I love movies and I enjoyed reading this book. Unlike many Hollywood memoirs the author recounts his life through the movies he has made and it is quite a list. I liked reading about the scenes behind the movies, esp the casting and movies that did not get made. Except for the beginning there is not a lot of personal information. If you enjoy reading about movies you will like this book. If you are looking for gossip you will be disappointed. Enjoy this fun look behind the curtain of Movie Making.

If you are interested in the behind-the-scenes effort that goes in to film-making, then this is the autobiography for you. Packed with stories from behind the camera from films such as Goodfellas, Rocky, and the Wolf of Wall Street, this is an interesting read.

I had some idea of the deal-making of Hollywood, but not the sheer scale of it and how many things can go wrong, meaning a film doesn't get made.after all. Best of all, I now have a list of films to watch, some of which I hadn't heard of before.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers., Abrams Press, for the opportunity to review an ARC.

Whether you know Winkler’s name or not, you are bound to have seen one of his films. His production credits include the “Rocky” / “Creed” series, “Raging Bull”, “Goodfellas”, “The Right Stuff”, “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “They Shoot Horses Don’t They” and he directed “The Net”, “At First Sight” and “Night And The City”.

Winkler sets out his career chronologically, taking each film in turn. The anecdotes come thick and fast, the book full to the brim with the names of stars he worked with, and it’s a who’s who of industry “names”.
Some films get a few paragraphs but others a detailed description. His first major success is an example of the latter - “They Shoot Horses Don’t They” – where Winkler relates the power struggles over casting, writers who want to direct but can’t, how he was fired but got himself re-instated, stars last minute demands, the post preview screening edits. It’s a powerful description of just how stressful and challenging getting a movie made can be and the resilience required to succeed. “Guilty By Suspicion” also gets the longer form treatment but is done in diary format which doesn’t work as quite as well.

At times there’s a slightly superficial air to the description of some of the films – many invoke a torrent of names, interesting when it’s the actors who were considered for but didn’t get roles (Tom Cruise and Madonna are proposed by Warner Bros in the roles Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco finally took in “Goodfellas”), but less compelling when it’s the studio heads who passed on financing.

He’s open about the things he got wrong – when developing “The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight” he decided Coppola wouldn’t be suitable to direct a gangster movie -and his anxieties about whether he can cut it as a director suggest he was significantly less egotistical than many in Tinesletown.

Refreshingly he also names some names in an even-handed way. Weinstein the bully is a safe target, but describing how Kevin Spacey gave a million dollars back goes a little against the zeitgeist. Demi Moore is a diva - shot only from left with sets designed accordingly, prone to a tantrum when her private jet was too small but qualified against her first class delivery and work ethic. The story of United Artists attempts to undermine “Rocky” is just astounding.

We learn very little about Winkler as a person – he’s married and has adult children within the first few chapters and although his love and regard for his wife Margo shines through, other than her name, few further insights are shared. Similarly his long relationship with Robert De Niro shows Winkler’s deep respect and affection and De Niro’s commitment as an actor– funding his own research trip to Italy for “The Gang Who Couldn’t Shoot Straight”, learning the saxophone for “New York New York” to a professional standard but there’s no further insight. I suppose the clue is in the title – it’s all about what was up on the screen.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to open file because of the file structure so was not able to review this book.

For those of us who love film this is a fine look at the career of Irwin Winkler who was responsible for some of the best films ever made.

Winkler takes us through his career film by film and gives the reader capsule views of the difficulties and triumphs of making each of his movies.

I must admit to liking the backstories of some of my favorites, including GOODFELLAS and De-Lovely. Great anecdotes about stars, producers, directors and writers. It was fun to reflect with Winkler on his incredible career and contributions to film.

Irwin Winkler the iconic producer has written an open honest very entertaining book about Hollywood.He knew everyone worked with all the big stars even Elvis makes an appearance.Theres also advice on outing a film together on the business end.This would make a perfect gift for any movie buffs nostalgia gossip advice rolled into one great read. #netgalley # abrams