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Peter Bart
Editor-At-Large
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Peter moved to Deadline in 2016 from his longtime home at Variety, where he had been a fixture since 1989 as that trade's Editor-In Chief. He began his career as a staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times before his entry into the movie business, becoming Vice President for Production at Paramount. At that studio, he played a key role in such films as The Godfather, Rosemary’s Baby and Harold & Maude. He later served as Senior Vice President for Production at MGM and, later, as President of Lorimar films. Peter is also the author of nine books, and is a member of PMC's board of advisors.
More From Peter Bart
Peter Bart: My 1975 New Year’s Resolution Was To Quit Hollywood – And Here’s Why
I've always avoided New Year's resolutions, but this week I happened to recall one that was brief but resolute: I resolved to quit Hollywood.
And I did. Almost.
That decision seems relevant today for reasons that require a bit of history. Consider…
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By Peter Bart
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5 Comments Comment on Peter Bart: My 1975 New Year’s Resolution Was To Quit Hollywood – And Here’s Why
Peter Bart: Today’s Movie Musicals Are Wicked Successful But A Far Cry From The Sunnier Settings Of Hollywood’s Golden Age Hits
Many of us survived the Covid days by rediscovering old MGM musicals, humming tunes from Singing In the Rain or doing a Fred Astaire tap from Top Hat.
So if they represented islands of good cheer, let's get real about the new cycle of musicals: Like…
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By Peter Bart
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Peter Bart: Celebrity Documentaries Command Lofty Prices Even As Star Power Appears To Be Losing Its Luster
Celebrity documentaries are commanding lofty price tags at the moment, even though “star power” itself seems to be losing its sizzle.
The facts are nasty: Superstar endorsements carried zero clout in the presidential elections. Further, studios have…
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By Peter Bart
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Peter Bart: AI-Augmented ‘Putin’ Brings An Uncertain Reality To The Big Screen
The actor's name is Slawomir Sobala and he plays “the most despised person in the world.” He knows he likely won't receive any awards for his performance despite its power and timeliness and the personal risks in its physical production.
His movie…
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By Peter Bart
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Peter Bart: Indies Put Their Faith In Older Demos For Serious Fare Like ‘Conclave’
"The best antidote for a bad election is a good movie," Richard M. Nixon once proclaimed, and for many filmgoers this week Conclave helped blot out the political noise. A papal thriller with a shock ending, Conclave's impact (it's a film, not a streaming…
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By Peter Bart
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Peter Bart: Would Hollywood’s Old Guard Tinker With TikTok? Dismiss “Disclaimer’?
David O. Selznick was a demanding producer who often interrupted pitches and then bullied filmmakers once their movies started shooting. I wonder how impresarios of his era — Selznick, Sam Goldwyn or Darryl F. Zanuck — would have coped with the unruly…
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By Peter Bart
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Peter Bart: Is ‘Saturday Night’ Movie Ready For Theatrical Primetime?
"What is the show?"
That's what a nervous NBC kept asking about its newly conceived Saturday Night Live 50 years ago. Its young producer, Lorne Michaels, never answered. Nor is he likely to now: Saturday Night, a movie about his show, opens wide this week and Michaels says he hasn't found time to see…
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By Peter Bart
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Peter Bart: CNN’S Edgy New Panel Show Seeking To Become Political Snark Tank
News junkies relished the break in pre-election noise this week in celebrating the 25th anniversary of The West Wing, a show that portrayed politicians as "competent and committed."
Aaron Sorkin, its mastermind, might be caught off-guard when discovering CNN's new show, Have I Got News for You, which…
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By Peter Bart
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Peter Bart: Rupert Murdoch’s Legacy At Center Of Family Succession Drama In Reno Courtroom
“The bankers are trying to crunch me. They'll fail.”
Rupert Murdoch looked frazzled but defiant. We were having what was supposed to be a friendly coffee, but this was 2006 and he was under siege from bankers who were trying to cope with his financial…
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By Peter Bart
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Peter Bart: ‘The Apprentice’ & ‘Reagan’ Spark New Political Debate In Hollywood
If the presidential campaign stirs your appetite for still more political noise, here's a quick solution: Catch the new biopics of Donald Trump or Ronald Reagan. Trump calls the movie about him “a hit job”; Reagan likely would find his biopic a sleeper…
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By Peter Bart
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Peter Bart: How The 1968 Democratic Convention Landed The Lead Role In (And Almost Sank) ‘Medium Cool’
"I directed the best political movie never released."
Filmmaker Haskell Wexler thus described Medium Cool, his violent feature set during Chicago's riotous 1968 Democratic National Convention. His movie opened (sort of) exactly 55 years ago this…
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By Peter Bart
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Peter Bart: Will Hollywood’s Cutbacks Inhibit The Comebacks? We’re Nearing The Moment Of Truth
The news of the moment keeps veering between cutbacks and comebacks. Keep your shrink on hold.
Paramount is laying off thousands and closing its TV studio, but Skydance's David Ellison, its new owner, promises that an important new slate is on its way…
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By Peter Bart
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