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Going to the Movies: A Personal Journey Through Four Decades of Modern Film

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Field is probably the country's current best analyst of screenplays and teacher of the theory and mechanics of screenplay-writing, and I own all his previous books. This one was a bit of a disappointment, though, being heavy on self-conscious, egocentric autobiography and light on analysis of the films he discusses as being "turning points" in his development. (And he uses that phrase way too often.) Though he purports not to believe in luck or coincidence, he does seem to have been in the right place at the right time far more than most of us -- a crawl-on role in _Gone With the Wind_ as an infant, nephew of one of the great cinematographers, student at Berkeley when Jean Renoir was Writer in Residence, buddies at the UCLA film school with the niece of Sam Peckinpah, first job at David Wolper Productions when it was just beginning, and so on. Oddly, in between the fits of ego and overwriting ("this is how I invented/discovered . . ."), there's also a lot of "aw shucks, little ol' me"-ness. For this kind of thing, I think William Goldman's two (so far) volumes of Hollywood autobiography are much better.

Going to the Movies is a wonderful journey with Syd Field trough decades of living history of movies. Syd Field writes in such a way that you almost hear him talking to you. His precense is wonderful.

This is a pretty good book. While Field has been touched by beneficial timing, and influential relationships, he has developed through diligence a perspective and vision for film, screenplays in particular.
While the book begins as an autobiography: school, wanderings, discovering film, school, early work, etc., it developes into a book of analysis and technique. In that way it went from good to okay. His working at Wolper Productions, his relationship with Jean Renoir and Sam Peckinpah all are interesting views of film making and film makers. I wish there was more of that. In fact, after a half chapter plus on Citizen Kane, in a following chapter Field talks about working at Wolper on a series hosted by Joseph Cotton. But there is no regarding of Cotton's involvement in the most influential of films.
Through script reviewing at Wolper Productions he developes a style and level of efficiency which begins to translate itself into a writing career. He survives off of optioned scripts for several years before he begins teaching. From this point on he becomes more of an advisor, and leads up to his place today as a formidable screenplay expert.
Within this arc, from autobiography to technical manual there is interesting and insightful writing on film, it's brilliance, influence, form and power. A decision on whether or not to make this a technical book about writing a screenplay or a memoir about a life in the film business would have improved this book.

Let's start by saying this book is not for everyone. Going to the Movies is the story of how and why Syd Field learned to analyse scripts. As such, it's introspective at times and personally revealing at others.

I especially loved two things about this book. First, Field's honesty is quite endearing. He discusses his failures as well as his triumphs, and writers need to see failures, too. It's how we all learn.

Second, I loved the tips I got from this book. Field discusses the importance of midpoint--how to hang your story around a centerpiece event. Later he explains closed and open stories. In the former, the protagonist knows what's happening (like Chinatown). An open story is when the audience understands what faces the protag., but the protag. doesn't (Hitchcock movies, usually). And Field reminds us that a good story isn't a good story unless it's executed properly.

One thing annoyed me a bit. Field has an "Uncle Sol" who helped him get started by finding him jobs in Hollywood. Well, frankly, I sure wish I had an Uncle Sol. BUT--in fairness--Field did his own homework, worked hard, and learned important lessons which he shares with us. Uncle Sol or no Unlce Sol, Field understands what makes a script great. He deserves his success.

You don't have to be a screenwriter to learn from this book. I'm a novelist, and what he says about story works regardless of medium. I think beginning writers will probably learn more than advanced writers, but that may or may not be true. I've been writing a long time and still picked up invaluable tips.

So, this book may not be for everyone, but you'll love it if you sincerely want to learn basic techniques for better writing.

I started reading this book yesterday and found that the clarity of the writing and the insight and experiences the author brings to understanding movies have kept from hardly putting this book down. Field's book is useful for both developing screenwriters and avid movie watchers.

Because movies are really the popular literature of the 21st century (despite the number of bad flicks produced every year), it's important that we gain a better appreciation of how the movies tell stories and how they affect us. Field in his own journey to understand movies provides some very good insight.

By chapter 12 of his journey he shows his talent as a teacher, script reader and writer, and a lover of movies. In this chapter he breaks down the classic film "Chinatown," showing how what he calls Plot Points are used to set up and move dramatic parts of a movie along. By understanding the form and structure of movies, we can gain a better understanding of a film's narrative and also appreciate when a screen writer and director have produced a well crafted movie.

Using Field's insight, we as movie goers get beyond it was a great movie because its action, star appeal, or drama. We begin to critically reflect on how the actions, words, and images tell the story in a film. We can appreciate what the writer and director do to the set up the context for the story and take us through the middle (what Field calls the confrontation) and the end (the resolution) of a film.

(The rest of the book goes how to examine contemporary films like Pulp Fiction, explaining how Tarantino creates such memorable characters.)

Now when I happen to see video or DVD more than once, I can apply what I'm learning from Field to better appreciate the art of a film. I think I'll think also read his other popular book, Four Screenplays, for futher insight.

Going to the Movies is more than a book about screenwriting. It is almost like a visit with Syd Field himself. Mr. Field writes in such an easy and personal way, I almost felt like I was sitting in on one of his lectures and listening to the story of his life and his filmaking. Fun to read with some good advice from his life experiences.

As a biography, it is compelling reading. Field lived in interesting times, surrounded by interesting people. Though a minor player in Hollywood, his story provides a perspective on the movie-making process in the second-half of the last century that I haven't seen before.

The real value of this book, though, is as an unintentional primer on screenwriting. His process, developed over more than a decade, of identifying what makes a movie work and what doesn't is, in my view, more enlightening than all the "how to" books ever written, including his own.

With this book, Goldman's "Adventures in the Screen Trade", and to a lesser extent his follow-up "Which Lie Did I Tell", I think the budding screenwriter has everything he or she needs to start writing.

I read Syd Field's Going to the movies. It's a great experience because not only does he teach about what makes a good/great screenplay, he also talks about his time in Hollywood and how difficult it was for him to find a job. It is a very realistic, yet hopeful, book. I am working on the English version of the Different Flags script and it's helped me a lot. Eugenia RenskoffDifferent Flags