Product Description

Here is Hollywood over the last three decades - the superfreaks, lowlifes, charlatans, and the occasional geniuses who have left their bite marks on American culture, as refracted through the trajectory of Peter Biskind's career. Biskind began as a radical journalist and film critic. Now he can legitimately describe himself - as he does in the autobiographical introduction to this book - as a 'recovering celebrity journalist'. At the heart of the book are the likes of Martin Scorsese, Robert Redford, Terrence Malick, Sue Mengers, and uber-producer Don Simpson, all of whom Biskind portrays in great Dickensian detail, charting how they have had a simultaneously strangulating and liberating effect on the industry.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61699 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
'If there is a better book about the inside of the film industry I'd like to see it.' SUNDAY TIMES on EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS 'Without question, the non-fiction book of the year superbly written a fascinating piece of cultural history brimming with snippets of very juicy gossip.' SUNDAY TIMES on EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS 'Biskind's book is prolix, gossipy, informed, funny and sour; a backstage epic that makes your jaw drop.' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'A total page-turner. The anecdotes, the characters, the fights, the stress of independent film-making are all here in their full-bloodedness.' INDEPENDENT

About the Author
Peter Biskind is the author of four previous books. Currently a contributor to Vanity Fair, he was formerly the executive editor of Premiere and has written for numerous publications. He lives in Columbia County, New York.

Customer Reviews

Deconstructing Cinema
Having read Biskind's brilliant Easy riders - Raging bulls I was expecting more of the same kind of expose and insider stories that made that book so fascinating to read. Instead we get a lesson in film theory - which is sporadically interesting but not really what I was hoping for.
Film students may find this book useful - but film lovers in search of an engrossing read about the industry should stick to the aforementioned book or Robert Evan's The Kid stays in the Picture.Naked HollywoodThe Kid Stays in the Picture: A Hollywood Life

Of interest to film students / sociologists only!
This is a collection of Biskind's writing for various film magazines throughout the 70s and 80s. Whilst there are some excellent pieces, I reckon it is essential that the reader is at least familiar with the subject pieces prior to reading.