Indie, Inc.: Miramax and the Transformation of Hollywood in the 1990s

321 Pages·2012·24.559 MB·English

by  Alisa Perren

Indie, Inc.
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Texas Film and Media Studies Series
Thomas Schatz, Editor
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Indie, Inc.
Miramax and the Transformation
of Hollywood in the 1990s
A lIsA P e r r e n
University of Texas Press Austin
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Copyright © 2012 by the University of Texas Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First edition, 2012
Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to:
Permissions
University of Texas Press
P.O. Box 7819
Austin, TX 78713–7819
www.utexas.edu/utpress/about/bpermission.html
The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of ansi/niso
z39.48–1992 (r1997) (Permanence of Paper).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Perren, Alisa.
Indie, Inc. : Miramax and the transformation of Hollywood in the 1990s / Alisa
Perren. — 1st ed.
p. cm. — (Texas film and media studies series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-292-72912-4 (cloth : alk. paper) — isbn 978-0-292-73715-0 (e-book)
1. Miramax Films—History. 2. Independent filmmakers—United States.
I. Title.
pn1999.m57p48 2012
791.4302'3092—dc23 2011048530
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For my parents
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Contents
Acknowledgments | ix
Chapter One. Finding a Niche in the 1990s | 1
Chapter Two. The Rise of Miramax and the Quality Indie Blockbuster
(1979–Fall 1992) | 16
Chapter Three. The “Secret” of Miramax’s Success: The Crying Game
(Winter 1992–Spring 1993) | 54
Chapter Four. Corsets, Clerks, and Criminals: Miramax in the Age of
Disney (Summer 1993–Spring 1995) | 78
Chapter Five. Another Dimension to the Miramax Brand: Kids, Scream,
and the Teen Audience (Spring 1995–Spring 1997) | 113
Chapter Six. Majors, Indies, Independents: The Rise of a Three-Tier
System (Winter 1996–Spring 1997) | 144
Chapter Seven. Who Says Life Is Beautiful? (Summer 1997–Spring
1999) | 176
Chapter Eight. Maxed Out: Miramax and Indiewood in the New
Millennium | 208
Notes | 235
Selected Bibliography | 285
Index | 291
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Acknowledgments
T
his book has undergone many changes from inception to its present
form. Many, many people have offered intellectual and emotional sup-
port throughout the process. Gigi Durham, Richard Lewis, Neil Neh-
ring, Horace Newcomb, Janet Staiger, Joe Straubhaar, Sharon Strover,
and Craig Watkins provided early guidance. I could not have made it
through the Austin phase of this project without margarita and movie
breaks with Kyle and Lisa Barnett, Karen Gustafson, Lars and Aisha
Hagen, Caroline Frick, Jennie Phillips, Gabe Rupertus, Lisa Harten-
berger Toby, Valerie Wee, and Kate and Alex Wurm.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, I spent my summers in Los
Angeles, expanding my knowledge of Hollywood production and distri-
bution practices. My personal and professional exchanges with several
individuals enriched these trips. Particular thanks go to Tony Baciga-
lupi, Kevin and Anne Carney, Tanya and Don Chmielewski, Tom Cunha,
Josh Hall, Rahbeka Harris, Tristan and Mark Hartmann, Jennifer Holt,
Lucy Huang, Kuang Lee, Meika Loe, Chris Nance, Anh Nguyen, Sunny
Nguyen, Dana Ritter, Lise and Shervin Samimi, Heidi Santillan, Karen
Santillan, Mike and Carie Tolfo, and Tony Yee for much-needed lodging,
friendship, and Ultimate Frisbee breaks during my California ventures.
My work has benefited from the array of viewpoints available in the
Department of Communication at Georgia State University. I would
especially like to thank David Cheshier, Kathy Fuller-Seeley, and Greg
Smith for fielding numerous questions and offering helpful advice. In
addition, I am appreciative of the assistance I received from a number
of graduate students. Noel Kirkpatrick, Ian Peters, Karen Petruska, Eric
Dewberry, and Shane Toepfer aided me on many an occasion by gather-
ing images, checking citations, and performing many other vital tasks as
I prepared to send this book to press. Jim Burr at the University of Texas
Press has been a kind and generous editor, and I am thrilled to have had
the chance to work with him on this project.
L. S. Kim, Christina Lane, P. David Marshall, Joanne Morreale, and
Susan Dirks all have provided valued counsel over the years. Exchanges
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