United Artists

by Peter Kramer (Editor), Gary Needham (Editor), Yannis Tzioumakis (Editor)

Established in 1919 by Hollywood's top talent United Artists has had an illustrious history, from Hollywood minor to industry leader to a second-tier media company in the shadow of MGM.　This edited collection brings together leading film historians to examine key aspects of United Artists' centennial history from its origins to the sometimes chaotic developments of the last four decades. The focus is on several key executives - ranging from Joseph Schenck to Paula Wagner and Tom Cruise - and on many of the people making films for United Artists, including Gloria Swanson, David O. Selznick, Kirk Douglas, the Mirisch brothers and Woody Allen. Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, individual case studies explore the mutually supportive but also in places highly contentious relationships between United Artists and its　producers, the difficult balance between artistic and commercial objectives, and the resulting hits and misses (among them The General, the Pink Panther franchise, Heaven's Gate, Cruising, and Hot Tub Time Machine). The second volume in the Routledge Hollywood Centenary series, United Artists is a fascinating and comprehensive study of the firm's history and legacy, perfect for students and researchers of cinema and film history, media industries, and Hollywood.

324 pages, Hardcover

Published February 13, 2020

Reviews

[Malcolm Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers the fortunes of United Artists since its founding in 1919.The chapters are written by various authors,most of which I found very interesting. There was one chapter I found almost unintelligible. I did not like the fact that the smooth flow of chapters was interrupted by attributions to the author of a quote.

[A Cesspool · Rating 4 out of 5]

worthy supplement to Tino Balio's essential United Artists Vol. 2: 1951-1978 - The Company That Changed the Film Industry.

Unfortunate authors editors still regard mediocre U/A executive Seven Bach's 1985 tell-all [née: revisionist history] as gospel truth. Even if published prior to Charles Elton's essential 2022
Cimino monograph, a cursory query of Boxoffice and/or Variety back issues (from Bach's offensively destructive era at U/A) to refute much blame from his face-saving memoir, imho.