A Pound of Flesh: Perilous Tales of How to Produce Movies in Hollywood

by Art Linson

Have you ever wondered what a Hollywood movie producer actually does? In A Pound of Flesh, producer Art Linson takes us behind closed doors on a rare backstage tour through Hollywood. With amusing stories that recount his challenging experiences with a legion of players whose roster includes David Mamet, Robert De Niro, Jeff Katzenberg, Brian De Palma, Sean Penn, Ned Tanen, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, and Sean Connery, Unson sheds klieg lights on the mystery behind the moviemaking process. From acquiring scripts to hiring a writer, packaging the talent, and facing the horror of opening night, you'll glimpse the sweat on the brows of some of Tinseltown's hottest players as they sidestep minefields at the box office, grin through embarrassing defeats, and occasionally bow to the magic of success. A Pound of Flesh is the first guide by a true insider to exactly how movies get made in Hollywood. Linson maps the entire course, beginning with that initial spark of an idea that propels the producer into action, through unpredictable and often chaotic meetings with writers, agents, and movie executives, and even on to the fearsome task of confronting preview audiences and the critics. He chronicles his own disasters and successes, charting the bloody process by which a film is finally, and at times painfully, realized on the screen. We are brought into executive suites, made privy to cellular phone conversations, and escorted onto the sets of multimillion-dollar productions to see what it takes to get a movie made, as well as to learn why other projects, despite the vast effort and money behind them, can ultimately end up gathering dust on some studio's forgotten shelf, or in pieces on the cuttingroom floor. A Pound of Flesh is an engaging, informative, and oftentimes hilarious account of one man's odyssey to compete in America's cruelest, most glamorous industry. This is a book for film students, movie lovers, and anyone interested in the backstage drama of Hollywood.

Genres: Nonfiction, Film, Biography

208 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 1993

Reviews

[Jeremy Hornik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, a fast read. Organized in the stages of developing and producing a movie, so the movie you read about in the scriptwriting part, you might see again in the first screening part. I was most interested in the packaging section. Show Business! There’s no business like it, I hear.

[Stephen- Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

After bumping into Art a number of times over the years I was at WBM, (He managed the group Crazy Horse and Nils Loftgren) and following his film productions (I have all the contract briefs of his WB Pictures projects), I found three of his books to read...this being the first of the three.....! It chronicles his quest to become a film producer from leaving college through a few of his more successful productions.....And gives some pretty interesting "behind the scenes" stories.......People always make the mistake of wanting to read the bio of the famous singer, songwriter, band or actor, never realizing that their stories are so "tainted" by their own bias and blinders, and that the best stories about the entertainment business are from the manager, agents, publishers and others that make up the "support team" of that individual, who have all worked together to create their long lasting success and fame!

Though it gives some insights into the B.S. that everyone must deal with in film, because Art continues in that business and at the time perhaps was concerned about the possibility of some of the people he mentions in the book being a bit "sensitive" about how they might be presented or portrayed, I think he "holds back".....and would love to go over each chapter with him today and get the "real story" !

I enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it to any and all novices considering entering the film business.....!

[Chib Ofred]

Introduction of author and recommendation by one Ross A. prompted me search and look it up. I think an insider wealth of experience could throw lights on better approach to make way in the jungle of filmmaking for newbies like me.

Chib Ofred,Teetvee Media for Dean Suku Sitcoms

[Malcolm Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hilarious and instructive guide as to what it takes to be a producer in contemporary hollywood.I was sorry to reach the end.

[Tim]

Have you ever wondered what a Hollywood movie producer actually does? That's the rhetorical question on the back of my paperback copy. My answer was Huh, I sure have, so I picked up a copy from Babbitt's and had at it. (Turns out they basically put movies together and coordinate the executives and filmmakers. Who knew.) Linson is breezy and self-depreciating, and some of his stories are great, like the screenwriter who worked for months and months and then produced twelve pages with a promise for more. Quick read, worth checking out if you have an interest.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that the author shifts from movie to movie when discussing the difference aspects of producing. The book mainly centers on two movies: one successful ("The Untouchables") and the other not so successful ("Where the Buffalo Roam"). It's a fairly quick read in an entertaining style.

[Mark Moran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Art Linson's fun and amazing stories about producing several of the best films of the 1980s. Great anecdotes about directors and actors as well as lessons from the studio trenches.

[David Belisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inside the trenches of Hollywood movie-making. Some good behind-the-scenes stuff to chew on.