Peter Biskind(born 1940) is an American cultural critic, film historian, journalist and former executive editor ofPremieremagazine from 1986 to 1996.[1][2]
Peter Biskind | |
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| Born | 1940 (age 83–84) |
| Occupations |
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Biography
editHe attendedSwarthmore College[3]and wrote several books depicting life in Hollywood, includingSeeing Is Believing,Easy Riders, Raging Bulls,Down and Dirty Pictures,andGods and Monsters,some of which were bestsellers.[citation needed]In 2010, he published a biography of director and actorWarren Beatty,entitledStar: How Warren Beatty Seduced America.
Biskind is a contributing editor atVanity Fair.[2]His work has appeared in publications such asRolling Stone,The Washington Post,Paris Match,The Nation,The New York Times,The Times(London), and theLos Angeles Times,as well as in film journals such asSight and SoundandFilm Quarterly.[4]He and his wife Elizabeth Hess were both on the editorial staff ofSeven Daysmagazine in the late 1970s.
He served as the editor-in-chief ofAmerican Filmfrom 1981 to 1986.[1][2]
Biskind's books have been translated into more than thirty languages.[2]
Criticism
editRoger Eberthad been critical of Biskind since the publications ofEasy Riders, Raging BullsandDown and Dirty Pictures,saying: "Biskind has a way of massaging his stories to suit his agenda." In particular, Ebert drew attention to an alleged encounter with directorTodd Haynesat a film festival, where Haynes presented his filmPoison.According to Biskind's claims, Ebert declared: "Who the hell is Todd Haynes?" when introduced to him and snatched his hand away from an offered handshake. Ebert denies this event ever took place, as did Christine Vachon, Biskind's alleged source of the anecdote.[5]
Selected bibliography
editBooks
- (1983).Seeing Is Believing: How Hollywood Taught Us to Stop Worrying and Lovethe Fifties.New York: Pantheon Books.
- (1990).The GodfatherCompanion: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About All Three Godfather Films.New York, NY: HarperPerennial.
- (1998).Easy Riders, Raging Bulls:How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock-'n'-Roll Generation Saved Hollywood.New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
- (2004).Down and Dirty Pictures:Miramax,Sundance,and the Rise of Independent Film.New York: Simon & Schuster.
- (2004).Gods and Monsters: Thirty Years of Writing on Film and Culture From One of America's Most Incisive Writers.New York: Nation Books.
- (2010).Star: HowWarren BeattySeduced America.New York: Simon & Schuster.
- (2013).My Lunches With Orson: Conversations betweenHenry JaglomandOrson Welles.New York: Metropolitan Books.
- (2018).The Sky is Falling: How Vampires, Zombies, Androids and Superheroes Made America Great For Extremism.New York: The New Press.
- (2023).Pandora's Box: How Guts, Guile, and Greed Upended TV.New York: William Morrow.
Essays
- Peter Biskind's "Foreword" and his essay "Inside Indiewood" (April 3, 2000) are included in: Bromley, C. (2000).Cinema Nation: The Best Writing on Film from 'The Nation,' 1913–2000.New York: Thunder Mouth Press/Nation Books.
- "Reconstructing Woody",Vanity Fair,December 2005.
- "Thunder on the Left: The Making ofReds",Vanity Fair,March 2006.
- "The Vietnam Oscars",Vanity Fair,March 2008.
- Biskind'sVanity Fairarticles "Midnight Revolution" and "Thunder on the Left" are included in:Graydon Carter,editor (2008).Vanity Fair's Tales of Hollywood: Rebels, Reds, and Graduates and the Wild Stories Behind the Making of 13 Iconic Films.New York, N.Y.:Penguin Books.
References
edit- ^ab"Peter Biskind".Vanity Fair.
- ^abcd"Peter Biskind – Biography".Peter Biskind. Archived fromthe originalon January 19, 2013.RetrievedMay 12,2013.
- ^"The Columbia Paper".February 18, 2010.
- ^"Peter Biskind - Authors - Macmillan".
- ^Ebert, Roger(February 22, 2004)."Tinseltown author gets 'Down and Dirty,' indeed".rogerebert.