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The Devil's Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood
When film director Brian De Palma invited author Julie Salamon to follow him on the set of The Bonfire of the Vanities, he had no idea that the $50-million movie would become one of Hollywood's biggest flops.
The Devil's Candy is the juicy, best-selling expose that sent Hollywood honchos running for cover. Who was responsible for the last-minute casting change that cost $4
...morePaperback, 460 pages
Published
October 1st 1992
by Delta
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I read Bonfire of the Vanities so that I could read this book, an account of the making of the big-budget, star-studded film adaptation, which became one of the most legendary flops in film history. You wouldn’t have to have read the book to enjoy this account but I’d think you would at least have to have seen the film (which I have not, incidentally). That being said, I felt like I got a lot more out of the book having read Wolfe’s book, and knowing what its message and tone was in comparison...more
Salamon's insider's view of the making of "The Bonfire of the Vanities" movie is, at times, a fascinating window into the nuts and bolts of movie-making.
I've only seen bits and pieces of the movie on television, and haven't seen any of it in years. Therefore, I have no particular feeling for or against the movie. My problem with the book is that, for all of the detail she reports about the making of the movie, one never gets any insight into why the movie was such a fai...more
I've only seen bits and pieces of the movie on television, and haven't seen any of it in years. Therefore, I have no particular feeling for or against the movie. My problem with the book is that, for all of the detail she reports about the making of the movie, one never gets any insight into why the movie was such a fai...more
Halanhoffman
added it
I saw the movie again after I read this. They put so much time effort and money into details you don't even notice. Like over $400,000 and weeks of preparation to film a Concorde landing - it lasts for four seconds.
DePalma seems like a very hit-or-miss genius. In his defense, I have to say this project was a huge undertaking. A Tom Wolfe story is like something by Charles Dickens. And the book doesn't have a clear ending.
Salamon just wanted to write a book about a movie being made that she kn...more
DePalma seems like a very hit-or-miss genius. In his defense, I have to say this project was a huge undertaking. A Tom Wolfe story is like something by Charles Dickens. And the book doesn't have a clear ending.
Salamon just wanted to write a book about a movie being made that she kn...more
I've had this book on my bookshelf for over fifteen years and finally decided to read it. It's from one of my favourite sub-genres too; books about movie-making. Salamon details the disaster that became Brian De Palma's Bonfire of the Vanities. Did this thing ever have a chance? Hard to say but bad casting decisions, a marginal script and constant studio interference didn't help. Fun to try and figure out precisely where the wheels fell off. Salamon is fearless and it's hard to believe she ever ...more
Brian DePalma, in a stunning stoke of hubris, was so certain that his movie version of The Bonfire Of The Vanities was going to be a masterpiece, he invited a reporter from Variety on set to document how a great film is made, from pre-production clear to the red carpet of the premiere.
Of course, the film was a complete fiasco. Released in Decemeber for Oscar consideration (from Paramount, who buried GoodFellas the year before in the spring, never considering that movie's Oscar potential)...more
Of course, the film was a complete fiasco. Released in Decemeber for Oscar consideration (from Paramount, who buried GoodFellas the year before in the spring, never considering that movie's Oscar potential)...more
An interesting look at the making of the film version of "Bonfire of the Vanities, Salamon was given total access so the reader can see, step by step, how this fairly dreadful movie was made. I would recommend it to any cinema fan as I have never read anything quite like it before.
A truly great book; the story of the making of Bonfire of the Vanities, it's a must if you have any interest in film at all. You don't need to have read the book or seen the film to appreciate it (I haven't) but it's probably an even better read if you have.
It took me ages to finish this but this was less a reflection on the book's quality than my tendency to get distracted.
It took me ages to finish this but this was less a reflection on the book's quality than my tendency to get distracted.
This book is the reason real behind-the-scenes access has become limited for journalists. Julie Salamon did a great job of reporting on what (hint: it's a lot of things) made Bonfire of the Vanities such a disaster.
Almost too painful to read, as various Hollywood careers attempt to self-destruct. The most noble character to come out of the whole thing is the 2nd unit director Eric Schwab.
Since I loved the book Bonfire of the Vanities and loathed the movie, it'll be interesting to read how the movie ended up being such a colossal failure.
Really fun read. The behind-the-scenes account of how a Hollywood studio operates to produce what they consider to be the most commercial product confirms the worst criticisms of modern movie making. I also appreciated that the focus of this book was the nuts and bolts of producing the film and not celebrity gossip.
I wish the author would have extracted De Palma's review of the finished film in more detail, but the director provided such unrestricted access to his production tha...more
I wish the author would have extracted De Palma's review of the finished film in more detail, but the director provided such unrestricted access to his production tha...more
I'll never look at Bruce Willis the same way again... Or Aunt Zelda from Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Riveting from the get-go. Salamon can write and she knows her subject.
