Book Review of The Big Picture: Who Killed Hollywood? And Other Essays by William Goldman (2001)
The Big Picture: Who Killed Hollywood? And Other Essays. William Goldman. New York, NY: Applause Books, 2001. 283 pages
By Patrick Charsky
With the publication of The Big Picture: Who Killed Hollywood? And Other Essays William Goldman proves again that he was the oracle of Hollywood. Adventures in the Screen Trade was a great book remembered by many for its erudition and humor. The Big Picture focuses on the 1990’s and is just as full of wit and intelligence as Adventures in the Screen Trade. The essay collection The Big Picture: Who Killed Hollywood and Other Essays by William Goldman is a fast paced, laugh out loud funny, deeply insightful, and reflective look at Hollywood from 1990 until the end of the decade with Titanic.
Full of humor, Goldman dishes on what Studio Heads think are good films. The book is also full of anecdotes about celebrities like Arnold Schwartnegger and Andre the Giant. It also includes a story about Emma Thompson going to the grave of Jane Austen. Also funny is when Goldman really takes down Hollywood for producing what he calls “S-H-I-T!”
Goldman opines at length about why one movie was a hit and why another movie was not. He constantly reminds his readers that “the picture is the star.”Goldman talks about the surprise hit Home Alone and really rips apart Twister which did well at the box office. Goldman also describes the crisis Hollywood was in in 1996. He writes about why Hollywood was getting burned by foreign films and independent producers at the Oscars.
The most interesting parts of the book are when Goldman recounts the competitive races for Best Picture. Dances With Wolves and Goodfellas at the 1991 Oscars. And a few years later with Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction in 1995. Goldman states that 1994-95 was a great year for Cinema. I totally agree. The book is full of great writing. It is a return to form from Which Lie Did I Tell?. That book was less than par for Goldman. The Big Picture is a memorable chronicle of some great and not so great films and how they fared at the box office or with the Academy. Compulsively readable.
With the publication of The Big Picture: Who Killed Hollywood? And Other Essays William Goldman proves again that he was the oracle of Hollywood. Adventures in the Screen Trade was a great book remembered by many for its erudition and humor. The Big Picture focuses on the 1990’s and is just as full of wit and intelligence as Adventures in the Screen Trade. The essay collection The Big Picture: Who Killed Hollywood and Other Essays by William Goldman is a fast paced, laugh out loud funny, deeply insightful, and reflective look at Hollywood from 1990 until the end of the decade with Titanic.
Full of humor, Goldman dishes on what Studio Heads think are good films. The book is also full of anecdotes about celebrities like Arnold Schwartnegger and Andre the Giant. It also includes a story about Emma Thompson going to the grave of Jane Austen. Also funny is when Goldman really takes down Hollywood for producing what he calls “S-H-I-T!”
Goldman opines at length about why one movie was a hit and why another movie was not. He constantly reminds his readers that “the picture is the star.”Goldman talks about the surprise hit Home Alone and really rips apart Twister which did well at the box office. Goldman also describes the crisis Hollywood was in in 1996. He writes about why Hollywood was getting burned by foreign films and independent producers at the Oscars.
The most interesting parts of the book are when Goldman recounts the competitive races for Best Picture. Dances With Wolves and Goodfellas at the 1991 Oscars. And a few years later with Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction in 1995. Goldman states that 1994-95 was a great year for Cinema. I totally agree. The book is full of great writing. It is a return to form from Which Lie Did I Tell?. That book was less than par for Goldman. The Big Picture is a memorable chronicle of some great and not so great films and how they fared at the box office or with the Academy. Compulsively readable.
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