{"product_id":"9781250301826","title":"The Big Goodbye : Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe Big Goodbye\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Sam Wasson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eFifth Avenue, Five A.M\u003c\/i\u003e. and \u003ci\u003eFosse\u003c\/i\u003e comes the revelatory account of the making of a modern American masterpiece  \u003c\/b\u003e  \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChinatown\u003c\/i\u003e is the Holy Grail of 1970s cinema. Its twist ending is the most notorious in American film and its closing line of dialogue the most haunting. Here for the first time is the incredible true story of its making. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Sam Wasson's telling, it becomes the defining story of the most colorful characters in the most colorful period of Hollywood history. Here is Jack Nicholson at the height of his powers, as compelling a movie star as there has ever been, embarking on his great, doomed love affair with Anjelica Huston. Here is director Roman Polanski, both predator and prey, haunted by the savage death of his wife, returning to Los Angeles, the scene of the crime, where the seeds of his own self-destruction are quickly planted. Here is the fevered dealmaking of \"The Kid\" Robert Evans, the most consummate of producers. Here too is Robert Towne's fabled script, widely considered the greatest original screenplay ever written. Wasson for the first time peels off layers of myth to provide the true account of its creation. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLooming over the story of this classic movie is the imminent eclipse of the '70s filmmaker-friendly studios as they gave way to the corporate Hollywood we know today. In telling that larger story, \u003ci\u003eThe Big Goodbye\u003c\/i\u003e will take its place alongside classics like \u003ci\u003eEasy Riders, Raging Bulls\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Devil's Candy \u003c\/i\u003eas one of the great movie-world books ever written.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for Sam Wasson:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Wasson is a canny chronicler of old Hollywood and its outsize personalities...More than that, he understands that style matters, and, like his subjects, he has a flair for it.\"  - \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe New Yorker\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Sam Wasson is a fabulous social historian because he finds meaning in situations and stories that would otherwise be forgotten if he didn't sleuth them out, lovingly.\" - \u003cb\u003eHilton Als\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The wondrous thing about Sam Wasson’s new book is that it feels both necessary and inevitable - as if Chinatown couldn’t (or shouldn’t) exist without it. Reading The Big Goodbye, something strange happens: it acquires the historical, dizzying, incestuous gravitas of the film itself. Wasson has a habit of making vividly thematic, compassionately revelatory art.\" - \u003cb\u003eBruce Wagner\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eForce Majeure \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e I Met Someone\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Sam Wasson has written a smart, human and utterly engaging book about an iconic American movie. With its rich depiction of 1970s Hollywood, \u003ci\u003eThe Big Goodbye \u003c\/i\u003eis grounded in marvelous reportorial detail and moves with novelistic urgency.\" - \u003cb\u003eJulie Salamon\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Devil's Candy \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e An Innocent Bystander\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e“A fascinating dive into Hollywood”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eMaureen Dowd, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003ci\u003eChinatown\u003c\/i\u003e (1974) was a watershed moment in a colorful era of American filmmaking. Wasson looks past the myth to tell the true story of its making.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e, “Winter Reading Guide: This Season’s Must-Read Books”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “If you love \u003ci\u003eChinatown, \u003c\/i\u003ethen you’ll love \u003ci\u003eThe Big Goodbye—\u003c\/i\u003eand it’s good reading for any American cinema buff.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Inimitable Wasson…argues convincingly that \u003ci\u003eChinatown \u003c\/i\u003ewas one of the last great Hollywood films… this portrait of a neonoir classic will cast a spell over cinephiles.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal, \u003c\/i\u003estarred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Wasson…is one of the great chroniclers of Hollywood lore. And he has truly outdone himself this time.\" – \u003cb\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Wasson’s fascinating and page-turning description of the talent and ideas behind “Chinatown” is more than a mere biography of a landmark movie.” – \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"It’s impossible not to fall for this love letter to a love letter that pastes together the often sticky collage of how talent plus perseverance can equal a classic film.\" \u003cb\u003e– The \u003ci\u003eAssociated Press\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"It’s the definitive book on Chinatown.\" \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e– Vanity Fair\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[THE BIG GOODBYE] is as fine an unwrapping of the moviemaking process as I’ve read.” \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e– Airmail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Big Goodbye \u003c\/i\u003eis a graceful and worthwhile elegy to a time dear to those who are lucky enough to remember it…It will be hard to find a better film book published this year. \u003cb\u003e– PopMatters.com\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Big Goodbye\u003c\/i\u003e is a fun and insightful read about the business of Hollywood and the complex, creative process. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e– Coachella Valley Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn absorbing account of the making of ‘Chinatown’…Wasson is a stylish chronicler of Hollywood politics…”The Big Goodbye” evokes the care that went into every frame. