Hollywood Wars: How Insiders Gained And Maintain Control over the Film Industry [Paperback]

John W. Cones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2007

In Hollywood Wars, Hollywood's No. 1 "outsider" -- entertainment and film attorney John W. Cones -- takes us inside one of the most closed business communities in America and reveals publicly what every Hollywood insider knows privately: that a small group of insiders controls the Hollywood film industry and often engages in unethical and illegal business practices that hurt independent filmmakers and screenwriters as well as the movie-going public. Cones' historical research is thorough and thoroughly convincing. He shows how insiders lure outside investors into financing films and then discard them when the film loses money (as most do), and how insiders destroy most outsiders (including William Randolph Hearst, Howard Hughes, Orson Welles, Kirk Kerkorian) who want a stake in movie-making. After reading this book, you will never want to buy stock in or work for a major Hollywood film studio. "This book," Cones writes in the Introduction, "is dedicated to the proposition that it is not in the best interest of this nation or the world for any single, or even a few narrowly defined interest groups ... to dominate or control any of our significant communication media."

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"I confess I was a skeptic when I first saw the proposal for this book. But Cones' evidence is overwhelming. Every filmmaker, actor and screenwriter should read this book, which also is ideal for college courses in film studies and critical and cultural studies." --Dr. David Demers, associate professor of communication and publisher

About the Author

John W. Cones is a securities and entertainment attorney in Los Angeles, where he advises clients who produce independent feature films, videos, television shows and plays. He has written eight other books on Hollywood, and he lectures frequently on film finance and distribution.

Product Details

• Paperback: 415 pages
• Publisher: Marquette Books (January 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0922993327
• ISBN-13: 978-0922993321
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,024,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST read for all filmmakers and the movie-going public (parents especially), September 6, 2007

By 

J. Picart (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hollywood Wars: How Insiders Gained And Maintain Control over the Film Industry (Paperback)

John W. Cones book, `Hollywood Wars', is a MUST read for all independent filmmakers, aspiring filmmakers, students, and the movie-going public.

The fact that high profile artists such as: Jack Nicholson, Sean Connery, James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jane Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Jerry Goldsmith, Marlon Brando, Mel Gibson, Frank Capra, Sigourney Weaver, Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Wesley Snipes, Peter Jackson, etc. (this list is by no means complete) have taken legal action (in one way or another) towards the major studios and its agents, clearly illustrates that there is more politics and smoke-filled room talks in Hollywood than there is in Washington!

John Cones has done a superb job at exposing the Hollywood machine; backed by an extensive list of references/sources which are difficult to refute.

To summarize this book in two words: Excellent journalism!