Irwin Winkler
Irwin Winkler
Irwin Winkleris an American film producer and director. He is the producer or director of 50 motion pictures, dating back to 1967's Double Trouble, starring Elvis Presley. The fourth film he produced, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, starring Jane Fonda, was nominated for nine Academy Awards. He won an Oscar for Best Picture for 1976's Rocky. As a producer, he has been nominated for Best Picture for three other films: Raging Bull, The Right Stuff, and Goodfellas...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionProducer
Date of Birth25 May 1931
CountryUnited States of America
For the good producer, raising capital is about the last thing to worry about. If you're good, the money comes very easily.
I really woke up one morning and said, you know, 'I haven't seen a good film about the American Revolution. And all the ones I have seen haven't been successful, but I'm going to make a successful one.' Well, I wasn't able to do that.
I'm just trying to tell a nice story. Whether you're a writer or a producer, all you want to do is tell a good yarn.
The day I make movies that Rupert Murdoch likes and admires is the day I'll throw in the towel, because he's got no taste.
Every film I do, I'm involved with from the very conception of the project.
As a producer, the most important call you can get is on Saturday morning, when the Friday-night grosses come in. As a director, you want your film to be successful. But your outlook is a bit different. You become very conscious of the reviews.
When studios start telling me why a particular film project won't work, I remember 'Rocky.' I remember that the biggest success Bob Chartoff and I have had was a film nobody wanted to make.
Many of the best films made about war have come out after the wars have ended. People need a period of time to reflect on them.
More money has been lost trying to imitate 'Rocky' than 'Rocky' has made.
Most of the producers don't know what they do. The misconception of the producers' function is really not a misconception. Most producers don't do a very good job.
I just think there's a general interest in the world of computers.
Usually when you have a sequel, the character always stays the same and that's true basically of 'Rocky III,' 'IV' and 'V.' He didn't really change.
When James Bond gets old, you get rid of him and bring a new James Bond in.
I remember when 'The Right Stuff' opened in Hollywood. I got dressed that morning and drove my car down to the theatre that it was playing on, thinking that there would be mobs of people outside. When I looked, there was nobody there.