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
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.
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.
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.
Show me a Scorsese film, and I'll show you a movie where he's taken risks. It's just his nature. He's an artist, and artists take risks. He always does what he believes in.
This is certainly not to excuse the violence that exists on TV and films and on the Internet. But the truth is that wherever you go in Europe, there are American films and TV shows that are just as popular as at home. And you don't have that sense of violence in any other place other than America.
If I'm going to produce something, it's going to be with somebody I think is special. Once I go beyond a handful of directors, like Scorsese, there are very few I want to work with.
When James Bond gets old, you get rid of him and bring a new James Bond in.
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.
The thing that's strange about Frank Vincent is that actors of his quality are usually big stars.
If you look at successful studios, they're the ones with stabilized management.
I just think there's a general interest in the world of computers.
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.
More money has been lost trying to imitate 'Rocky' than 'Rocky' has made.
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.