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

Why are some movies truly great? What makes an actor legendary? Which elements of successful screenplays move people's hearts more than others?

Syd Field spent a lifetime seeking answers to these questions. His bestselling books on the art and craft of visual storytelling have become the film industry's gold standard, direct from the man The Hollywood Reporter called "the most sought-after screenwriting teacher in the world."

In Going to the Movies, Field tells his deeply personal story, sharing insights and experience gleaned from an extraordinary career. Using a spectrum of classic movies -- from Citizen Kane to The Matrix, from Casablanca to Pulp Fiction -- Field provides a guided tour of the core components common to all notable films. These building blocks are fundamental; they transcend time and culture, rooted in the human psyche and our shared need to define ourselves through storytelling. Syd Field's profound perspective on filmic stories was the first of its kind.

Discover the celebrated filmmakers, films, and stars that shaped Field's unique understanding of the medium, including:

• Jean Renoir, the remarkable French director who steered his young Berkeley protégé away from medicine into film,

• A dazzling young Francis Ford Coppola, directing his thesis film at UCLA,

• An amazing summer with Sam Peckinpah, as he describes the screenwriting techniques behind his western masterpiece, The Wild Bunch.

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