Explains also why almost everyone in Hollywood is Jewish. Unwelcome in many traditional trades at the start of the 20th century, Jews seized on film making, where they made their own rules of ascension and belonging, etc. Cool. Fascinating.
Explains also why almost everyone in Hollywood is Jewish. Unwelcome in many traditional trades at the start of the 20th century, Jews seized on film making, where they made their own rules of ascension and belonging, etc. Cool. Fascinating.
This book was interesting and a real page-turner. Well-written too. It was fun to watch parts of the movie "on demand" with Netflix streaming to see what certain scenes ended up looking like (e.g., the landing of the Concorde). It sounds like making a movie in Hollywood is like throwing yourself to the wolves! I loved the Bonfire book, by the way.
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Not great literature by any stretch, but lots of fun. Salamon was given unprecendented access to all the players, key or otherwise, involved with the making of Bonfire of the Vanities. In truth, I have neither read the book nor seen the film -- I just love Hollywood! Plus my father's cousin was the Production Designer on Bonfire, and I'll read anything I can find about him.
I can't really remember why I borrowed this through interlibrary loan, but the straightforward writing style and fascinating subject matter--the business and art of making movies--make me not want to put it down.
Fascinating and candid account of how the best-selling novel by Tom Wolfe became a box office failure... Lots of insight on how decisions get made behind the scenes and how artistic visions get compromised.
In hindsight, it may seem like it was a colossally bad idea to let a journalist document the making of the movie version of Bonfire of the Vanities, but at the time it was a can't-lose proposition. Even after the movie came out and demolished several theaters with its pure stench, Brian De Palma still didn't try to stop the release of this book.
There are few surprises, but car crashes usually obey the laws of physics. Turns out Tom Hanks is a really nice guy and Bruce Willis is a mas...more
There are few surprises, but car crashes usually obey the laws of physics. Turns out Tom Hanks is a really nice guy and Bruce Willis is a mas...more
Mainly for screenwriters and fans of the hollywood "game", this book tells all about the filming and production of the movie, "Bonfire of the Vanities", Thomas Wolfe quickly detached himself with the perceived fiasco of what the film became, even though Brian DePalma helmed this overbudget behometh that came to be. I have still not watched the movie. But the author provides a glimpse behind the goings on behind the camera and the celebrity trailers that i have not read before...more
Fascinating.
Salamon tells the tale of the making of Bonfire of the Vanities into a film. It provides an incredibly detailed view of the many aspect of moviemaking, any of which can turn a good product into a bad one. She notes the thought process behind many of the decisions that were made for the film, many of the decisions bad and costly ones. It is unique in my reading to have such an inside view covering such a wide range of information. A must read for anyone who loves cinema.
Funny and penetrating blow-by-blow account of the making of one of the worst movies of all time: the film version of Tom Wolfe's great book "The Bonfire Of The Vanities". That it's a crappy movie made from a great book makes this thing all the more of a tragicomedy. For best results, read Wolfe's "Bonfire", then this book, then rent the awful movie and witness the disaster for yourself.
This was an interesting book to read. I learned a lot about how movies are made (besides just the fact that movies scenes aren't shot in order). I've actually seen the movie (and the book the movie was based on) that is followed in this book. I think this book would be hard to read if you haven't seen the movie first.
Reading this book, one is amazed that movies in Hollywood get made at all.
"The Devil's Candy" is about the making of "Bonfire of the Vanities". But the film itself is incidental-it's really about the process of film making in general. What makes this story so interesting is that this production ran into bigger problems than usual. Much bigger.
"The Devil's Candy" is about the making of "Bonfire of the Vanities". But the film itself is incidental-it's really about the process of film making in general. What makes this story so interesting is that this production ran into bigger problems than usual. Much bigger.
A non-fiction account of the trials and tribulations faced in adapting Tom Wolfe's "the Bonfire of the Vanities" to the screen. Despite a stellar cast and crew, the film went down as one of the biggest flops in American film history.
When movie-making goes horribly wrong....if you've seen the film Bonfire of the Vanities, then you understand just what a fiasco it was. At the time it was one of my favorite novels, and I hated that movie so much.
Interesting description of how a snowball of seemingly good decisions can result in a bad outcome. Well-written and reads easy. More enjoyable if you've read 'bonfire of the vanities' first
World's Smallest Book Group reviews The Devil's Candy:
http://omaried.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/...
http://omaried.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/...
A scabrous look at the making of a terrible film from a great book. Captures Hollywood lunacy with a skillful eye.
(see "Final Cut" for special-edition double-review!)
[WARNING: THIS BOOK IS NOT ABOUT CANDY]
[WARNING: THIS BOOK IS NOT ABOUT CANDY]
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