there is zero criticism of Lucas intended, nor should there be. Probably you didn’t see the Butch and Sundance prequel. I was kind of the producer. And that, too, was a whore’s movie.
Steven Spielberg, the most successful figure of our time, has six sequels to his credit so far: one Jurassic Park, one Gremlins, two Indiana Jones es, and two Back to the Future s.
With Phantom Menace, Lucas has tied him: one American Graffiti, two Indiana Jones es, and three Star Wars. But when the next two Star Wars sequels are in the can, he will have undisputed possession of the championship.
So the two richest film guys have the most whores’ movies. Class, take a minute and think real hard: Is there maybe just possibly some teenie-weenie connection between those two facts?
Let me talk about beginners for a second, which we all were. When that is who and where you are, and your prayer is someday to be in the movie business, your fantasies cannot stop going into overdrive. You’re going to meet Bergman or Fellini or Lean (or fill in your own master). And you’re going to be loved by the critics and the public. AndCameron Diaz will fold herself into your strong arms. (Or Marilyn or Audrey or Kate. For me it was alwaysJean Simmons.)
Our talent will fucking stun the civilized world. And when we start out to write our screenplay, it must be so original and dazzling, so different and glorious, people will have no choice but to love us. And why?
Because we are so wonderful.
The pulse of what we write then is always this: creative. The pulse for a sequel is always this: financial. So they are never of a similar quality.
Are there exceptions? I was on the Cannes jury a decade back, wandering with the Australian directorGeorge Miller, the doctor. (So designated because there were two Australian directors named George Miller and the other one didn’t go to med school.)
Forgetting his credits, I gave him my whore theory just as I have to you.
Such a cry of outrage you have never heard. I had forgotten George had done Mad Max as his first flick, Mad Max 2 ( Road Warrior here) two years later. “I had no
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