Heywood Gould

Last updated

Heywood Gould
Born (1942-12-19) December 19, 1942 (age 81)
Bronx, New York City
Occupation(s)Film director, writer

Heywood Gould (born December 19, 1942) is an American screenwriter, journalist, novelist and film director. He wrote the screenplays for the films Rolling Thunder , The Boys from Brazil , Fort Apache, The Bronx , Streets of Gold , Cocktail , and wrote and directed the films One Good Cop , Trial by Jury , Mistrial and Double Bang .

Contents

Career

Rolling Thunder

On the strength of his heavily circulated spec screenplay Fort Apache, The Bronx (unproduced until 1981), Gould was enlisted by star William Devane to rewrite Paul Schrader's Rolling Thunder script. Gould added pop-psych monologues for Devane's character, a former POW, that reflected an almost clinical understanding of his own trauma. Devane opted instead for a terse, contained performance in the mold of Steve McQueen, forgoing Gould's ornate characterization. Only one Gould monologue remains in the film, and it contains the oft-quoted line "You learn to love the rope," a poignant reference to defying one's captors. [1] Aborted monologues aside, Gould's changes to Schrader's script provide the most memorable scenes in the film. Moreover, Gould added flourishes that tied supporting characters more organically to the film's themes.

Partial bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Mamet</span> American playwright, filmmaker, and author

David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988). He first gained critical acclaim for a trio of off-Broadway 1970s plays: The Duck Variations, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and American Buffalo. His plays Race and The Penitent, respectively, opened on Broadway in 2009 and previewed off-Broadway in 2017.

<i>Chinatown</i> (1974 film) 1974 film directed by Roman Polański

Chinatown is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery film directed by Roman Polanski from a screenplay by Robert Towne. The film stars Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. It was inspired by the California water wars, a series of disputes over southern California water at the beginning of the 20th century, by which Los Angeles interests secured water rights in the Owens Valley. The Robert Evans production, released by Paramount Pictures, was Polanski's last film in the United States and features many elements of film noir, particularly a multi-layered story that is part mystery and part psychological drama.

<i>Cocktail</i> (1988 film) 1988 film by Roger Donaldson

Cocktail is a 1988 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Roger Donaldson from a screenplay by Heywood Gould, and based on Gould's book of the same name. It stars Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown and Elisabeth Shue. It tells the story of a young New York City business student, who takes up bartending in order to make ends meet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Devane</span> American actor (born 1939)

William Joseph Devane is an American actor. He is known for his role as Greg Sumner on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing (1983–1993) and as James Heller on the Fox serial dramas 24 (2001–2010) and 24: Live Another Day (2014). He is also known for his work in films such as Family Plot (1976), Marathon Man (1976), Rolling Thunder (1977), Payback (1999), and Space Cowboys (2000).

<i>American Gigolo</i> 1980 crime drama film by Paul Schrader

American Gigolo is a 1980 American neo-noir crime drama film written and directed by Paul Schrader, and starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton. It tells the story of a high-priced escort in Los Angeles (Gere) who becomes romantically involved with a prominent politician's wife (Hutton), while simultaneously becoming the prime suspect in a murder case.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Schrader</span> American film director

Paul Joseph Schrader is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. He first became widely known for writing the screenplay of Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976). He later continued his collaboration with Scorsese, writing or co-writing Raging Bull (1980), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Bringing Out the Dead (1999). Schrader is more prolific as a director: his 22 films include Blue Collar (1978), Hardcore (1979), American Gigolo (1980), Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985), Light Sleeper (1992), Affliction (1997), and First Reformed (2017), with the last of these earning him his first Academy Award nomination. Schrader's work frequently depicts "man in a room" stories which feature isolated, troubled men confronting an existential crisis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W. R. Burnett</span> American novelist

William Riley Burnett was an American novelist and screenwriter. He is best known for the crime novel Little Caesar, the film adaptation of which is considered the first of the classic American gangster movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Novelization</span> Adaptation of another work into a novel

A novelization is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book, or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of home video, but continue to find commercial success as part of marketing campaigns for major films. They are often written by accomplished writers based on an early draft of the film's script and on a tight deadline.

