39. William Goldman Discussion

[Philip Overby]

William Goldman was actually number 38 but I skipped him on accident. Sorry.

A very prolific writer who has written in multiple mediums. Fantasy readers may know him best for The Princess Bride. While I haven't read the book, I've heard it's excellent and there are many people who cite it as one of their favorites of all time. It's certainly one of my favorite fantasy movies. It's pretty inconceivable that I haven't even read this yet. Although I'm not exactly sure what inconceivable means.

Has anyone read any of Goldman's works or his most famous one The Princess Bride?

 

[Feo Takahari]

I checked Wikipedia to see what else he's written. He's done a lot of popular screenplays. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, Good Will Hunting . . . He even adapted The Stepford Wives for the screen. (On the flipside, he also wrote Last Action Hero.)

As for books, the only other one I've even heard of is Marathon Man. It's an unnerving thriller with an infamous torture scene. Goldman thought it was too "commercial," but it did pretty well.

Edit: I found an interesting quote from Goldman himself.

Someone pointed out to me that the most sympathetic characters in my books always died miserably. I didn't consciously know I was doing that. I didn't. I mean, I didn't wake up each morning and think, today I think I'll make a really terrific guy so I can kill him. It just worked out that way. I haven't written a novel in over a decade... and someone very wise suggested that I might have stopped writing novels because my rage was gone. It's possible. All this doesn't mean a helluva lot, except probably there is a reason I was the guy who gave Babe over to Szell in the "Is it safe?" scene and that I was the guy who put Westley into The Machine. I think I have a way with pain. When I come to that kind of sequence I have a certain confidence that I can make it play. Because I come from such a dark corner.

 

[Steerpike]

The Princess Bride is great. I thought Last Action Hero was fairly amusing, though it went on a bit long for the joke to carry the film. Wasn't as bad as most people make out, though (some people seemed to miss the fact that it was satire; I'm not sure how).

 

[Ophiucha]

I've read The Princess Bride, but nothing else - haven't even seen many of the movies he's done, save the adaptation of TPB and The Stepford Wives. And I like it, obviously. I don't think I know anyone who doesn't.

 

[kayd_mon]

I remember reading The Princess Bride, after seeing the movie a bunch of times. I loved the book, but for different reasons as the movie. The movie remains a favorite, and though it's been too long since I read the book, I remember thinking it was one of my favorites.