University Press of Mississippi Hal Ashby: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers Series)

Hal Ashby (1929-1988) is considered to be the lost genius of the New Hollywood generation. While his name does not bear the familiarity of, say, Robert Altman or Martin Scorsese, his diverse films are among the best known and most beloved of the era. From the cult classic Harold and Maude (1971) to the iconic political satire Being There (1979), from the subversive sex comedy Shampoo (1975) to the anti-Vietnam romance Coming Home (1979), Ashby rejected mainstream conventions while his films attracted both popular and critical praise. A true actors' director, Ashby drew A-list stars and elicited powerful performances from Jack Nicholson in The Last Detail (1973), Warren Beatty and Julie Christie in Shampoo, Jon Voight and Jane Fonda in Coming Home, and Peter Sellers in Being There. Hal Ashby: Interviews for the first time brings together the best interviews conducted over the course of Ashby's career. Ashby discusses his filmmaking philosophy, memories of working his way up the Hollywood ladder in the 1950s, and his troubled productions in the 1980s. Nick Dawson, Brooklyn, New York, is a contributing editor for Filmmaker magazine. He is also the associate editor for the FilminFocus website, a freelance film journalist, and author of Being Hal Ashby: Life of a Hollywood Rebel, the first biography of the director.