The Big Picture

In this unprecedented, all-encompassing, and thoroughly entertaining account of the movie business, acclaimed writer Edward Jay Epstein reveals the real magic behind moviemaking: how the studios make their money.

Epstein shows that in Hollywood, the only art that matters is the art of the deal: Major films turn huge profits not from the movies themselves but through myriad oth...

In this unprecedented, all-encompassing, and thoroughly entertaining account of the movie business, acclaimed writer Edward Jay Epstein reveals the real magic behind moviemaking: how the studios make their money.

Epstein shows that in Hollywood, the only art that matters is the art of the deal: Major films turn huge profits not from the movies themselves but through myriad other enterprises, from video-game spin-offs and soundtracks to fast-food tie-ins, and even theme-park rides. The studios may compete for stars and Oscars, but their corporate parents view wth one another in less glamorous markets such as cable, home video, and pay-TV.

Money, though, is only a small part of the Hollywood story; the social and political milieus–power, prestige, and status–tell the rest. Alongside its remarkable financial revelations and incisive profiles of the pioneers who helped build Hollywood, The Big Picture is filled with eye-opening insider stories. If you are interested in Hollywood today and the complex and fascinating way it has evolved in order to survive, you haven’ t seen the big picture until you’ve read The Big Picture .

爱德华·杰·艾普斯坦（Edward Jay Epstein，1935— ），于康乃尔大学和哈佛大学攻读政治学，1973年取得哈佛大学博士学位，其硕士论文以追寻政治真相为题材（Inquest：The Warren Commission and the Establishment of Truth），博士论文以电视新闻为题材（Neus from Nowhere）,两篇论文皆已出版成书。爱德华原本在MIT和UCLA教授政治学，后来觉得写书的教化功能更强而专事写作。现居美国纽约市。

译者简介

宋伟航，台大历史系、台大历史研究所中国艺术史组毕业。曾任出版编辑，现专事翻译。译有《我的动物天堂》《补缀的星球》《人类大世纪》《重拾山居岁月》《灵魂考》《酷男的异想世界》《丘吉尔：乐在危险的人生》《我在DK的出版岁月》《秃鹰律师》《无辜主人》《帮凶律师》等书。