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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
God was this interesting. Acknowledging a lot of the boom was certainly embellished and I don’t love how much of it went into who-slept-with-who, ERRB was full of strong, incisive writing and punchy scenes with rich characters. Biskind is able to intertwine amazing two-paragraph stories into a wider narrative of the rise and fall of a Hollywood revolution, all while mirroring the transformation of a nation.
A little clunky and a little too gossipy in places, but otherwise very well researched and entertaining. I can't wait to have a New Hollywood movie watching marathon.
Although much of what's included here borders on character assassination (Spielberg is reduced to being an idiot savant, Towne an abuser, Coppola an inveterate philanderer, Scorsese a drug fiend, Schrader a pity lay for Natassja Kinski, etc.), Biskind's clear preference for the most salacious readings of literally every narrative story ultimate transform this into something like the "Hollywood Babylon: American New Wave Edition"
Everybody's sleeping with everybody, everyone's relationship is almost exclusively presented as transactional, and the "Movie Brat" generation is presented as bringing about its own demise through a mixture of hubris and short-sightedness. The only bit of trivia here that feels real, and that really resonated with me, is that every single one of these filmmakers was broke as hell when they started out. It's a marked difference from the way things work now, and the way people break into the industry through family connections or financial wherewithal alone. Even for all of Biskind's attempts to paint this environment as a toxic one that simply couldn't have persisted, he still presents it as alluring in that one respect purely by happenstance.
Listened to the Audible version (which isn't listed on here), but I do have the paperback lying around in a box somewhere, I have no doubt. Even the worst and least accurate version of the book is something that I, personally, would have found entertaining, so take my enthusiasm for it with the requisite grain of salt. I was actually more interested in listening to "Down and Dirty Pictures," but the completist in me simply demanded that I listen to its predecessor first.
Everybody's sleeping with everybody, everyone's relationship is almost exclusively presented as transactional, and the "Movie Brat" generation is presented as bringing about its own demise through a mixture of hubris and short-sightedness. The only bit of trivia here that feels real, and that really resonated with me, is that every single one of these filmmakers was broke as hell when they started out. It's a marked difference from the way things work now, and the way people break into the industry through family connections or financial wherewithal alone. Even for all of Biskind's attempts to paint this environment as a toxic one that simply couldn't have persisted, he still presents it as alluring in that one respect purely by happenstance.
Listened to the Audible version (which isn't listed on here), but I do have the paperback lying around in a box somewhere, I have no doubt. Even the worst and least accurate version of the book is something that I, personally, would have found entertaining, so take my enthusiasm for it with the requisite grain of salt. I was actually more interested in listening to "Down and Dirty Pictures," but the completist in me simply demanded that I listen to its predecessor first.
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
informative
medium-paced
The premise of this book is that the 70s was a golden age for movies, when directors were able to break free of studio restrictions and create idiosycratic, personal, art.
Truly, there were a lot of great movies in that era. But this book actually refutes its own argument. The directors featured were in large part decadent, drug addled megalomaniacs who were only as good as whatever material they were handed to adapt, and only if they could find a personal handle on that material. The only true auteur of the period, who conceptualized his own films and wrote his own scripts, was Woody Allen, and he is barely mentioned. Nor is Mel Brooks (maybe because he's not a "serious" filmmaker). Biskind tries to make the case that filmmaking died after the 70s, but then you start to think about all the great ones that came after, and it's hard to accept his premise.
Don't get me wrong, this is a highly readable and interesting book. I think Biskind is a devotee of the art of film, but his book focuses on the business side. I would have liked to read a book that focussed more on the creative choices of the actors and directors.
I must admit that, as a lover of that period of moviemaking, this book dampened rather than increased my enthusiasm for the subject. I guess it's true of what they say about learning how sausage is made.
Truly, there were a lot of great movies in that era. But this book actually refutes its own argument. The directors featured were in large part decadent, drug addled megalomaniacs who were only as good as whatever material they were handed to adapt, and only if they could find a personal handle on that material. The only true auteur of the period, who conceptualized his own films and wrote his own scripts, was Woody Allen, and he is barely mentioned. Nor is Mel Brooks (maybe because he's not a "serious" filmmaker). Biskind tries to make the case that filmmaking died after the 70s, but then you start to think about all the great ones that came after, and it's hard to accept his premise.
Don't get me wrong, this is a highly readable and interesting book. I think Biskind is a devotee of the art of film, but his book focuses on the business side. I would have liked to read a book that focussed more on the creative choices of the actors and directors.
I must admit that, as a lover of that period of moviemaking, this book dampened rather than increased my enthusiasm for the subject. I guess it's true of what they say about learning how sausage is made.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Far too long, it needed a much harsher editor. Interesting at times, but I have forgotten so much of it already because the stories all blur together. It has added quite a lot to my watchlist though.