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Book Report: Rebels On The Backlot

Sharon Waxman's Rebels On The Backlot chronicles the rise of the independent film (and independent director) during the 1990s culminating in 1999 producing some of the "first films of the new millennium". Rebels is definitely inside baseball of the film industry--as much talk is about agents, managers and studio executive as the more familiar actors and directors. Primarily focused on the rebel directors--Tarintino, Spike Jonez, David O. Russell, David Fincher, Paul Thomas Anderson and Soderbergh--the text is well researched and balanced with both praise of their genius and revelations of their less-than-stellar behaviors.

Rebels On The Backlot gives one a good glimpse into how the film industry operates, illustrating the tension between artistic vision and business discipline. It documents the importance of relationships in any endeavor and how, ultimately, through commitment to vision and hard work one can achieve success.

posted by J.T. Campbell, Jr. @ 8:58 AM