Peter Bart: Great Dealmakers Don’t Usually Make Great Movies, But They Could Learn From Hollywood’s Past
deadline.comWhere do great movies come from? When Netflix started creating its own shows a decade ago, Ted Sarandos and his colleagues put that question to select creatives around town.
It was a smart exercise – but most respondents insisted there was no answer.Coincidentally I’d been putting out that question at various times over the years with equally ambiguous results.
Saul Zaentz, the feisty film and music producer, once offered this response: “Great movies come from terrible people who fight you every step of the way and make your life miserable.”Misery or not, Zaentz’s indie company managed to produce three Best Picture winners over the years and his music company earned millions from Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Never part of Hollywood’s corporate structure, Zaentz and his achievements are a reminder of the banner times in the indie era — from Samuel Goldwyn to John Heyman, Dino De Laurentiis and Francis Coppola.
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