As one of Hollywood’s most successful screenwriters, William Goldman won two Academy Awards and had over twenty of his screenplays made into movies. You’ve probably seen one (or more) of his most notable produced screenplays, such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men, The Princess Bride, Maverick, Misery, and The Ghost and the Darkness. Goldman was also paid handsomely for doing uncredited rewrites on numerous other well-known films.
However, arguably his most famous line isn’t from one of his movies. It was from a book he wrote on the movie business called Adventures in the Screen Trade, and it’s an assessment of the business itself.
“Nobody knows anything.”
Goldman suggested that despite all the money spent on big name actors, screenwriters, and skilled directors, no one, including the studios doing the financing, had any idea which movies would be a hit or a miss. From greenlight, throughout the making of the picture, to the test screenings, to the trailers and finally the marketing, everyone was in the dark no matter how they felt about the movie’s prospects.
Read the full “Nobody Knows Anything” post.
This represents general information only. Before making any financial or investment decisions, I suggest you consult a financial adviser to take into account your personal investment objectives, financial situation and individual needs. Are you looking looking to build a simple low cost portfolio? If you’re not interested in seeking financial advice, and want to build your own portfolio you should better understand the implications of using a VAS/VGS split portfolio so you can fully understand historic performance and have a full grasp of diversification and how asset allocation can affect performance. If you are a high net worth investor requiring financial advice, you should consider a financial adviser with high net worth experience, they can help you identify your goals and put in place a reliable strategy to pursue them.
