The Devil’s Candy

The Anatomy of a Hollywood Fiasco

De: Julie Salamon

Narrado por: Julie Salamon

When Brian De Palma agreed to allow Julie Salamon unlimited access to the film production of Tom Wolfe's best-selling book The Bonfire of the Vanities, both director and journalist must have felt like they were on to something big. How could it lose? But instead Salamon got a front-row seat at the Hollywood disaster of the decade. She shadowed the film from its early stages through the last of the eviscerating reviews, and met everyone from the actors to the technicians to the studio executives. They'd all signed on for a blockbuster, but there was a sense of impending doom from the start - heart-of-gold characters replaced Wolfe's satiric creations; affable Tom Hanks was cast as the patrician heel; Melanie Griffith appeared mid-shoot with new, bigger breasts. With a keen eye and ear, Salamon shows us how the best of intentions turned into a legendary Hollywood debacle.

The Devil's Candy joins John Gregory Dunne's The Studio, Steven Bach's Final Cut, and William Goldman's Adventures in the Screen Trade as a classic for anyone interested in the workings of Hollywood.

©1991, 2002 Julie Salamon (P)2021 Tantor

I Love This

This book is so good. I was hooked throughout the entire thing. I was introduced to this thanks to TCM's podcast "The Plot Thickens." Salamon writes in great detail about the hierarchy on set, the technicalities of making a movie, and the clash between the old and the new. It's fascinating for any film nerd. I found Salamon's unusual voice to be a bit grating at first, but I quickly got used to it and wasn't bothered by it anymore. My only real complaint is the sound editors should have done a better job editing out swallows and mouth noises between Salamon's sentences.

Interesting

I never heard of this movie before I got the book. I rented it after because I was intrigued because the book was well written and very detailed. It's narrated by the author which I usually like, but her voice is annoying and she was a weird subtle speech issue. However, I got over it because the story was good. The movie really did suck.

Eye opening look at the industry

Full of detail, I appreciate so much more of what goes into movies now. Anyone with an interest in film or criticism should hear this. Thoroughly engaging, I couldn't stop listening.

Informative. Educational. Entertaining.

A real behind the scenes look at filmmaking. Check out the Concord landing shot on YouTube. Magnificent!

Could hardly put this down

I was not aware of the utter insanity of making a major motion picture but Judy Salaman constructed a thorough and clear eyed history in this book.