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e– The Economist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“densely textured, well-researched… …Film fans will love the behind-the-scenes access to movie town legends, and buffs will relish the details. If you need to know the typewriter brand used by Towne, the reason Nicholson was called “The Weaver” when young, or the designer frock worn by Anjelica Huston at the Oscars, this is the book for you.” \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e– The Sunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Cultural historian Sam Wasson swims in the muddy making of the 1974 film, the messy lives of its four main players, and the murky chronicles of L.A.’s studio system and the municipal water wars to produce a page-turner as suspenseful and spellbinding as the Raymond Chandler novel from which the book takes its name.\" \u003cb\u003e– The AV Club\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Hollywood stories are hardly in short supply, but Sam Wasson can be trusted for some juicy, compelling discoveries. His latest investigates the making of Chinatown…his innovative approach: and assembly of mini-biographies of Roman Polanski, Jack Nicholson, and more, each packed with intriguing revelations.”\u003cb\u003e – Entertainment Weekly\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Sam Wasson does a wonderful job with this book... beautiful [and] meticulously researched.\" - \u003cb\u003eCBS This Weekend \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Wasson’s book, which is compellingly told and meticulously researched, tells the story of the origins and making of Chinatown, and of the studio that produced it, Paramount, which was saved from collapse by the dynamism of its young head of production, Robert Evans. \"\u003cb\u003e - the \u003ci\u003eIrish Times \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Sam Wasson's forensic account of Hollywood history in transition offers good reasons to revisit \u003ci\u003eChinatown\u003c\/i\u003e's oft-visited depths...his insights are sharp enough to slit your nose...Wasson crystallizes a fleeting filmmaking moment at its departure point and leaves us marvelling anew that is ever came to be.\" \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e- Total Film\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003c\/i\u003eThis is an exceptional film book, far more than the production history of \u003ci\u003eChinatown\u003c\/i\u003e, and so vividly written you will want to seek out the work of Wasson's previous studies...Wasson writing about Los Angeles with the same love and diligence Towne brought to the script...I exclaimed aloud more than once, and even welled up over the final page. \u003ci\u003eThe Big Goodbye \u003c\/i\u003eis worthy of\u003ci\u003e Chinatown\u003c\/i\u003e, this unforgettable movie—high praise indeed.\u003cb\u003e - Sight and Sound\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This scrupulously researched and reported book is about not just a cinematic masterpiece but the glorious lost Hollywood in which that movie was born.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times, \u003c\/i\u003e10 Books We Recommend This Week\u003c\/b\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"In author Sam Wasson's meticulous new book \"The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood,\" the film historian (\"Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.\") turns his eye to the minds behind one of the greatest, bleakest films ever to come out of the studio system. Delving into the lives of screenwriter Robert Towne, producer Robert Evans, star Jack Nicholson and director Polanski, he reveals the inspirations behind the film, as well as the aftershocks it left. And he makes it clear why \"Chinatown's\" themes of corruption and abuse of power have never seemed more painfully topical.\"- \u003cb\u003eSalon.com \u003c\/b\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A big, chewy read, with talented, larger-than-life rogues stalking its pages — men with names like Nicholson, Evans, Towne, Polanski. It evokes nostalgia for a movie that used nostalgia as a weapon, and it reminds a reader, once again, of how the works we take for classics came close to never happening.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The hottest new book about the movie business... [it]presents a vivid picture of a key moment in Hollywood history as well as the gripping odyssey of a writer struggling to convert his vision into great cinema.\"  - \u003cu\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eDeadline\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"There is no greater treat than Sam Wasson's new book... a completely fascinating account, filed with intriguing new information of the making of one of the undeniably great films of the modern era.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLA Times \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e “5 Books Not to Miss” and “Must-Read Books of Winter 2020”\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e “20 Books to Read in February” and “50 Most Anticipated Books of 2020”\u003cbr\u003eDailyBreak.com “These 10 Books of February are Like a Box of Premium Chocolates”\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eHouston Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e “Eagerly Anticipated Reads of 2020”\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e “2020 Vision: The Year Ahead in Books”\u003cbr\u003eKirkus Reviews “New Year’s Reading Resolution List”\u003cbr\u003eThe Criterion Collection’s \u003ci\u003eThe Current\u003c\/i\u003e “November Books Roundup”\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eConnecticut Post\u003c\/i\u003e \"Sit, stay and Read\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eMinneapolis Star-Tribune's\u003c\/i\u003e \"10 Books For At-Home Entertainment During Quarantine.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLong-listed Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year (2020)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781250301826\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Flatiron Books","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":40735775817934,"sku":"9781250301826","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_e4068b24-662e-45bd-af1d-8786cc1fa713.jpg?v=1641273790","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781250301826","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}