Stone: The Controversies, Excesses, and Exploits of a Radical Filmmaker [Hardcover]

James Riordan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1995

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite a nominally independent stance, Riordan (Break On Through), who consulted on Oliver Stone's 1991 rock fantasia, The Doors, has hardly a discouraging word to say about Stone's increasingly controversial films and notorious cage-rattling behavior in this admiring portrait of the Hollywood director. As what seems like a cast of thousands?friends, actors, Hollywood insiders?steps up to the mike to pay tribute to Stone's artistic greatness and personal goodness, Riordan chimes in with surprisingly few of his own ideas, beyond the oft-repeated mantra that Stone is a Method director who uses film to "exorcise his madness." After chapters on Stone's chaotic childhood and harrowing Vietnam experiences, Riordan deals only glancingly with Stone's personal life, most notably the womanizing that led to the breakup of his marriage in 1994. But the often facile psychologizing aside, fans will appreciate the detailed, behind-the-scenes accounts of Stone's films.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

From Midnight Express to Natural Born Killers, Oliver Stone has built a reputation by pursuing controversial subjects and risky, on-the-edge filmmaking. The author considers Stone "a mass of contradictions held together by enormous willpower." In this book, which had the cooperation of Stone and most of his colleagues, Riordan discusses Stone's difficult relationship with his father, his Vietnam experience, periods of drug use, marriage, and his immense immersion in each film, in which Stone almost always becomes the main character. The book examines each film in detail, outlining major themes and providing vivid anecdotes. A listing of Stone's early screenplays and producing credits are also given. Far superior to Norman Kagan's The Cinema of Oliver Stone (LJ 5/15/95), this is highly recommended for all film collections.
Stephen Rees, Bucks Cty. Free Lib., Levittown, Pa.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 573 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Books; 1st edition (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078686026X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786860265
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,051,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Takes you in the mind of a very controversial moviemaker., December 6, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Stone: The Controversies, Excesses, and Exploits of a Radical Filmmaker (Hardcover)

This is the story of a man who lived the life of America for the past 50 years. He represents the good and the bad in all of us. He is a filmmaker. He is Oliver Stone. No one has captured the pulse of what is relevant to most Americans except probably Steven Spielberg. In fact, Oliver Stone is the dark side of Spielberg. Where Spielberg has chosen fantasy, Stone has chosen reality. This book was remarkable in that you felt that as you read it, you really were beginning to meet Oliver Stone for the first time. You put all your anger and your fears aside as you finally began to realize that he is just a man. A man who lives life at 199 miles per hour, wanting to hit the tree like James Dean. Oliver Stone is just a man who loves the chase, loves the escape, loves pushing the envelope of a hungry American filmgoer, thirsty for more tales of American stories, those dark sides of Andy Hardy that we all really live

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Complete Guid to Stone, July 10, 1998

By 

"markimark" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stone: The Controversies, Excesses, and Exploits of a Radical Filmmaker (Hardcover)

This is a must for any Stone fan. It is a complete history of Oliver Stone; from his birth into a wealthy New York family, to driving a cab for $30 dollars a night, to the set of JFK. It gives us a compelling insight into what created one of America's greatest and important film makers and social critics.

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book to get on Stone and his movies, May 18, 2004

By 

Cubist (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stone: The Controversies, Excesses, and Exploits of a Radical Filmmaker (Hardcover)

Any true test of a book like this is how well-researched it is. Apparently, James Riordan had access to Stone and to many of his collaborators and this results in a rich, detailed look at this original filmmaker.

Riordan goes into great detail on Stone's early life and traces his development from burnt out Viet vet to controversial filmmaker. Best of all, he also packs in tons of great anecdotal information on the making of all of Stone's films. He writes in a very engaging style that had me reading this book cover to cover, especially the chapters devoted to my favourite Stone films (Platoon, Wall Street, JFK). He really sheds fascinating light on Stone's working methods and the inner demons that fuel him.

If you are a fan of Stone's film than this is the book to get. Except no substitutes. I really hope that Riordan is working on an updated edition that covers Nixon, U-Turn and the rest of Stone's work, including the upcoming Alexander. Hopefully, some day...