Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film
by Peter Biskind
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Down and Dirty Pictures chronicles the rise of independent filmmakers and of the twin engines--Sundance and Miramax-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. "It wasn't so long ago that the Sundance Film Festival was an inconsequential event somewhere in Utah, and Miramax was a tiny distributor of music documentaries show more and soft-core trash. Today, of course, Sundance is the most important film festival this side of Cannes, and Miramax has become an industry giant, part of the huge Disney empire. Likewise, the directors who emerged from the independent movement, such as Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, and David O. Russell--who once had to max out their credit cards to realize their visions on the screen--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. Down and Dirty Pictures chronicles the rise of independent filmmakers and of the twin engines Sundance and Miramax--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. Biskind follows Sundance as it grew from a regional film festival to the premier showcase of independent film, succeeding almost despite the mercurial Redford, whose visionary plans were nearly thwarted by his own quixotic personality. He charts in fascinating detail the meteoric rise of the controversial Harvey Weinstein, often described as the last mogul, who created an Oscar factory that became the envy of the studios, while leaving a trail of carnage in his wake. As in Easy Riders, Biskind's incisive account is loaded with vibrant anecdotes and outrageous stories, all of it blended into a fast-moving narrative. Redford, the Weinsteins, and the directors, producers, and actors Biskind profiles are the people who reinvented Hollywood, making independent films mainstream. But success invariably means compromise, and it remains to be seen whether the indie spirit can survive its corporate embrace. Candid, mesmerizing, and penetrating, Down and Dirry Pictures is a must-read for anyone interested in the film world and where it's headed."--Jacket flaps. show lessTags
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Fun and fascinating. I can't believe there aren't any other reviews of this here.
If you've ever wondered why the films that get made - get made - even in passing, you should read this. It will also give you a great appreciation for you boss, since this focuses a lot of attention on Miramax and the Weinstein brothers. And rightly so, as there's no story as good as a shocking story, and they deliver. Especially fun for me was the fact that I was in my 20s when many of the films and film makers discussed were getting started. I remember the films very well and can see the impact that resulted.
The author seems to keep it very objective and tries to insert dissenting opinions where available. I don't know if it is my lack of education that show more made me feel like there were a few typos in this book, or the use of big words that I don't understand - the author is clearly a very smart man and can't help throwing a few big words around in here. Overall it is extremely accessible to the novice if that's even the appropriate word here.
It can be a little depressing though. If you care at all about art and artists, this will not give you a fond outlook on the film industry. As someone who enjoys off the wall cinema, it feels like I am being robbed of many things by Hollywood, and not just the things you would think make economic sense. So many personal vendettas and power struggles that we never see equal life long projects that will never be seen by anyone. Good ones, too. show less
If you've ever wondered why the films that get made - get made - even in passing, you should read this. It will also give you a great appreciation for you boss, since this focuses a lot of attention on Miramax and the Weinstein brothers. And rightly so, as there's no story as good as a shocking story, and they deliver. Especially fun for me was the fact that I was in my 20s when many of the films and film makers discussed were getting started. I remember the films very well and can see the impact that resulted.
The author seems to keep it very objective and tries to insert dissenting opinions where available. I don't know if it is my lack of education that show more made me feel like there were a few typos in this book, or the use of big words that I don't understand - the author is clearly a very smart man and can't help throwing a few big words around in here. Overall it is extremely accessible to the novice if that's even the appropriate word here.
It can be a little depressing though. If you care at all about art and artists, this will not give you a fond outlook on the film industry. As someone who enjoys off the wall cinema, it feels like I am being robbed of many things by Hollywood, and not just the things you would think make economic sense. So many personal vendettas and power struggles that we never see equal life long projects that will never be seen by anyone. Good ones, too. show less
> Peter Biskind SEXE, MENSONGES ET HOLLYWOOD Paris, Le Seuil, coll. « Points », 2007, 928 p., 9,80 €
Se reporter au compte rendu de O. M.
In: Revue Esprit No. 338 (10) (Octobre 2007), pp. 219-220… ; (en ligne),
URL : https://esprit.presse.fr/actualite-des-livres/peter-biskind/sexe-mensonges-et-ho...
Se reporter au compte rendu de O. M.
In: Revue Esprit No. 338 (10) (Octobre 2007), pp. 219-220… ; (en ligne),
URL : https://esprit.presse.fr/actualite-des-livres/peter-biskind/sexe-mensonges-et-ho...
Jan 24, 2021French
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If you are even a casual reader of glossy magazines or gossip pages, you probably don't need Peter Biskind to tell you that Harvey Weinstein, the co-chairman of Miramax Films, is an outsize character: a big guy with big appetites and a temper the size of TriBeCa.
But Mr. Biskind's absurdly entertaining new book, ''Down and Dirty Pictures,'' is here to tell you that you don't know the half of show more it. Mr. Biskind compares Mr. Weinstein to Nixon, Mussolini, an undercooked pancake, Darth Vadar, the fat guy who projectile vomits in Monty Python's ''Meaning of Life,'' even Lizzie Grubman in reverse-traction mode. And that's all before Chapter 1. show less
But Mr. Biskind's absurdly entertaining new book, ''Down and Dirty Pictures,'' is here to tell you that you don't know the half of show more it. Mr. Biskind compares Mr. Weinstein to Nixon, Mussolini, an undercooked pancake, Darth Vadar, the fat guy who projectile vomits in Monty Python's ''Meaning of Life,'' even Lizzie Grubman in reverse-traction mode. And that's all before Chapter 1. show less
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Peter Biskind is the author of "The Godfather Companion" & "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls." A contributing editor at "Vanity Fair," he has written for "The New York Times," the "Los Angeles Times," "The Washington Post," & "Rolling Stone," among other publications. He lives in New York City. (Bowker Author Biography)
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- On a crisp November morning in 1979, Robert Redford, one of the 1970s' brightest stars, inaugurated a three-day conference of filmmakers and arts professionals at his home, a big-beamed ski lodge high up on the slopes of Moun... (show all)t Timpanogos, in the North Fork of Provo Canyon, Utah.
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- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"And will always believe that."
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