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Somewhat of a follow up to Biskind's Easy Riders, Raging Bulls as it accounts for how after the power in Hollywood shifted from the directors to the studios after the 1970's it then began a shift to the independant film leading to the rise of the independant film movement of the '90s. The power belonged not to the independant filmmaker however, but the independant film distributors, specifically the Weinstein Bros. of Miramax.

I had thought that this book would focus on the directors of that period and delve into their creativity and sordid personal lives the way Easy Riders did. Instead, Biskind concentrates on the business of filmmaking and it is surprisingly just as captivating. Independant films proved themselves to be very profitable in the '90s and this book is about the people that were concerned with that profitability.

For the most part this is a book about Miramax. They are the big players and are responsible for both the rise and fall of this movement. Harvey Weinstein is also an extemely colorful character and his genius and dastadliness is more than worthy of the majority of a 560 page book.
Biskind is very opinionated about films and about the people he discusses here. He's balanced for the most part, even with the horrid picture he paints of Harvey. It's whenever he writes about Robert Redford that he is completely one sided though. In the intro he discloses that Redford refused to speak to him for this book and as a result Biskind seems to tear him apart any chance he gets. It comes across as bitter in how excessive it is. Though it's also the only point of interest in the otherwise boring Sundance excerpts.

This book made me not only want to watch or re-watch the films discussed but also it made me think about the creative process versus the business process in any commercial venture. In some cases, the meddling that Miramax would do with their films (listening more to test groups than the director) would actually help to improve the film. Of course in other cases it ruined what might have been a work of art by removing nuance or originality that might not have played well with enough audiences. It's an interesting give and take that is necessary in any artistic venture that is looking to make a profit.

Posted at July 13, 2004 09:27 AM