Blade Runners, Deer Hunters, & Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: My Life in Cult Movies [Hardcover]

Michael Deeley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2009

One man links The Deer Hunter, Blade Runner, The Italian Job, Don’t Look Now, The Wicker Man and The Man Who Fell To Earth. Producer Michael Deeley, an urbane Englishman in Hollywood, had to fight wars to get these movies made, from defending the legendary sex scene of Don’t Look Now from a disapproving Warren Beatty to seizing control of Convoy from a cocaine- ridden Sam Peckinpah. This is a no-holds-barred look at the true stories behind some of the greatest cult movies ever made.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Like buried treasure for cult movie enthusiasts, this memoir from British film producer Deeley is rich with the star-studded backstories and day-to-day drudge work of making major, if unconventional, Hollywood product. Frequently the glue that holds a project together, Deeley's job is, largely, to keep the peace among anxious investors, prima donna talent, and overworked, underpaid crews; in his own words, "a producer doesn't really make films, he causes them to be made." Deeley's account of making 1969's The Italian Job ("the ultimate cinematic indulgence for car junkies across the globe") is as riveting and suspenseful as the film; with the enthusiastic approval of Turin, Italy's own Mafia, a traffic jam scene was filmed in the middle of the city using unwitting citizens, essentially held hostage by blocked-off highway exits. Deeley isn't shy about discussing big-name associates, including Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman and Harrison Ford as actors new to the game. Though this older, wiser Deeley puts his world in wry perspective ("all of us who work on pictures expect the last month to be frantic"), the grizzled movie vet also gives fanboys exactly the kinds of stories they're looking for: "As Ridley Scott famously said, every movie is like going into battle. But Blade Runner was World War I and II combined."

Review

“Should rivet anyone fascinated by movie making…An absorbing rundown of these classics' evolution. A sharp guide to Hollywood's "dream factory."
” (Entertainment Weekly )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Pegasus (April 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605980382
• ISBN-13: 978-1605980386
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,703,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive in ways both good and bad, August 26, 2009

By 

David Okubo (Honolulu, HI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blade Runners, Deer Hunters, & Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: My Life in Cult Movies (Kindle Edition)

Deeley's account of his accomplished career in movies is, without a doubt, a VERY neat book. In terms of Hollywood insider accounts, it's up there with Goldman's "Adventures in the Screen Trade," but obviously with more of a lilt towards the producing aspect of films.

Thankfully, it's presented in linear form, and includes stories about movies that he's chanced upon during his career as a producer, which include "The Italian Job," "The Wicker Man," "Convoy," "Don't Look Now," obviously "The Deer Hunter" and "Blade Runner," and also turning down "The Godfather." In my opinion, the most entertaining tales were those from the making of "The Italian Job" (the classiness and timelessness of Michael Caine, as well as the daredevil-ry (ed.?) of French stunt virtuoso Remy Julienne); "Convoy" (working with the substance-addled ego of Sam Peckinpah towards the tail end of his career); "The Deer Hunter" (the neat insights into the method and intensity of Robert De Niro, the growth of the story from one exclusively about professional Russian Roulette, as well as the backstabbings of Michael Cimino -- who would later head the fiasco "Heaven's Gate").

To my dismay, though, the book was not the neat collection of anecdotes of stars and directors, but a comprehensive collection of Deeley's entire career (which is not a fault, merely my own opinion). Meaning it includes a retrospective at Deeley's beginnings as an editor, through his time at British Lion films and IMG. To the readers seeking excellent stories about Harrison Ford, De Niro, Christopher Walken and the like, there will be significant amounts of downtime as Deeley recounts the financial dealings behind the film industry and how they influenced his career path.

This is a well-written, clearsighted account of an entire career in Hollywood with a level of access and frankness uncommon in literature.

Edit: I should've selected three, not four stars. Overall, this is a solid and frequently entertaining book, but not a must-read, and certainly not a book that will reshape your understanding of the world (though in all fairness, it makes no pretense to).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing glimpse into the film industry and how cult fandoms begin, July 14, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blade Runners, Deer Hunters, & Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: My Life in Cult Movies (Hardcover)

Some movies are simply popular, others gain a fandom years after popular culture has moved on. "Blade Runners, Deer Hunters, and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off" is a memoir by producer Michael Deeley, one of the minds behind such cult favorites like "The Italian Job" and "The Wicker Man". An insider's look at the life of a producer who may have not made blockbusters but who deserves his place in movie history, "Blade Runners, Deer Hunters, and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off" is an amazing glimpse into the film industry and how cult fandoms begin.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book about Movie Producing Ever Written, July 31, 2009

By 

Brendon (FRESNO, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blade Runners, Deer Hunters and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: My Life in Cult Movies (Hardcover)

I'll keep this short. The book is fast paced, very funny, full of amazing stories about classics such as The Italian Job, The Deer Hunter and Blade Runner. What's best is how the Deely does not stray away from difficulties such as big-headed, pompous directors such as Sam Peckinpah and Michael Cimino. He is not vicious, malicious, or spiteful, he, like a gentleman, discusses why he felt he could or couldn't trust said directors. He is not a kiss-[...] in the least, he lets out the dirty laundry and cleans up some rumors about Blade Runner and other films such as Convoy. The book's tone is fairly non-judgmental and very informative as to the insider workings of a movie studio. This is truly one of the best books about cinema ever written.