Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N Roll Generation Saved Hollywoodis a book byPeter Biskind,published bySimon & Schusterin 1998,[1]about ostensibly the1960s and 1970s Hollywood,a period of American film known for the production of such films such asThe Godfather,The Godfather Part II,The French Connection,Chinatown,Taxi Driver,Jaws,Star Wars,The Exorcist,andThe Last Picture Show.The title is taken from films which bookend the era:Easy Rider(1969) andRaging Bull(1980).
 | |
| Author | Peter Biskind |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
Publication date | 1998 |
| ISBN | 978-0684857084 |
The book was the basis of a 2003documentaryfilm of the same title, directed by Kenneth Bowser and narrated by actorWilliam H. Macy.The documentary was screened out of competition at the2003 Cannes Film Festival.[2]Rotten Tomatoesgives the film a score of 100%, aggregated from the input of eight contributors.[3]
Profiles and interviews
editProfiled in the book
edit- Robert Altman
- Hal Ashby
- Luke Askew
- Gerald Ayres
- Warren Beatty
- Peter Bogdanovich
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Brian De Palma
- Robert Evans
- Peter Fonda
- William Friedkin
- Buck Henry
- Dennis Hopper
- Amy Irving
- George Lucas
- Marcia Lucas
- John Milius
- Jack Nicholson
- Polly Platt
- Bob Rafelson
- Bert Schneider
- Leonard Schrader
- Paul Schrader
- Martin Scorsese
- Cybill Shepherd
- Don Simpson
- Steven Spielberg
- Robert Towne
Interviewed in the film
edit- Dede Allen
- Peter Bart
- Tony Bill
- Karen Black
- Peter Bogdanovich
- Ellen Burstyn
- Roger Corman
- Micky Dolenz
- Richard Dreyfuss
- Peter Fonda
- Carl Gottlieb
- Jerome Hellman
- Monte Hellman
- Dennis Hopper
- Willard Huyck
- Stanley Jaffe
- Henry Jaglom
- Gloria Katz
- Margot Kidder
- Laszlo Kovacs
- Kris Kristofferson
- Mardik Martin
- Mike Medavoy
- Sylvia Miles
- John Milius
- Charles Mulvehill
- David Newman
- Arthur Penn
- Michael Phillips
- David Picker
- Polly Platt
- Albert S. Ruddy
- Jennifer Salt
- Andrew Sarris
- Paul Schrader
- Cybill Shepherd
- Jonathan Taplin
- Joan Tewkesbury
- Fred Weintraub
- Gordon Willis
- Rudy Wurlitzer
- Vilmos Zsigmond
Response
editSeveral of the film-makers profiled in the book have criticized Biskind, many rather harshly. Robert Altman denounced both the book and Biskind's methods, saying "It washate mail.We were all lured into talking to this guy because people thought he was a straight guy but he was filling a commission from the publisher for a hatchet job. He's the worst kind of human being I know. "[4]
Francis Ford Coppola was highly critical, alleging that Biskind interviewed only people with negative opinions of him.[5]
TheSundance festivalcame under heavy criticism in Biskind's book. He describes it as "little more than a means to save a land deal that was going wrong, by dragging some punters up to his [Robert Redford's] failingski resort."The author bemoans Redford as" untouchable in America "where he's considered" as pure as the driven snow, "having" the best press of any Hollywood figure ever. "[4]Biskind claims Sundance "has failed" if judged by its "original, loftier goal" to be "an institute to help outsiders."[6]Redford responded by saying that he'd never seen Biskind at Sundance and that the festival's success speaks for itself.[4]
CriticRoger Ebertreported Steven Spielberg saying ofEasy Riders, Raging Bulls:"Every single word in that book about me is either erroneous or a lie."[7]Ebert himself remarked that "Biskind has a way of massaging his stories to suit his agenda."[7]
When asked about Biskind's portrayal of him as "a womanizer, a tyrant and a bully," directorWilliam Friedkinsaid: "I've actually never read the book, but I've talked to some of my friends who are portrayed in it, and we all share the opinion that it is partial truth, partial myth and partial out-and-out lies by mostly rejected girlfriends and wives."[8]Peter Bogdanovich was "furious," saying: "I spent seven hours with that guy over a period of days, and he got it all wrong".[9]
In a 2014 interview, Biskind stated he found the negative responses "very upsetting," saying, "Coppola...made three great movies, the twoGodfathersandThe Conversation.His place in film history is secure. If I had made those films, I wouldn’t give a damn what anyone wrote about me. "He offered as a counterpoint Willian Friedkins' alleged reaction:" It's only a book. "Biskind claimed he and Coppola made amends on a cruise in 2000,[5]though eye witnesses in the cruise stated that Coppola "grilled" and "needled" Biskind with "hostile questions," rendering the author "visibly uncomfortable," and that the director concluded with the words "I forgive [you]" in the manner that, inGodfather II,Michael Corleone forgives his brother Fredo right before he has him murdered.[10]
See also
edit- A Decade Under the Influence,documentary about theNew Hollywood(2003)
References
edit- ^Biskind, Peter(1998).Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and Rock 'n Roll Generation Saved Hollywood.Simon & Schuster.ISBN978-0-684-80996-0.OCLC38389788.
- ^"Festival de Cannes: Easy Riders, Raging Bulls".festival-cannes.Retrieved2009-11-08.
- ^"Easy Riders, Raging Bulls".Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^abcAdams, Tim (22 August 2004)."Full exposure".The Guardian.Archived fromthe originalon 3 December 2013.Retrieved2 November2024.
- ^abWloszczyna, Susan (18 July 2014)."'Easy Riders, Raging Bulls' Author Peter Biskind Looks Back at the New Hollywood ".IndieWire.Retrieved3 November2024.
- ^"Redford disappointed by criticism".Today.Reuters.20 January 2004.Retrieved3 November2024.
- ^abEbert, Roger(22 February 2004)."Tinseltown Author Gets 'Down and Dirty,' Indeed".Rogerebert.Retrieved3 November2024.
- ^Teetor, Paul (11 April 2013)."The Exorcist Director William Friedkin Tells All in His No-Bullshit Memoir".LA Weekly.RetrievedAugust 3,2017.
- ^Poland, David (14 February 2006)."Bogdanovich Epilogue: A Word About Biskind And Cher".Movie City News.Retrieved3 August2017.
- ^DiGiacomo, Frank (21 February 2000)."One From the Spleen: Coppola Battles Biskind on the High Seas".Observer Media.Retrieved3 November2024.