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Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions
- My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood
- Narrated by: Ed Zwick
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
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Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions
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Summary
This heartfelt and wry career memoir from the director of Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Legends of the Fall, About Last Night, and Glory, creator of the show thirtysomething, and executive producer of My So-Called Life, gives a dishy, behind-the-scenes look at working with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
“I’ll be dropping a few names,” Ed Zwick confesses in the introduction to his book. “Over the years I have worked with self-proclaimed masters-of-the-universe, unheralded geniuses, hacks, sociopaths, savants, and saints.”
He has encountered these Hollywood types during four decades of directing, producing, and writing projects that have collectively received eighteen Academy Award nominations (seven wins) and sixty-seven Emmy nominations (twenty-two wins). Though there are many factors behind such success, including luck and the contributions of his creative partner Marshall Herskovitz, he’s known to have a special talent for bringing out the best in the people he’s worked with, especially the actors. In those intense collaborations, he’s sought to discover the small pieces of connective tissue, vulnerability, and fellowship that can help an actor realize their character in full.
Talents whom he spotted early include Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Denzel Washington, Claire Danes, and Jared Leto. Established stars he worked closely with include Leonardo DiCaprio, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Daniel Craig, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Jennifer Connelly. He also sued Harvey Weinstein over the production of Shakespeare in Love—and won. He shares personal stories about all these people, and more.
Written mostly with love, sometimes with rue, this memoir is also a meditation on working, sprinkled throughout with tips for anyone who has ever imagined writing, directing, or producing for the screen. Fans with an appreciation for the beautiful mysteries—as well as the unsightly, often comic truths—of crafting film and television won’t want to miss it.
What listeners say about Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- J Clark
- 16-04-24
Excellent film maker’s autobiography
Excellent background to great film and tv making, up to and excluding the current comic/toy IP obsession.
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- melbopp
- 03-04-24
very enjoyable
wow how do the rich, famous and successful pack it all in ? Great story well told interesting takes and advisory bits. would recomend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Weaselboy
- 24-03-24
Beautifully written, beautifully read
It’s not just the usual career retread with a few choice anecdotes, this book is wonderfully humane, thoughtful, and fascinating insight into the creative process. Hugely enjoyed it, I’ll look forward to rewatching Ed Zwick’s moves with these stories in my head
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- hamish campbell
- 10-04-24
A must read
for anyone who makes anything visual, this is such a great read/listen packed with brilliant anecdotes and lessons in the art of film making.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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- Alex
- 21-02-24
Everything you want to hear from a director with such a storied career.
Ed mumbles into the microphone. I turned it up so loud, then answered a phonecall and almost blew out my ear drums
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- Wils1976
- 29-03-24
Great insight into movie making
Non pretentious insight into a brilliant career of making movies at the highest of levels. Highly recommended
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Stuart
- 13-04-24
A great journey
Having seen most (but not all) of Ed's films over the years- I really enjoyed hearing Ed Zwick telling his story, He has a great voice too! This isnt a gossip book but does have some stories about the big stars he has in his films, Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Jake Gyllenhall to name a few and not forgetting Julia Roberts.
A very easy book to read/listen to and not too heavy on the details. If you are a film fan and love to hear a bit more of what goes on behind the curtain of filmmaking and writing. I do highly recommend Ed's book. I really enjoyed it
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Millside
- 02-03-24
Enjoyable book, great performance
Ed Zwick has a wonderful voice. Listening to him read his own words is a complete pleasure. Also great to hear a book properly read through by the author and not a synthetic or computer-generated rendition based on sampling. Thanks, Ed!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Gregory Barker
- 23-03-24
Great honest insights
Loved it from start to finish! What a career and what a beautifully told story of working in the industry of dreams and illusions.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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- Badger
- 03-03-24
Terribly terribly boring and dull
The Moon's A Balloon this is not. Self indulgent and... zzz. Quite well read though I suppose.
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