DAR Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Sadly a phrase I never heard 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lab276 Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 The studios didn't have a clue. Their efforts were big-budget, bland, turgid epics and musicals, and they didn't realize there was a huge counter-culture shift towards a younger generation happening. So movies like BONNIE AND CLYDE and EASY RIDER were able to get made with no studio interference and/or with little money. WB wasn't thrilled about BONNIE AND CLYDE at all, it was super-violent and they didn't promote it heavily. But it did really well in limited release and Beatty threatened to sue them unless they gave it a general release. They did and it became a huge hit. With the traditional studio releases struggling, the execs gave these new kids carte blanche, essentially, which fueled both a creative boom and (eventually) wild personal excess. There's a really fascinating book by Peter Biskind called "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls" that covers this period in detail and it's got all sorts of interesting and lurid stories about this period.Would you say there's something of a tired studio system today? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cmasterclay Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 This doesn't really have a ton to do with a role that made him famous, but Johnny Depp was dedicated fully to music prior to acting. That's a generally well known fact around where I'm from, because he went to high school 20 minutes away at Miramar High and played gigs all around the area. Interestingly enough, my mom's best friend (practically my aunt) was very close friends with his older sister, who treated Johnny just like any annoying little brother. Even more interesting, Johnny Depp's band opened for my dad's band at a couple local clubs. My Dad didn't make much of his music, so maybe that's why he went in another direction. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dementeleus Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 He's not an actor, but Michael Kahn's got a cool little back story. If you know his name at all today, it's because he's Spielberg's editor; he's been nominated for a ton of Oscars and won three of them. Iconic editor, one of the greats in the last several decades. But he got his start cutting, of all things, sitcoms: he was the editor on HOGAN'S HEROES. And his next big break came when, out of the blue, George C. Scott wanted him to edit a film he was starring and directing in. Why did this famous, influential star want this unknown editor? Because Scott was a huge fan of HOGAN'S HEROES and watched all the episodes, and he said, "Get me the guy who cuts that show, I want him to edit my movie." And that was his big break into features. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dementeleus Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Would you say there's something of a tired studio system today? Definitely, although thank god for people like Megan Ellison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dashrendar44 Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 There's a really fascinating book by Peter Biskind called "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls" that covers this period in detail and it's got all sorts of interesting and lurid stories about this period. They should make a movie (other than documentary) about that. (how Friedkin's antics, Bogdanovich smug demeanor, Scorcese's addiction among others intertwined with their body of work during that era and how their relationships in general changed Hollywood for the better and the worse). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAR Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I know I have that book somewhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fancyarcher Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 (edited) Did Arnold Schwarzenegger become an icon because of Conan The Barbarian The Terminator, or even body building? That question comes to mind. Edited March 21, 2014 by Fancyarcher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dementeleus Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Did Arnold Schwarzenegger become an icon because of Conan The Barbarian The Terminator, or even body building? That question comes to mind. His first breakthrough was PUMPING IRON, an iconic documentary about body-building. It wasn't about him specifically but he was this amazing presence in the film. CONAN was his first big hit in narrative features. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fancyarcher Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 His first breakthrough was PUMPING IRON, an iconic documentary about body-building. It wasn't about him specifically but he was this amazing presence in the film. CONAN was his first big hit in narrative features. I would say that is correct. Even though Schwarzenegger was not a very good actor (if you can call him an actor at all), he had charisma, which is one of the reasons why he become a big star in the 80's and 90's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 You can teach people to act, you can't teach charisma. Arnold was the biggest actor in the world for about a decade because he was full of charisma and he picked the right roles. He's one of the most interesting success stories in Hollywood history imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spidey Freak Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 (edited) I doubt Arnie would have achieved the same level of success that he achieved back then if he were starting out in this decade or the last. One could argue that The Rock's career is basically replicating Arnie's, but Dwayne Johnson is also far more dynamic than Schwarzenegger. And even he hasn't received that level of success yet. Arnie, Sly and the rest just happened to arrive at the right time (70's to 90's) when pop culture was obsessed with worshiping overtly macho male figures and roles written for that character type still seemed fresh. Edited March 21, 2014 by Spidey Freak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 And 30 years from now the same can be said about superhero movies. Every time is different. Who cares if he wouldn't replicate his success from the 80s. That means nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Stingray Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Did Arnold Schwarzenegger become an icon because of Conan The Barbarian The Terminator, or even body building? That question comes to mind. Michael Biehn said in an interview that Predator was what turned Arnold into a superstar, not Terminator or Conan. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dementeleus Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Michael Biehn is wrong. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spidey Freak Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 And 30 years from now the same can be said about superhero movies. Every time is different. Who cares if he wouldn't replicate his success from the 80s. That means nothing. Superheroes have been going strong since Christopher Reeve in 78. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Stingray Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Michael Biehn is wrong. How dare you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dementeleus Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 How dare you!Hey, I worship at the Church of Biehn too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 Superheroes have been going strong since Christopher Reeve in 78. No they haven't. The point is you can't just pick an arbitrary actor and say that he wouldn't be big in today's climate. It's an obvious statement. Times change, it never stays stagnant. Do you really think films like The Godfather or Back to the Future or The Exorcist would be big today? Of course not, but the point is, these films and these actors hit a certain zeitgeist when they were out and because of this, we have some of what we have today. And you can never take that away from them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 You could actually make a case for Twins making Arnold the superstar that he became. That was his first 100 million dollar hit and from there he followed it up with 4 out of his next 5 films making 90 million or more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
