A life in film. An extraordinary career. An unforgettable story—from the “most sought-after screenwriting teacher in the world” (The Hollywood Reporter)

“[Field’s] illuminating, consistently entertaining memoir displays enough wit, intelligence, and empathy to inspire a host of great films.”—Publishers Weekly

What makes a great movie great? An actor legendary? A screenplay extraordinary or just ordinary?

Syd Field has spent a lifetime seeking answers to these questions. His bestselling books on the art and craft of screenwriting have become the film industry’s gold standard.

Now, Field tells his own remarkable story, sharing the insight and experience gleaned from an extraordinary career. Using classic movies from the past and present—from Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane to Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski’s The Matrix—Field provides a guided tour of the basic elements common to all great films. You’ll learn:
 
• What makes La Grande Illusion a groundbreaking timeless classic
• How Casablanca teaches one of the most important elements of creating memorable characters
• Why Pulp Fiction might be one of the most influential films of our time

In Going to the Movies, Field introduces the legendary filmmakers, films, and stars who shaped his understanding of the medium, from French director Jean Renoir to The Wild Bunch’s Sam Peckinpah. Rich in anecdote and insight, Going to the Movies is both entertaining and informing, deepening every moviegoer’s appreciation of the magic behind the silver screen.

Featuring insights ... analysis ... great films and filmmakers from "the most-sought-after screenwriting teacher in the world” (The Hollywood Reporter).

A life in film. An extraordinary career. An unforgettable story — from noted lecturer, teacher, and bestselling author Syd Field.

What makes a great movie great? ... An actor legendary? ... A screenplay extraordinary or just ordinary?

Syd Field has spent a lifetime seeking answers to these questions. His bestselling books on the art and craft of screenwriting have become the film industry's gold standard.

Now Syd Field tells his own remarkable story, sharing the insight and experience gleaned from an extraordinary career. Using classic movies from the past and present — from Orson Welles' Citizen Kane to Andy and Larry Wachowski's The Matrix — Field provides a guided tour of the basic elements common to all great films.

Learn what makes La Grande Illusion a groundbreaking, timeless classic ... how Casablanca teaches one of the most important elements of creating memorable characters for the screen ... why Pulp Fiction might be one of the most influential films of our time.

Discover the legendary filmmakers, films, and stars who shaped Field's understanding of the medium.... Meet Jean Renoir, the great French director who steered his young Berkeley protégé away from medicine into film.... Watch a dazzling young Francis Ford Coppola as he directs his thesis film at UCLA.... Spend an amazing summer with Sam Peckinpah as he shares the screenwriting techniques behind his classic western The Wild Bunch.

Rich in anecdote and insight, Going to the Movies will both entertain and inform, deepening every moviegoer's appreciation of the magic behind the silver screen.

“Although cloaked in modesty, his illuminating, consistently entertaining memoir displays enough wit, intelligence and empathy to inspire a host of great films.”
— Publishers Weekly

“I based Like Water for Chocolate on what I learned in Syd’s books. Before, I always felt structure imprisoned me, but what I learned was structure really freed me to focus on the story.”
— Laura Esquivel, Like Water for Chocolate

“If I were writing screenplays ... I would carry Syd Field around in my back pocket wherever I went.”
— Steven Bochco, writer/producer/director, NYPD Blue


Also by Syd Field

Screenplay
The Screenwriter’s Workbook
Selling a Screenplay
Four Screenplays
The Screenwriter’s Problem Solver

Available from Dell