Both, probably.
friend
he’s made some great films
… and Shakespeare in Love
FOE!!!
Well, considering that if you actually are a friend of Harvey Weinstein (Tarantino, Kevin Smith, so on), he’ll give you the green light to make whatever movie you want. So, based on that I’d have to say he’s a good friend to many.
As for us, the audience… I understand and agree with a lot of the criticisms laid upon the man, but there are cases where his re-cuts of films he bought the rights too actually improve the work to an incredible degree. Cinema Paradiso, for example.
And there are cases where his recuts demolish the film, such as Shaolin Soccer and Valentin.
Right now I’m a bit pissy about the Weinsteins because their Weinstein Company only rents through Blockbuster, creating no end of havoc in terms of my work getting and keeping Weinstein titles. But yeah, if I managed to become a friend of Harvey Weinstein, why then I’d have it made, now wouldn’t I?
—PolarisDiB
If it makes you feel better, Polaris, I do believe that The Weinstein Company is officially the most unprofitable of the mini-majors in Hollywood right now, and has been since their break from Miramax and Disney.
Great topic, I’ve often pondered this myself. At the outset he was certainly a friend – their original motivations had integrity – but as time has gone on they have struggled more and more to keep it. Hmm
Foe, mostly… regardless if it makes the film better or not (which I will argue it doesn’t in basically every case) it’s wrong to re-cut a finished film, if you’re not the person who made the film (ie. Bergman with Scenes… and Fanny and Alexander). It’s taking something that should be art, and commercializing it, throwing into the same pile of junk normally released by major studios.
Alanedit
Discuss.