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Stone: The Controversies, Excesses, And Exploits of a Radical Filmmaker
Oliver Stone's professional achievements and personal demons are captured in this explosive biography of the outspoken, Oscar-winning filmmaker--his spoiled but neglected childhood, his tour in Viet Nam, his struggle as a screenwriter, and his incredible acclaim as a director.
- GenresBiography
Hardcover
First published December 1, 1995
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About the author
James Riordan
17 books10 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.
"...James Riordan’s career began in the music industry where as a songwriter, manager, producer and concert promoter he worked with several well known artists. In 1976 he began writing a news-paper column on popular music, Rock-Pop, which he later syndicated. Riordan soon became one of America’s premier rock journalists..."
http://artseesdiner.com/JamesRiordan....
"...James Riordan’s career began in the music industry where as a songwriter, manager, producer and concert promoter he worked with several well known artists. In 1976 he began writing a news-paper column on popular music, Rock-Pop, which he later syndicated. Riordan soon became one of America’s premier rock journalists..."
http://artseesdiner.com/JamesRiordan....
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 10, 2021
Great biography if you are into Oliver Stone. The dude has had one hell of a life!
March 13, 2017
Great Oliver Stone bio's biggest drawback is one that it can't be really blamed for, it was published in 1994/1995 so ends at NATURAL BORN KILLERS and sadly stops shy of some of the directors intriguing pictures that I would have liked to delve into more (NIXON, ANY GIVEN SUNDAY, W., ALEXANDER, etc.). Time for a volume 2 perhaps?
July 26, 2013
Oliver Stone is not perfect. No one is. Like the rest of us, Stone struggles to understand and address his shortcomings. Unlike most people, he is a wildly creative and successful screenwriter, director, and producer; and unlike most successful Hollywood types, Stone strives to challenge people to read and learn more about the world and our history.
James Riordan displays Stone’s weaknesses as much as his strengths in this biography and also does a wonderful job describing Stone’s childhood, adolescence, and adult life (until 1995, when the book was published). Riordan interviewed eighty subjects as he wrote the book; and, as a result, much is focused around first-hand accounts about incidents in Stone’s personal and professional life.
Stone developed a love for story-telling from an early age. Stone’s father, a Wall Street banker, encouraged Stone to write every day. Stone also learned the importance of working hard from his father. Stone’s mother, a French socialite, exemplified how to enjoy the present, which most likely influenced Stone’s capacity for drug abuse and self-destruction.
Embattled with thoughts of committing suicide, Stone decided to join the army. He was reborn with a sense of purpose when he fought in the Vietnam War. After returning to America in 1968, Stone used the G.I. Bill to enroll in NYU Film School. In 1976, Stone moved from New York City to Los Angeles, at the age of 30. By then, he wrote a novel that was never published and screenplays that went nowhere, and his only film credit was co-writer of a screenplay for a grade-B horror movie called Seizure. Stone also had written the screenplay for Platoon in 1976, but it would take another 10 years for him to obtain the funding and approval to direct and release the movie.
At 570 pages, this biography describes in detail the screenwriting, pre-production, shooting, and post-production editing process of nearly every film involving Stone from 1976 to 1995. Stone works on films only if he supports the story. In other words, he never compromises the message or quality of his work for a paycheck and he writes, directs, and/or produces only films that interest him and can challenge people’s worldviews. The book is a fascinating inside look into the film business and a man with a brilliant, creative mind and controversial opinions about what is right and wrong.
I thought I would finish this review with an astute observation by Oliver Stone on North American film audiences (page 174) – “Is this supposed to be a comedy or is this a serious political movie? Very much an Anglo frame of mind. Why do we have to have that kind of specific intention? Can’t we just drift with the movie and see where it takes us? . . . Whenever people see something that’s new or interesting, they are always disturbed by it, whether it’s good or bad.”
Recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about Oliver Stone or the film industry!
James Riordan displays Stone’s weaknesses as much as his strengths in this biography and also does a wonderful job describing Stone’s childhood, adolescence, and adult life (until 1995, when the book was published). Riordan interviewed eighty subjects as he wrote the book; and, as a result, much is focused around first-hand accounts about incidents in Stone’s personal and professional life.
Stone developed a love for story-telling from an early age. Stone’s father, a Wall Street banker, encouraged Stone to write every day. Stone also learned the importance of working hard from his father. Stone’s mother, a French socialite, exemplified how to enjoy the present, which most likely influenced Stone’s capacity for drug abuse and self-destruction.
Embattled with thoughts of committing suicide, Stone decided to join the army. He was reborn with a sense of purpose when he fought in the Vietnam War. After returning to America in 1968, Stone used the G.I. Bill to enroll in NYU Film School. In 1976, Stone moved from New York City to Los Angeles, at the age of 30. By then, he wrote a novel that was never published and screenplays that went nowhere, and his only film credit was co-writer of a screenplay for a grade-B horror movie called Seizure. Stone also had written the screenplay for Platoon in 1976, but it would take another 10 years for him to obtain the funding and approval to direct and release the movie.
At 570 pages, this biography describes in detail the screenwriting, pre-production, shooting, and post-production editing process of nearly every film involving Stone from 1976 to 1995. Stone works on films only if he supports the story. In other words, he never compromises the message or quality of his work for a paycheck and he writes, directs, and/or produces only films that interest him and can challenge people’s worldviews. The book is a fascinating inside look into the film business and a man with a brilliant, creative mind and controversial opinions about what is right and wrong.
I thought I would finish this review with an astute observation by Oliver Stone on North American film audiences (page 174) – “Is this supposed to be a comedy or is this a serious political movie? Very much an Anglo frame of mind. Why do we have to have that kind of specific intention? Can’t we just drift with the movie and see where it takes us? . . . Whenever people see something that’s new or interesting, they are always disturbed by it, whether it’s good or bad.”
Recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about Oliver Stone or the film industry!
September 18, 2017
Read this to write a paper on Oliver Stone for grad school and it was just what I needed, at least going until 1994 and Natural Born Killers (and it just kinda skims over the whole Tarantino thing about the script). It's most interesting about how he was raised, and how he grew and changed over time, but was still deep down angry about so many things and a mind on fire. good stuff, balancing personal (his marriages) and professional (information about ALL the films, including his first one, Seizure, which is obscure now).
July 30, 2013
one of the best bios of a modern filmmaker.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews