Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance and the Rise of Independent Film

Written by Peter Biskind

Narrated by Phil Gigante

Down and Dirty Pictures chronicles the rise of independent filmmakers and of the twin engines—the Sundance Film Festival and Miramax Films—that have powered them. Peter Biskind profiles the people who took the independent movement from obscurity to the Oscars, most notably Sundance founder Robert Redford and Harvey Weinstein, who with his brother, Bob, made Miramax an indie powerhouse. Candid, penetrating and controversial, Down and Dirty Pictures is a must–read for anyone interested in the film world.

"In Down and Dirty Pictures, Biskind takes on the movie industry of the 1990s and again gets the story.... Peter Biskind captures his era as John Dunne did that of the Zanucks." —Frank Rich, The New York Times

"Dishy, teeming, superbly reported...packed with lively inside anecdotes...[a] juicy and fascinating expose." —Entertainment Weekly

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Dec 1, 2008
• ISBN: 9781423371175

Peter Biskind

PETER BISKIND is a cultural critic and film historian. He was editor in chief of American Film magazine from 1981 to 1986, and executive editor of Premiere magazine from 1986 to 1996. His writing has appeared in scores of national publications, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, The Nation, Newsweek, and The Washington Post, as well as film periodicals such as Sight and Sound and Film Quarterly. He is currently a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. He has published eight books, including the bestsellers Easy Riders, Raging Bulls and Down and Dirty Pictures, that have been translated into several languages. He is executive director of the annual Film-Columbia Festival held in the Hudson Valley.

Reviews for Down and Dirty Pictures

[Anthony L · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The audiobook only covers the first seven chapters. There are another seven chapters plus a postscript in the book. Good thing they have the book available too. Would be frustrating to only get half of the story based solely on the audiobook.

Also, I found the reading by Phil Gigante to be distracting. Someone got the idea that it would be great for him to do "voices". So we get his impersonation of James Ivory's English accent and Steven Soderbergh's Southern accent. He also does impersonations of all the females throughout the book. Just really sounded stupid. I don't need his impersonation to know that a woman is talking.

[dima · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This audiobook doesnt seem complete. Not sue if this is intentional

[Ryan Zarra · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic book! I learned so much about Weinstein and the industry and Tarantino and 1990s filmmaking!

[Karen Batley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Extremely informative. Oscar Awards will never be the same for me now

[ivegotzooms_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fun and fascinating. I can't believe there aren't any other reviews of this here.If you've ever wondered why the films that get made - get made - even in passing, you should read this. It will also give you a great appreciation for you boss, since this focuses a lot of attention on Miramax and the Weinstein brothers. And rightly so, as there's no story as good as a shocking story, and they deliver. Especially fun for me was the fact that I was in my 20s when many of the films and film makers discussed were getting started. I remember the films very well and can see the impact that resulted. The author seems to keep it very objective and tries to insert dissenting opinions where available. I don't know if it is my lack of education that made me feel like there were a few typos in this book, or the use of big words that I don't understand - the authory is clearly a very smart man and can't help throwing a few big words around in here. Overall it is extremely accessible to the novice if that's even the appropriate word here.It can be a little depressing though. If you care at all about art and artists, this will not give you a fond outlook on the film industry. As someone who enjoys off the wall cinema, it feels like I am being robbed of many things by Hollywood, and not just the things you would think make economic sense. So many personal vendettas and power struggles that we never see equal life long projects that will never be seen by anyone. Good ones, too.