Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film
by Peter Biskind
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Book Summary Information
Author: Peter BiskindEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-12-21
ISBN: 0684862581
Number of pages: 560
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Book Reviews of Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film
Book Review: The imagination and independence that Disney's Goblins stole
Summary: 5 Stars
Never have I been so engrossed by a book about the politics, the scandal, the uprising (and subsequent fall), of the independent cinema as I was with Peter Biskind's book "Down and Dirty Pictures". Reading it was like witnessing a Hollywood Disney-esque fairy tale unfold before you, except instead of a handsome prince and gorgeous princess, you had the goblins, Bob and Harvey Weinstein in control. Instead of happy endings, we had overweight men yelling at everyone from Rosie O'Donnell, Steven Soderbergh, Julie Taymor, Martin Scorsese, and nearly everyone else that you can put between your arm and a little production company called Miramax. This film chronicles, in detail and energy, the rise and fall of these two brothers as they monopolize the independent filmmaker's world to finally get their $100 million dollar projects made. It goes deep Disney's pockets and how these angry men found a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow, good or bad. Biskind paints this brilliant picture of how two bullies from New York will eventually rule the film world, while also destroy the imagination and independence of it as well. It is a sad story, but needed for everyone interested in the Hollywood scene.
This book really interested me because of how large of a scope that Biskind dealt with. I was nervous at first; worried that it may get caught up too quickly in too much for a novice reader like myself to understand. Thankfully, this was not the case. Biskind paints a very bold picture of the independent world, going from not just Harvey and Bob, but also Robert Redford and the ultimate effect that these powerhouses had on the overall scene. Redford is not shown in the best of light in this book, opening up the question as to why Sundance is still around and how much Redford collects from the event. I loved reading about the rise and fall of October films and how the Weinsteins could not handle their competition. It showed that even when companies looked like they were on top, they were struggling to stay there. I especially loved the guiding light near the end of the tunnel that Steven Soderbergh gives to try to revitalize the independent movement.
It is sad to think that we may never see a true independent film again in our lifetime. The Kevin Smiths, Quentin Tarantino, and even Darren Aronofskys are taking larger sums to do commercial films. Our filmmakers that we grew up with are slowly fading away to mainstream leaving less doors open for anyone to follow. This is definitely a book for all you Tarantino fans out there. I am a huge fan of Pulp Fiction, but this book gave me a new light to the entire ordeal. Really, for the film enthusiast in all of us, this book holds back no punches and will literally make you tear up by the end of it all.
Overall, I was very impressed with this book. Those idols that I thought for the longest time were pioneers of the independent scene, giving us this world of new visions and imagination, would eventually destroy it all. The Weinsteins are not Hollywood, they are corporate Hollywood's Goblins, always wanting more money without the pressures of offending anyone. Independent films are about the mind, heart, and soul of a filmmaker. It is not about the money.
Thank you Harvey Scissorhands, for chopping away our cinema imagination!
Grade: ***** out of *****
Summary of Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film
Down and Dirty Pictures chronicles the rise of independent filmmakers and of the twin engines -- the Sundance Film Festival and Miramax Films -- that have powered them. As he did in his acclaimed Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, Peter Biskind profiles the people who took the independent movement from obscurity to the Oscars, most notably Sundance founder Robert Redford and Harvey Weinstein, who with his brother, Bob, made Miramax an indie powerhouse.Today Sundance is the most important film festival this side of Cannes, and Miramax has become an industry giant. Likewise, the directors who emerged from the independent movement, such as Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, and David O. Russell, are now among the best-known directors in Hollywood. Not to mention the actors who emerged with them, like Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Ethan Hawke, and Uma Thurman.
Candid, penetrating, and controversial, Down and Dirty Pictures is a must-read for anyone interested in the film world and where it's headed.
You've heard the rumors. The film industry is filled with ruthless executives who think nothing of brow-beating their employees, of using creative accounting to cheat filmmakers, and re-cutting a director's vision into a soulless crowd-pleaser. Well, it turns out those rumors are often true--at least according to Peter Biskind's highly entertaining Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film. Packed with industry anecdotes and history, the book chronicles the growth and eventual mainstreaming of independent films and offers the back-story to seminal works including sex, lies, and videotape and Pulp Fiction among others. Biskind, author of Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood, divides most of his time between Sundance Film Festival founder Robert Redford and Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein. Biskind simultaneously credits these two as fostering, though ultimately ruining, the purity of indpendent film. Other indies are largely left out, although the now-defunct October Films appears prominently in the role of noble failure. Biskind has serious points to make, but he's not stingy with the war stories, either. (One particularly amusing scene involves October executives chasing Robert Duvall's agent through a Sheraton Hotel in an attempt to stop him from making a deal with Miramax to distribute The Apostle.) Those who have only a passing interest in the movie business may tire of Biskind's oft-repeated themes (Weinstein is an evil genius! Redford is a passive-aggressive control freak!) but for those who truly love film industry gossip, Down and Dirty Pictures is a feast of insider stories--each tidbit juicier than the last. --Leah Weathersby
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