Dirty Real - by Peter Stanfield (Hardcover)

About the Book

"This is the tale of how Hollywood, inspired by the success of Easy Rider, sold a cycle of films as the new dirty real. Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, Monte Hellman, Jack Nicholson, Kris Kristofferson, and Sam Peckinpah, among others, drew on a nostalgia for the gutter and donned bohemian personae, pulling on soiled shirts and scuffed boots to better counter the glamour and phoniness of Tinseltown. With great care for the historical record and displaying a refined critical acuity, Peter Stanfield captures that pivotal moment when Hollywood tried to sell a begrimed vision of itself to the world."--

Book Synopsis

The story of how the movies assumed a gritty facade in the name of authenticity, with working actors transforming into artists, poets, painters, troubadours, and filmmakers--both on- and off-screen.

This is the tale of how Hollywood, inspired by the success of Easy Rider, sold a cycle of films as the new dirty real. Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, Monte Hellman, Jack Nicholson, Kris Kristofferson, and Sam Peckinpah, among others, parlayed a nostalgia for the gutter and donned bohemian personae, pulling on soiled shirts and scuffed boots to better counter the glamour and phoniness of Tinseltown. The result was a generation of movies, including The Hired Hand, Five Easy Pieces, Two-Lane Blacktop, The Last Picture Show, and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. With great care for the historical record and displaying a refined critical acuity, Peter Stanfield captures that pivotal moment when Hollywood tried to sell a begrimed vision of itself to the world.

Review Quotes

"Stanfield discusses these films and others in some detail, assessing the various ways in which they all aspire--some more successfully than others--to get down and dirty, to break with convention, and to build the distinctive style of filmmaking that his title names as 'dirty real.' . . . He's right to take a sceptical view of the 'dirty real' phenomenon. And his observations about how the meetings between on-screen outlaws and their soul mates in the music industry--Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Kris Kristofferson, the Eagles and others--turn them into mirror reflections of each other are especially astute. . . . A lively read, it's smartly written and full of provocative ideas about the ongoing appeal of the outlaw in contemporary life and about the workings of popular culture in general."-- "The Age"

"Filmmakers like Dennis Hopper, Sam Peckinpah, and Monte Hellman are among those profiled in Dirty Real: Exile on Hollywood and Vinewith the Gin Mill Cowboy by Stanfield. These are figures whose success was gained 'by hard-scrabble labour, from experience earned on the road, with sweat and dirt.' Stanfield astutely writes that Humphrey Bogart--whose 'characters did not seek favours, were not obsequious or resentful'--provided a link between old and new Hollywood."--Christopher Schobert "The Film Stage"

"Author Stanfield in ten chapters meticulously explores themes related to Hollywood, the film industry, and the cultural shifts in American cinema beginning in 1966 that were peculiarly focused on anti-heroes, counter-culture, and the myths surrounding cult films and actors of that era. . . . A great excursion into what most film buffs would call the best period of American auteur cinema."-- "Popcultureshelf.com"

"A few years ago, Stanfield slayed me with his book A Band with Built-In Hate: The Who from Pop Art to Punk--now he's switched over to early '70s American cinema: Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, Monte Hellman, Jack Nicholson, Kris Kristofferson, Sam Peckinpah + Five Easy Pieces, Two-Lane Blacktop, Last Picture Show, Pat Garrett, The Last Movie. The author seems a bit more cynical than me on these actors/movies but he admires and KNOWS the topic and I learned a lot. If you loved books like Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, and the book about Midnight Cowboy, you'll love this too!"--Pat Thomas, author of "Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975"

"A terrific new film book on a niche subject: Dirty Real, Stanfield's account of how a bunch of mostly middle-class (or rich) guys embraced hippie cowboy 'authenticity' and reinvented American cinema. . . . Stanfield works his way through the 60s and 70s concentrating on key works, such as Easy Rider, Dirty Little Billy, Cisco Pike, and films somewhat in opposition (like The Last Picture Show). Purely at a prose level it's a groove and a gas to read."--Matt Zoller Seitz "@mattzollerseitz"

"Stanfield's takes are entertaining, erudite without being abstruse, and often amusingly contrarian. They have the feel of an academic version of Quentin Tarantino riffing on the hidden themes of his favorite obscure movies, pausing from time to time to sample from critical opinion and toss in some behind-the-scenes gossip. . . . Stanfield is splendid in his exegeses."--Kyle Smith "Wall Street Journal"

"In a challenging cultural rhapsody about the gritty authenticity characterizing films following the hippie era of the 1960s, Stanfield posits that the 1970s presented problem-based rather than escapist entertainment vehicles."-- "Library Journal"

"Stanfield is a perceptive and graceful writer; he imparts knowledge to the reader while never sounding like he is lecturing. . . . Stanfield's expertise and depth of knowledge make it feel like this is something we're seeing for the first time."-- "Booklist"

"So full of information, so culturally astute, and so beautifully written."--Mike Scott, The Waterboys

"Stanfield . . . delivers a discerning deep dive into counterculture films of the late 1960s and early '70s. According to Stanfield, such actors as Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson played down the glamour that had previously characterized Hollywood stars in favor of grittier personas that reflected an emerging understanding that movies were no longer 'means of escape but a means of approaching a problem.' Astute analysis of key films of the era reveal how they tackled topical issues. . . . It's a sharp study of the contradictions of post-flower power cinema."-- "Publishers Weekly"

About the Author

Peter Stanfield is professor emeritus of film at the University of Kent. His books include A Band with Built-In Hate: The Who from Pop Art to Punk and Pin-Ups 1972: Third Generation Rock 'n' Roll, both also published by Reaktion Books. He lives in Kent.