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Audiobook9 hours
Off the Cliff: How the Making of Thelma & Louise Drove Hollywood to the Edge
Written by Becky Aikman
Narrated by Kirsten Potter
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
A lively and revealing behind-the-scenes look at the making of one of history's most controversial and influential movies, drawing on exclusive interviews with the cast and crew.
"You've always been crazy," says Louise to Thelma, shortly after she locks a police officer in the trunk of his car. "This is just the first chance you've had to express yourself."
In 1991, Thelma & Louise, the story of two outlaw women on the run from their disenchanted lives, was a revelation. Suddenly, a film in which women were, in every sense, behind the wheel. It turned the tables on Hollywood, instantly becoming a classic, and continues to electrify audiences as a cultural statement of defiance. But if the film's place in history now seems certain, at the time its creation was a long shot. Only through sheer hard work and more than a little good luck did the script end up in the hands of the brilliant English filmmaker Ridley Scott, who saw its huge potential. With Scott on board, a team willing to challenge the odds came together—including the stars Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon and a fresh-faced up-and-coming actor named Brad Pitt, as well as legends like actor Harvey Keitel, composer Hans Zimmer, and old-school studio chief Alan Ladd Jr.—to create one of the most controversial movies of all time.
But before icons like Davis and Sarandon got involved, Thelma & Louise was just an idea in the head of Callie Khouri, a thirty-year-old music video production manager, who was fed up with working behind the scenes on sleazy sets. At four a.m. one night, sitting in her car outside the ramshackle bungalow in Santa Monica that she shared with two friends, she had a vision: two women on a crime spree, fleeing their dull and tedious lives—lives like hers—in search of a freedom they had never before been able to realize. But in the late 1980s, Hollywood was dominated by men, both on the screen and behind the scenes. The likelihood of a script by an unheard-of screenwriter starring two women in lead roles actually getting made was remote. But Khouri had one thing going for her—she was so inexperienced she didn't really know she would be attempting the nigh impossible.
In Off the Cliff, Becky Aikman tells the full extraordinary story behind this feminist sensation, which crashed through barricades and upended convention. Drawing on 130 exclusive interviews with the key players from this remarkable cast of actors, writers, and filmmakers, Aikman tells an inspiring and important underdog story about creativity, the magic of cinema, and the unjust obstacles that women in Hollywood continue to face to this day.
"You've always been crazy," says Louise to Thelma, shortly after she locks a police officer in the trunk of his car. "This is just the first chance you've had to express yourself."
In 1991, Thelma & Louise, the story of two outlaw women on the run from their disenchanted lives, was a revelation. Suddenly, a film in which women were, in every sense, behind the wheel. It turned the tables on Hollywood, instantly becoming a classic, and continues to electrify audiences as a cultural statement of defiance. But if the film's place in history now seems certain, at the time its creation was a long shot. Only through sheer hard work and more than a little good luck did the script end up in the hands of the brilliant English filmmaker Ridley Scott, who saw its huge potential. With Scott on board, a team willing to challenge the odds came together—including the stars Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon and a fresh-faced up-and-coming actor named Brad Pitt, as well as legends like actor Harvey Keitel, composer Hans Zimmer, and old-school studio chief Alan Ladd Jr.—to create one of the most controversial movies of all time.
But before icons like Davis and Sarandon got involved, Thelma & Louise was just an idea in the head of Callie Khouri, a thirty-year-old music video production manager, who was fed up with working behind the scenes on sleazy sets. At four a.m. one night, sitting in her car outside the ramshackle bungalow in Santa Monica that she shared with two friends, she had a vision: two women on a crime spree, fleeing their dull and tedious lives—lives like hers—in search of a freedom they had never before been able to realize. But in the late 1980s, Hollywood was dominated by men, both on the screen and behind the scenes. The likelihood of a script by an unheard-of screenwriter starring two women in lead roles actually getting made was remote. But Khouri had one thing going for her—she was so inexperienced she didn't really know she would be attempting the nigh impossible.
In Off the Cliff, Becky Aikman tells the full extraordinary story behind this feminist sensation, which crashed through barricades and upended convention. Drawing on 130 exclusive interviews with the key players from this remarkable cast of actors, writers, and filmmakers, Aikman tells an inspiring and important underdog story about creativity, the magic of cinema, and the unjust obstacles that women in Hollywood continue to face to this day.
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Reviews for Off the Cliff
Rating: 4.32143 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
14 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I loved how this book got into the nitty-gritty of the filmmaking process: casting, set-decorating, cinematography. It described the actors' different processes for preparing for scenes. It documents the (sexist) landscape in Hollywood, how hard it was to get this movie, this vision made. I expected some of that, but the detail was astounding, as were the details of the whole creative process that resulted in this film. Plus, it reads like a novel.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Off The Cliff: How The Making of Thelma & Louise Drove Hollywood To The EdgeWarning: swearingStarts out with Callie and how she grew up in KY, moved to TN and then onto CA over the years she's had many jobs and has met many people.Also goes into what the movie industry is doing as not many movies staring women are endorsed as much as those with men in them.Lots of name dropping so you understand who is out there doing their best.Follows the people at the top of the production as they are selected, along with actors and actresses. Goes into their family life also and what motivated them into their field.Amazing when it gets to the actual production and the complications they come up against. Lots of references and quotes listed at the end.Enjoyed the book mostly because of all the descriptions of the locations that I've yet to visit. Storyline was a bit different than what I'm used to reading.I received this book from a publicist via Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Off the Cliff is a great book about an iconic film without going off a cliff. Aikman handles all aspects of the film with a thorough fairness, and giving the reader all of the details from the writing to the filming and the release and audience reaction. Free review copy.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I LOVED this movie and when I saw there was a book about the making of it, my finger was on that request button as fast as I could get it there. And, I was not disappointed. This book was full of facts, quotes, reviews, opinions and trivia out the wazoo.Did you know that George Clooney auditioned for the role that Brad Pitt got? It's in there and it's treated pretty humorously, as well.I had no idea what kind of controversy this movie posed to a lot of people. All I knew was that I liked the movie. It was entertainment and I enjoyed it. According to this book, the movie caused all kinds of controversy. There was also several pages regarding the ending of the movie.A book full of facts and one that I don't think I skipped a single page. I was that enthralled and into it. As a matter of fact, Kindle said I still had like 30 or 40 minutes to read, but that was due to the bibliography at the end. If your a trivia buff or a fan of Thelma and Louise, it's worth the read.Thanks to Penguin Group and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a great book. The most amazing part of it for me was that I had no idea how groundbreaking that movie was. I knew women fared no better in Hollywood than anywhere else, but I had no idea the degree of disgutingness they had to put up with to get a simple job. Callie Khouri's story was mesmerizing. I'm so glad that the events fell along as they did, with Ridley Scott directing. I don't think the film would have been nearly as successful if Callie had directed it. Her agenda was too different to make it a success. I admire her tenaciousness and her storytelling abilities. I love the Nashville show as well. I truly loved Thelma and Louise and particularly the score.