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Comment by crux | Hacker News Reader

According to many who worked on that movie, the story told here about Stone's refusal of huge sums for _Rocky_ and insistence that he be the star is a "near-total fabrication": http://www.hollywoodtoday.net/2006/12/20/rocky-story-reveale...

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From all accounts, it still sounds like making 'Rocky' was a risky move. I thought it was interesting that the studio expected 'New York, New York' to be a hit and for its profits to subsidize the making of 'Rocky'. In the end, 'New York, New York' flopped, and, of course, 'Rocky' brought in millions. Picking winners is a hard thing to do.

Picking winning movies is apparently pretty much impossible. That was the whole point of the old Studio System; it allowed the movie makers to limit risk.

The government broke up the studio system and now they limit risk by bilking foreign investors of capital, from what I gather.

Why aren't there laws against lying? Why isn't this fraud or false advertising? Why are people able to lie to sell? What would the world be like if lying was a criminal act without an oath required? Why is it okay to lie outside the courtroom, but not inside it?

Do we really want to eliminate lying with a broad stroke? Is ALL lying bad?

When is lying not bad? White lies? When they "protect" someone? Is an inability to receive honesty something we want to protect?

Why did you put protect in scare quotes? Miep Gies protected the Franks by lying to the Gestapo. OK, they were the government, but you could protect someone by telling the killer that he's not home. Or do you disagree? So yes, an inability to receive honesty is something we want to protect.

Good points. I put protect in quotes to protect egos with questions like "how do i look?"

Simply, because the right to speak freely is far more precious than the right not to hear untruth.

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