Several of the film-makers profiled in the book have criticized Biskind, many rather harshly. Robert Altman denounced both the book and Biskind's methods, saying "It was
hate mail. We were all lured into talking to this guy because people thought he was a straight guy but he was filling a commission from the publisher for a hatchet job. He's the worst kind of human being I know." Francis Ford Coppola was highly critical, alleging that Biskind interviewed only people with negative opinions of him. The
Sundance festival came under heavy criticism in Biskind's book. He describes it as "little more than a means to save a land deal that was going wrong, by dragging some punters up to his [Robert Redford's] failing
ski resort." The author bemoans Redford as "untouchable in America" where he's considered "as pure as the driven snow," having "the best press of any Hollywood figure ever." Redford responded by saying that he'd never seen Biskind at Sundance and that the festival's success speaks for itself. Ebert himself remarked that "Biskind has a way of massaging his stories to suit his agenda." Peter Bogdanovich was "furious," saying: "I spent seven hours with that guy over a period of days, and he got it all wrong". In a 2014 interview, Biskind stated he found the negative responses "very upsetting," saying, "Coppola...made three great movies, the two
Godfathers and
The Conversation. His place in film history is secure. If I had made those films, I wouldn’t give a damn what anyone wrote about me." He offered as a counterpoint William Friedkins' alleged reaction: "It's only a book." Biskind claimed he and Coppola made amends on a cruise in 2000, ==See also==