Easy Riders, Raging Bulls
by Peter Biskind
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 653)
Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
gossip hounds
Here's where I gave up, where the tasty gossip turned from alluring to absurd:
"Timothy Bottoms, a rising young star who would years after distinguish himself by peeing on Dino DeLaurentiis's shoes during the production of 'Hurricane,' had a crush on Cybill, and couldn't understand why Peter, who already had a wife and children, was hitting on her. They fought throughout the production, and eventually, Bottoms got his revenge: he gave Cybill a novel by Henry James called 'Daisy Miller.'...more
"Timothy Bottoms, a rising young star who would years after distinguish himself by peeing on Dino DeLaurentiis's shoes during the production of 'Hurricane,' had a crush on Cybill, and couldn't understand why Peter, who already had a wife and children, was hitting on her. They fought throughout the production, and eventually, Bottoms got his revenge: he gave Cybill a novel by Henry James called 'Daisy Miller.'...more
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11 comments
recommends it for:
anyone wondering what it was like when Hollywood made good movies
This book is alternately fabulous and frustrating. In the fabulous column, Biskind is to be commended for his incredibly thorough research. How he got an interview with producer Bert Schneider is beyond my comprehension -- the guy is a total recluse, and one of the most fascinating figures in Hollywood history. I love the way he puts across the story-telling abilities of his interviewees...instead of distilling the information in cold, analytical prose, he lets everybody from Bruce Dern to Warre...more
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5 comments
Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
cineaphiles
Fantastic portrait of the best dozen years of American film and the insane circumstances which created them. Essential reading for any aspiring film dork. One part cultural anthropology, one part film criticism, one part gossip rag. Sample Dennis Hopper shenanigans (in the early 80s):
"Still convinced the mob was on his tail, he pulled a 'geographic,' ending up in L.A. shooting coke and heroin, and then on to Mexico, where he had an acting gig. Suffering from DTs and hallucinations, he s...more
"Still convinced the mob was on his tail, he pulled a 'geographic,' ending up in L.A. shooting coke and heroin, and then on to Mexico, where he had an acting gig. Suffering from DTs and hallucinations, he s...more
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Read in October, 2008
This book is dense, to say the least. It took me more than two weeks to read. It probably wasn't the best choice on the heels of the two part Elvis epic.
That being said, it was also wildly fascinating. In a nutshell, it's about how directors like Scorsese, Coppola, Bogdonavich, Ashby, etc revitalized Hollywood in the late 60s and early 70s, only to have their success devour them in the end. Biskind breaks the movie business down in such a way that it's easy (well, easier) to understand.
...more
That being said, it was also wildly fascinating. In a nutshell, it's about how directors like Scorsese, Coppola, Bogdonavich, Ashby, etc revitalized Hollywood in the late 60s and early 70s, only to have their success devour them in the end. Biskind breaks the movie business down in such a way that it's easy (well, easier) to understand.
...more
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Read in August, 2007
The book covers the emergence of the New Hollywood of Rafelson et al. rising from the ashes of Old Hollywood – we follow the arc to and through the peak of excess to the inevitable descent and replacement of the "auteur" in favor of the tried and false, the big budget bubble gum buffoonery of the studio. A fun, gossipy, indulgent read – would entertain anyone who enjoys the moviemakers who established themselves in the seventies: Scorsese, Coppola, Altman, Ashby, Friedkin, De Palma...more
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recommended to Jake by:
Adam, sort of.
I stole this from a buddies bookshelf for a read on a plane ride back home. I think it might be a college textbook, but I'm not all that sure. Ir-regardless, it is an excellent account of the film industry revolution during the 60's and 70's. It focuses more on the directors and not the actors, which is good because most of the decent directors of that time were completely out of their minds. I find that I use this book ( yeah, I kept it) as a source of reference up to several times a week and h...more
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While it's a damn entertaining read, Biskind gets some of his facts wrong, making most of this book suspect as a work chronicling the history of the generation of movie brats that revolutionized Hollywood in the late sixties through the early eighties. Biskind also gets lost reporting lurid details of decadence among the Hollywood hippies during this time, which have a sleazy appeal but ultimately adds up to dated gossip. However, I do appreciate how Biskind refuses to coddle and praise this g...more
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Read in October, 2007
Fascinating look at the movie culture in the '70's. And the many players' downfalls would be more of a tragedy if they hadn't all been such monumental dicks. The behavior of the likes of Bogdanovich, Friedkin, and particularly Coppola to their loved ones negates any goodwill they could have mustered from their movies. In fact, after reading this, I'm surprised any movies got made at all. The story of "Easy Rider"'s production was like reading a horror story. Also gave a great glim...more
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Read in November, 2006
recommends it for:
Whitney
This is a really good book that chronicles what was going on in Hollywood in the 1970s. There are a lot of funny stories and really interesting interviews with a lot of important Hollywood filmmakers and movie stars. Learn about Peter Bogdanovich's sexual practices and how Dennis Hopper's heavy drug use led to the creation of a staple of American film. Ever wonder how the bridge scene in "Sorcerer" was created? This book can fill you in. Have you wished that George Lucas' head wou...more
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I enjoyed this book immensely, most likely because it covers my favorite period of movies -- from the late '60s up to the very early '80s -- and many of the best film directors out there. It was great to read details I'd never known about huge movies, e.g. how Spielberg was totally distraught over Jaws, because the shark looked ridiculous, and how his editor basically saved the movie (by cutting it so that the terror was implied by just seeing parts of the shark) and his reputation as a filmmake...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
people interested in 70's cinema/gossip
This book was poorly written, to say the least. It pretty much read like a teen scream gossip rag. Biskind doesn't even feel obligated to use complete sentences. I felt guilty reading it, like I was investing too much time in something not worthy of it. That being said, I was pretty into the book otherwise. I learned a lot of really fascinating gossip about some of my favorite American directors and the Dennis Hopper stories were off the hook. Overall, I'm glad I read all 430 pages of this.
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If you love movies or want to know how American Cinema went from The Sound of Music to Silence of the Lambs, this book is a must read. It turned me on to a few films that I had overlooked, some I had not heard, and even the movies I knew so well were seen in a new light after reading this book. It is a fun read and, honestly, I imagine even those who are not movie-buffs might enjoy it for its insight of a time and art form that shaped the world we live in today.
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