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

By Peter Biskind

In the late 1980s a generation of filmmakers began to flower outside the Hollywood studio system and in the following decade, the independent film movement bloomed. Dozens of lesser-known filmmakers such as Steven Soderbergh and Quentin Tarantino began walking away with coveted prizes at Cannes and eventually the Academy Awards. Many of these directors were discovered at Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival and then scooped up by Harvey and Bob Weinstein, whose company Miramax laid waste to the competition. In Down and Dirty Pictures, Peter Biskind tells the incredible story of these filmmakers, the growth of Sundance into the premier showcase of independent film, and the meteoric rise of the controversial Weinstein brothers who left a trail of carnage in their wake yet created an Oscar factory that is the envy of the studios.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Jun 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9781408882139

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

[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.