Roger Corman

Description by OLDIES.com:

Ask today's movie buff to name his or her idols among independent filmmakers and you're likely to get many different answers. Ask the filmmakers themselves and you're likely to hear the same name repeated over and over - Roger Corman.

Long before indie powerhouse Miramax became famous worldwide, Corman was an independent marketing industry unto himself, producing small but influential films that made a big impact on his peers. His brilliant, low-budget monster movies and sci-fi flicks were the direct inspiration for later big-studio blockbusters like Jaws and Star Wars.

Much has been written about his films and directorial philosophy - most of it by outsiders with no direct connection to their subject. So what do we know about Corman the eccentric business executive, Corman the studio head, Corman the boss? Precious little has been said about what it's like to work up-close and day-to-day with this immensely charming but cagey living legend who continues to blaze trails in even the most difficult markets. How has he achieved such an amazing success ratio for profitability? Are his notorious penny-pinching tactics just good commercial sense or a reflection of a complex psyche?

In Roger Corman: An Unauthorized Biography of the Godfather of Indie Filmmaking, Beverly Gray provides an unprecedented personal perspective of her employer of almost ten years. She analyzes the price Corman has paid for his independence and what his success has cost those who have worked for him. The answers are sometimes surprising, often shocking, and always fascinating.