8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Bad taste, May 20, 2004
Somehow it's always a little alarming to see "An Unauthorized Biography" on the dust jacket of a book, and Ian Pryor's "Peter Jackson: From Prince of Splatter to Lord of the Rings" is no exception. This crazy quilt of magazine articles is obviously a rush-job, and leaves a "bad taste" in the mouth."
Peter Jackson is best known for co-writing and directing hit movie trilogy "The Lord of the Rings." But he started off as a young Kiwi boy experimenting with a camera, and later getting together with his buddies to film the low-budget horror/SF-comedy "Bad Taste." An understated indie career led to the brilliant docudrama "Heavenly Creatures," which kick-started the career of star Kate Winslet. And from then on, he started the sprawling adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved epic fantasy, which has been embraced as a worldwide phenomena on par with "Star Wars."
Peter Jackson (who reportedly condemns this biography) is a fascinating figure in modern filmmaking. Unfortunately, since this biography is unauthorized and unapproved, Pryor has to stitch together just about every magazine article or press release ever written about Jackson. It's very unsatisfying since all of it has been said before. And the first time around, it didn't sound so.... well, smarmy.
Pryor paints Jackson in extreme colors, apparently so his adoration won't seem "fannish." But it doesn't make Jackson seem like a three-dimensional person. It makes him seem either like a saintly genius, or a creep. His personal life, friendships and interactions with actors aren't really dealt with, which makes him seem a lot more distant than he is. At least there's no dirt-dishing -- Jackson seems to have led a pretty much blameless life.
Pryor's writing style leaves something to be desired. He misspells some of Tolkien's words like "uruk-hai" (which he spells "urak-hai"). And Pryor uses overwritten gushing to cover up the book's biggest flaw: He doesn't know what Jackson is like. Pryor only describes his behavior, his words, and what other say about him -- the man himself remains an enigma at the book's end.
The saving grace of "Peter Jackson" is how it shows off the impact Jackson has had on his native New Zealand, both as a filmmaker and as a worldwide celebrity. However, this can't gloss over the opportunistic, slightly sneering tone that pervades Pryor's book. If you like Jackson -- as a director and a person -- it will make you squirm.
Fans of Peter Jackson may be hungry for more info on this beloved director. But you're better off waiting for the official (and approved) biography by Brian Sibley. Ian Pryor's "Peter Jackson: From Prince of Splatter to Lord of the Rings" has the slippery feeling of a rushed-to-print biography to cash in a filmmaker's fame.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Keen Insight into Pre-Rings Jackson, November 29, 2004
I couldn't help but notice this in one of the above reviews of the book..."This book is ridiculous as the writer doesn't even know his subject, Peter Jackson, in person."
I find that statement interesting because the book discusses at great length the relationship between the author and Jackson. At various points in Jackson's early movies, the author actually helped out on his movies.
As to the un-authorized biography question, the author was given access to write the book on all Jackson films up to the Lord of the Rings. I just can't imagine how you could read this book and come to the conclusion that the author didn't even know Jackson.
As for my opinion, I'm often facinated by the early careers of men like Jackson. There's already a ridiculous amount of info out there on Lord of the Rings, but this book gives you a peek at Jackson's beginnings, and I enjoyed that very much.
If you're buy this book for some kind of Rings Insider, go elsewhere. If you want to see Jackson before his epic, this book is for you.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Who Is This Guy and How Did He Pull It Off?, April 28, 2004
By A Customer
Before LOTR,who ever of Peter Jackson?You know the legendary story....a somewhat successful maker of 'B' monster movies(from a foreign land)gets the chance of the century,to make a titanic epic with a titanic budget from an impossible to film book. Certain personal failure is forcast which will not only end his career but will ruin one of the world's largest studios. To the stunned amazement of all,Jackson successfully makes 'LOTR' and is immently successful in ever way that can be measured....a new benchmark that all other films will be judged against. Who is this guy and how is it so few people outside New Zealand knew of him? It's a biography so you learn lots about who Peter Jackson is and where he came from. Surprisingly, the author doesn't spend large amounts of time on LOTR filming technicalities. His emphasis is on how Jackson and his filming companions went about learning film, new technologies and how to apply these to their art. What the author spends a bit of time on is the realities of Hollywood studio politics and how that affects the sort of movies we see. I found that to be fascinating. In the PJ/LOTR saga there are 2 questions for me that never got answered to my satisfaction. The first is why did the first Aragorn,Stuart Townsend, det dismissed 1 week before shooting with no replacement in sight? With all the research that went into casting, it seems like a big mistake to go looking for a new leading character in a week with so much money and chance riding on that choice. Second is the exact reason New Line decided to invest so much of it's company's success or failure into a relatively unknown producer? Usually the reason is stated that the studio head just liked what he heard and saw, but that doesn't sound like solid business practice in America and not a technique a hardnosed CEO would use.Both questions get asked in the book and are sadly glossed over. It's still a good book and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
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