Inventing David Geffen

This documentary via PBS and their American Masters series (initially screened at the Hamptons International Film Festival in 2012) on record producer/motion picture entrepreneur/billionaire David Geffen is a very selective biography. Geffen, who rose from hard times in 1940s Brooklyn to becoming a self-made player in the music and movie worlds--and soon, Broadway--currently lives in Jack Warner's Hollywood spread. Geffen appears to come off as a humble, regular guy who never wanted an ordinary life; he rides in limos wearing T-shirts and jeans, he takes calls from presidents and future presidents as if he's chatting with relatives. His apprehensive, weasel-like look suggests a man with many friends who are friends because anything else would be verboten; they are afraid to cross him, which will help to make an interesting epitaph someday. Until then, we get a man "with no talent" whose circle includes the most talented people in the world. This portrait from writer-producer-director Susan Lacy omits some of the failures (such as 1982's lesbian athlete underachiever "Personal Best') as well as the successes (the signing of music heavyweights Linda Ronstadt and Carly Simon). There are interviews with a number of incredible names who don't really have much to say (the most charming is Yoko Ono, who made the business deal with David that landed John Lennon on Geffen Records in 1980; also Eagles member Don Henley, who apparently held a small grudge for a time over Geffen selling off Asylum Records to Warner Bros. As if it were a commodity instead of the "family label" Geffen had promised). I wouldn't want to cross Geffen: there's a hanging judge's stare behind those stony eyes and that tight grimace of a smile. Fortunately, for people like myself on the outside, we'll never have to face that predicament. **1/2 from ****

Despite having heard his name many, many times, I really wasn't sure who David Geffen is nor why, exactly, he was famous. Fortunately, for folks who live under rocks like me, there's this installment of "American Masters" that gives a nice overview of his life. It's enhanced by not only having lots of interviews with Geffen himself but a wide, wide variety of stars who talk about him--the business Geffen, the personal Geffen, the philanthropic Geffen and, at the end, the tough and unrelenting Geffen who, if crossed, could be a tough, tough adversary. Most documentaries about moguls are short--too short. Fortunately, this one was designed for a two-hour time slot. Also fortunately, it does NOT paint a one-dimensional portrait of the guy. His very admirable and scary sides to his personality are shown and the film is not some whitewash fluff piece on the guy (such as including details of his feud with the Clinton family). Well worth seeing, informative and exceptionally well made.

Preeminent music and film executive David Geffen is a macher with chutzpah and this is his story. He was raised in a blue collar Jewish family in Brooklyn, struggled in school due to dyslexia, had an adoring mother who called him "King David," and dreampt of life in Hollywood, a place he went to as soon as he was able. The interviews with David, artists whose careers he helped craft, and fellow mogels weave this documentary into a fascinating look at the music man's life. The soundtrack shows the wide reach of his accomplishments, notably Joni Mitchell's Free Man in Paris, she wrote while on a trip in Paris with David with Robbie and Dominique Robertson.

"I was a free man in Paris I felt unfettered and alive There was nobody calling me up for favors And no one's future to decide You know I'd go back there tomorrow But for the work I've taken on Stoking the star-maker machinery Behind the popular song" ~ Joni Mitchell

"The word got around that there were these music-industry guys who were also human beings," says Jackson Browne. Browne, who sent sent Geffen a headshot and demo of Song For Adam, would know. David told his friend and fellow music agent Elliot Roberts, "This song will make you cry," about Song For Adam. He had that knack to find talent. When they weren't able to sign Jackson with an established record company, they formed Asylum Records in 1971 as a place for struggling artists to find shelter. Indeed, their stable of folk-rock singer-songwriters would hang out having a good time and getting stoned while David, an energetic opportunist who nurtured the careers and souls of his artists, remained clear headed as he worked his golden magic on the phone.

Geffen's story follows him from his early days in the mailroom at the William Morris Agency, (he lied about his schooling to get hired and then famously worked long hours in the mailroom until he could intercept and modify the letter that came from UCLA to show that he had attended and graduated), through his revolutionizing musical and film ventures. After he so devotedly nurtured Laura Nyro's career, putting her on the musical map by getting other musicans to cover her songs, she betrayed him by signing with Columbia records, not his label. He was heartbroken. He famously negotiated to get David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash out of their respective record deals at three different companies, so that they could fly together. He gained the trust of Yoko Ono by being a mensch, and signed John Lennon not long before Lennon was killed.

Let's see, what else? He was gay and fell in love with Cher, (I just read Val Kilmer's autobiography... does everyone fall in love with Cher?), he super managed a boatload of talent, sued Neil Young for being creative, (Neil was interviewed in this film), bought Jack Warner's mansion in Hollywood, made millions, made billions, was misdiagnosed with cancer in 1977 and retired. Found out he didn't have cancer and founded Geffen Records in 1980, DGC Records in 1990, and co-founded DreamWorks SKG in Q1994, a powerhouse movie studio with Steven Speilberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Geffen gave a lot to the cause of AIDS/HIV, and more. He financially supported Bill Clinton early on but grew disillusioned when Clinton didn't live up to his promise to have gays accepted in the American armed forces and when Clinton did not pardon political prisioner Leonard Peltier. David then publicly came out against Hillary Clinton and threw his support beond Barack Obama.

I recommend this film for those of us lucky enough to have benefited from David Geffen's creative moxy, and for those who don't yet know of him. This film will remind you or introduce you to his marvelous cultural contributions. It's available now on Amazon Prime.

Most of us know the name of David Geffen, but most probably because of the name Geffen appears prominently on big selling CDs like Aerosmith's, or Guns 'n Roses'. This documentary shows the whole picture. How a poor, Jewish boy from New York, works his way up in the entertainment business. He uses a little cheating, a bit of bluff, but thanks to his incredible work ethos, and relentless support for his artists, ends up on top of the pyramid.

What struck me most was the completeness the documentary shows of Geffen's career and personal life. The makers surely managed to grasp the essence, without getting lost in too many material available. They pay tribute to very prominent personality in entertainment. But not just looking at his work and accomplishments, but also where his drive comes from, what negative experiences he has had that made him the way he is. All in all, I'd like to call this a solid account of a survivor, a macher in the entertainment industry, that would have existed without him, but that wouldn't have been the same.

A more extensive review, on this documentary and others, you'll find on the CasparSongs blog.

This is a fascinating biopic about a man who is like most of us who enjoy music and movies, but he took it to depths we never knew existed - and then he created more.

I love hearing about people who make it - and help others along the way - and who remain themselves while doing it. It seems that David Geffen did just that. He did it with some smoke and mirrors and few white lies here and there - and thank goodness he did.

The entertainment business would have not been nearly as vast and deep without him blustering his way through it while caring for the people around him - and they for him.

It was interesting to see what he accomplished and how he did it. The good, the bad and the ugly of it all. Isn't that life in almost any industry you can look at?

I gave it 7 stars because I do think it was too long, and like Clint Eastwood's movie, could have been cut a bit here and there.