Monster

John Gregory Dunne--journalist, novelist, and screenwriter--gives students an intimate, accurate account of Hollywood, offering a riveting expose of life and work in the movie industry.  In 1988 Dunne and his wife, Joan Didion, were asked to write a screenplay about the dark and complicated life of the late TV anchorwoman, Jessica Savitch.  Eight years and twenty-seven drafts later, this script was made into the fairy tale-like film Up Close and Personal starring Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer--a "feel good" movie nothing like the grim narrative Dunne and Didion first developed.  Dunne relates the saga of this transformation with a wicked eye and perfect pitch for the absurdities and savage infighting of the film business.  Monster offers a revealing look at film-making--from the first script meetings to the finished products--illuminating the process with sagacity and wit.  

"Tells more of the experience of writing for Hollywood than any other book ever written."
--Michael Crichton, Los Angeles Times Book Review

"A savvy, acidly funny book that is must reading on the subject of consensus Hollywood movie making."
--The New York Times