THE DEVIL'S CANDY The Anatomy of a Hollywood Fiasco

Journalist Julie Salamon wrote and narrates this account of the making of the 1990 film BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES. Director Brian De Palma granted her unlimited access to the entire film production of Tom Wolfe's novel. Salamon's vocal pitch and a degree of nasality detract from what is otherwise a carefully enunciated workmanlike narration. While anticipated to be a blockbuster, the film was a mega-flop--even the participation of Tom Hanks and Melanie Griffith, among many others, could not save the film. Nonetheless, listeners who have an interest in every action, reaction, international excursion, and scene setup from a big studio will likely enjoy what is primarily a cataloguing effort. "The Devil's Candy" was the original name a Warner Brothers executive assigned the film project. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2021]