Fast Fade: David Puttnam, Columbia Pictures, and the Battle for Hollywood - Hardcover

Yule, Andrew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0440501776 ISBN 13: 9780440501770

Publisher: Delacorte Press, 1988

Synopsis

Chronicles the short-lived reign of David Puttnam as CEO for Columbia Pictures, exploring the battles that ensued between Puttnam and those for whom he worked, and the machinations that led to his departure

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

This biography of the Briton who produced Midnight Express and Chariots of Fire falls into two sharply divided sections: the first details David Puttnam's rise to the top of England's movie industry amid feelings that he was the hope of his nation's flagging film business, while the second describes his year as the head of Columbia Pictures in Hollywood and the disaster which overtook him there. British journalist Yule ( Hollywood-a-Go-Go ) traces his subject's struggle to make quality pictures in his early years, pictures based principally on moral dilemmas, and his success in breaking new cinematic ground. This portion of the book should appeal to most readers. The second segment, however, relating the corporate maneuvering that ousted Puttnam one year into a three-year contract will be of little interest to anyone not a film-biz insider. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal:

Englishman Puttnam produced such films as Chariots of Fire and The Killing Fields before being selected as Columbia's chief executive officer. When he departed after only a year, it seemed that the Philistines had triumphed. Puttnam was not a naive victim, however, but a complex, driven man who contributed to his own "fast fade." Despite the subtitle, over half this account is devoted to Puttnam's life and career prior to the Columbia debacle. Numerous associates are quoted about their relationships to Puttnam, but Yule does little to reconcile widely conflicting points of view and the man remains elusive. This will be compared to David McClintick's Indecent Exposure ( LJ 8/82), which also dealt with fierce Columbia infighting, but it is far less compelling. Roy Liebman, California State Univ. Lib., Los Angeles
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0440501776
• ISBN 13: 9780440501770
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 376