<i>Light of Day</i> 1987 film by Paul Schrader

Light of Day is a 1987 American musical drama film starring Michael J. Fox, Gena Rowlands and Joan Jett in her film debut. It was written and directed by Paul Schrader. The original music score was composed by Thomas Newman and the cinematography is by John Bailey.

<i>Rolling Thunder</i> (film) 1977 film directed by John Flynn

Rolling Thunder is a 1977 American psychological thriller film directed by John Flynn, from a screenplay by Paul Schrader and Heywood Gould, based on a story by Schrader. It was produced by Norman T. Herman, with Lawrence Gordon as executive producer. The film stars William Devane in his first lead role alongside Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Haynes, James Best, Dabney Coleman, and Luke Askew in supporting roles.

<i>California Split</i> 1974 film by Robert Altman

California Split is a 1974 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Altman and starring Elliott Gould and George Segal as a pair of gamblers. It was the first non-Cinerama film to use eight-track stereo sound.

Richard Price is an American novelist and screenwriter, known for the books The Wanderers (1974), Clockers (1992) and Lush Life (2008). Price's novels explore late-20th-century urban America in a gritty, realistic manner that has brought him considerable literary acclaim. Several of his novels are set in a fictional northern New Jersey city called Dempsy.

<i>Geronimo: An American Legend</i> 1993 film directed by Walter Hill

Geronimo: An American Legend is a 1993 historical Western film starring Wes Studi, Jason Patric, Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall, and Matt Damon in an early role. The film, which was directed by Walter Hill, is based on a screenplay by John Milius. It is a fictionalized account of the Apache Wars and how First Lieutenant Charles B. Gatewood convinced Apache leader Geronimo to surrender in 1886.

<i>Fort Apache, The Bronx</i> 1981 film by Daniel Petrie

Fort Apache, The Bronx is a 1981 American crime drama film directed by Daniel Petrie. The film stars Paul Newman as Murphy, a hard-drinking, lonely veteran cop, and Ken Wahl as his young partner, Corelli, both of whom work in a crime-ridden precinct in the Bronx. Although Murphy's life takes a good turn when he falls in love with young nurse Isabella, the arrival of police captain Connoly threatens to tip the neighborhood's delicate balance into anarchy. Danny Aiello, Kathleen Beller and Pam Grier play supporting roles. The film was written by Heywood Gould and produced by Martin Richards and Thomas Fiorello, with David Susskind as executive producer.

James Warner Bellah was an American Western author from the 1930s to the 1950s. His pulp-fiction writings on cavalry and Indians were published in paperbacks or serialized in the Saturday Evening Post.

Frank Stanley Nugent was an American screenwriter, journalist, and film reviewer. He wrote 21 film scripts, 11 for director John Ford. He wrote almost a thousand reviews for The New York Times before leaving journalism for Hollywood. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1953 and twice won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Comedy. The Writers Guild of America, West ranks his screenplay for The Searchers (1956) among the top 101 screenplays of all time.

John Flynn was an American film director and screenwriter known for films such as The Outfit and Rolling Thunder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Boal</span> American screenwriter (born 1973)

Mark Boal is an American journalist, screenwriter, and film producer. Boal initially worked as a journalist, writing for outlets like Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, Salon, and Playboy. Boal's 2004 article "Death and Dishonor" was adapted for the film In the Valley of Elah, which Boal also co-wrote.

Lewis John Carlino was an American screenwriter and director. His career spanned five decades and included such works as The Fox, The Brotherhood, The Mechanic, The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, Resurrection, and The Great Santini. Carlino was nominated for many awards, including the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Breslin</span> American novelist

Howard Mary Breslin was an American novelist and radio script writer. He mainly wrote novels of historical fiction and is most notable for The Tamarack Tree and "Bad Time at Honda", a short story that was the basis of the film Bad Day at Black Rock. He also published under the nom de plume Michael Niall.

References

  1. Tarantino, Quentin (2022). Cinema speculation. HarperCollins (Firm). New York, NY: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers. ISBN   978-0-06-311258-2. OCLC   1348950198.