looking back at 'Bonfire'

I wonder how many of you have read Julie Salamon's "The Devil's Candy," which documents the making of the movie. It's a comprehensive, almost novelistic narrative which carries the reader from pre-production to post, to the preview screenings and the film's ultimate critical drubbing and meltdown at the boxoffice. She had total access from start to finish: for example, you're in the room with De Palma and Tom Hanks as they discuss the possible casting of Uma Thurman in the Melanie Griffith role. It's probably one of the best books ever written about the way "Hollywood" works, an incredible insider's view.

Some of the other posts on the boards seem to indicate that performers the caliber of Tom Hanks and Morgan Freeman "had" to have known they were producing a stinkbomb as production rolled along. Funny thing is, if you read Salamon's book, there's only one moment during production wherein an actor seems to realize they're all in big trouble... Bruce Willis, during the filming of the restaurant scene with Alan King, after a few poor takes, he expressed his displeasure with the proceedings, saying "We're dying here." Everyone on set assumed De Palma would tear into him for such a blatantly provocative remark, but De Palma knew better than to tick off the then-biggest star in his cast. He very quietly took him aside and told him how much he appreciated his input, and that in the future, he'd prefer Bruce to come to him directly if he felt a scene wasn't working as well as planned.

Probably the most amazing aspect of the book -- and most fascinating for the average film geek -- is the chapter detailing the test screening process. What I still can't get my head around is that an early cut of 'Bonfire' screened at the same time as the final version of 'Goodfellas.' The early cut of 'Bonfire' scored much higher with its first audience than 'Goodfellas.' Soon after, when 'Goodfellas' was screened for the Execs at Warner, most of them simply didn't get it. They thought it was a complete misfire; supposedly, they were angry at Scorsese for squandering so much of their money on a film with "no likable characters" etc. Luckily, Scorsese didn't consent to making any changes to his baby.

Moving ahead a little further... 'Bonfire' screened for the Warner Execs. Who came away convinced De Palma had knocked it out of the park. De Palma's old pal Steven Spielberg watched this early cut. He rose a glass to toast De Palma's vision. Spielberg thought 'Bonfire' was the best black comedy he'd seen since 'Dr. Strangelove.' What happened next, you ask? In short order, 'Goodfellas' opened to astonishing rave reviews, and became a hit, a legendary film which typically appears on those "Best of the 90s" lists. The next few test screenings of 'Bonfire' were disastrous, leading to re-shoots and lots of tinkering. When they finally produced a version to everyone's satisfaction, it was almost unanimously panned by critics, and flopped at the boxoffice. In the final analysis, the adaptation of 'Bonfire' is now a cautionary tale.

How could the final cut of 'Goodfellas' have caused Warner Execs to want to jump off a bridge, while 'Bonfire' led those same people to imagine multiple Oscar noms across the board? It's inexplicable... yet so very "Hollywood." Like William Goldman's famous line: Nobody Knows Anything. The folks who were praising De Palma to the skies one week, were suddenly lamenting how the production had spiraled out of control, how they knew the film was in big trouble all along, etc.