Mad Men-esque — A Dark Look at Hollywood Filmmaking
In this Hollywood , art is all "lies, connivance and darkness." Kindle Edition (Biblioasis, 2016) Scrolling through the books on Biblioasis' website , The Camera Always Lies , a novel by Hugh Hood, caught my eye. It's described as a story about " Hollywood politics and one woman’s struggle to survive them." I was intrigued, not only by the promise of an insider's view, but to boot, the main character is a woman. Sold. (Not to mention Hugh Hood's bio, which in itself is impressive.) I read the novel over two evenings and thoroughly enjoyed it. Set in 1966-67, this is a very dark look at Hollywood filmmaking. Love and Art are all but extinguished in this Holly-land. The greed, lust and misogyny are palpable. Hugh Hood strikes the right balance by injecting humour into the mix. Even the truly "bad guys" are funny. And the overall statement Hood is making about art versus commercialism/careerism elevates the whole thing.