Viewers fascinated with inside stories about Hollywood will be mesmerized by The Last Mogul, Barry Avrich's documentary about Lew Wasserman, the legendary powerbroker who made a phenomenal success of MCA and later served as the head of Universal Pictures. In a career that spanned six decades, Wasserman perfected the art of the deal: in fact, Donald Trump is like a kid running a curbside lemonade stand compared to Wasserman, who butted heads with union leaders, mobsters, politicians, and even presidents—and rarely came out second best. The film puts together details of Wasserman's life in a manner reminiscent of Citizen Kane, one puzzle piece at a time, as the notoriously secretive mogul—who practically invented the summer blockbuster with his elaborate promotion and distribution of Jaws—is remembered by such industry heavyweights as Richard Zanuck, David Brown, Jack Valenti, Peter Bart, Robert Evans, Michael Ovitz, and Larry King, among others. Fast-moving and smartly assembled, The Last Mogul recalls an era of Hollywood history that, while not all that old, is already the stuff of legend. Highly recommended. (E. Hulse)
The Last Mogul
Kino, 103 min., PG-13, DVD: $24.95, Aug. 8 Volume 21, Issue 5
The Last Mogul
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