by Stephen Rebello at Air Mail: Take it from a veteran of three nonfiction books in which I dramatized the betrayals, transactional romances, backstabbing, feuds, creative compromises, and artistic glories behind the creation of classic films: there are truisms one had better accept quickly. First, it’s a bloody miracle that anything gets made in Hollywood, let alone anything good. Second, no matter what actors, directors, and other creators say about why things happened the way they did, the real answer is: It’s always personal.
In my most recent deep dive into hidden Hollywood history, I submerged myself in the creation of the gritty exposé of ambition, corruption, and disillusionment with the American Dream that is On the Waterfront, now enjoying its 70th anniversary. Few Hollywood backstories are more emotionally charged.
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