New York Magazine: Meet the Billionaire Film Mogul and Former Israeli Spy Who Paid for The Revenant

New York Magazine knows a good story when they see one. Arnon Milchan's career and the book Confidential prove to be "worthy of an epic".  

Arnon Milchan on 'Confidential': 70% Right and About 70% of What I Did is Not in There.

The Biographical book 'Confidential; The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon' has been out since 2011, and has been scrutinized by many media outlets. Mr. Milchan has not contested a single contention made in the book, and has confirmed the central elements in it in a 2013 documentary based on the book.

When asked recently by The Malibu Times if the book was accurate, he said, “They got 70% right and about 70% of what I did is not in there … I’ll do anything for Israel.” 

Co author of Confidential, Joseph Gelman, responded to Mr. Milchan's comment: 

We would like to congratulate Mr. Arnon Milchan as the 2015 honoree of the Malibu Film Society. An excellent choice and a well-deserved honor indeed.
As for Mr. Milchan's comments about the accuracy of our biography of him:
Mr. Milchan states that about 70% of his activities were not mentioned in our book. That is entirely possible. Mr. Milchan was one of the most important and productive secret agents that Israeli intelligence had ever fielded at the time (the 1960-1980's), a very active period. As biographers, for the sake of our own credibility, we were careful to include only material that we felt we could substantiate, and that material was stunning enough, as evidence by the strong media reaction to its publication. Our material was, and is, more than enough to give the reader an accurate overall picture with plenty of jaw-dropping details.
There were numerous operations that we became aware of but did not include in our book either for lack of sufficient confirmation, or because we felt that people may actually be physically endangered by the publishing of such information. We also have no doubt that there were operations that we are unaware of. Mr. Milchan did not volunteer the details. We never claimed to have published every detail, we published what was the product of years of serious research and off-the-record interviews with key players, including President Shomon Peres, who personally recruited Mr. Milchan in the 1960's.
We believe that what is in the book is accurate, both in spirit and in fact. We did the best we could given the sensitive and deeply confidential nature of the material. In the years since its publication, Mr. Milchan has never challenged the accuracy of a single element. In fact, he has confirmed most of it in a top-rated, hour-long documentary by Israel's leading news program that was largely based on our book. We not only stand by our material, we believe that the assertions we make in our book were actually understated, as hinted, perhaps unintentionally, by Mr. Milchan himself in his comments to the Malibu Times.
Mr. Milchan was a genuine James Bond / Jason Bourne type figure, whose pre-Hollywood life is worthy of a movie or action-suspense series itself. We wish him the best, and congratulate the Malibu Film Society for an excellent and well deserving choice for an honoree. Mr. Milchan is in fact one of the most successful and prolific producers in the history of Hollywood. Again, we stand by our material.

THE RACE IS ON: Milchan and Pitt's '12 Years a Slave' in Epic Awards Season Faceoff with 'American Hustle'. Milchan's Past will be Tested.

By Eric Wilder - Hollywood

It may be early, but clearly, an epic battle for the Best Picture Academy Award is now on.... and everybody in the industry knows it. Arnon Milchan and Brad Pitt's 12 Years a Slave, will face off with Columbia Pictures' American Hustle, in an awards-season clash of the titans. Both movies have picked up the bulk of the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild top nominations... which are historic barometers for the Oscars.

If 12 Years a Slave pulls it off, it will be the first Academy Award for Arnon Milchan, one of the most successful and prolific independent producers in Hollywood history. An award that would be long overdue, considering his massive portfolio. It is unknown how recent publicity surrounding Mr. Milchan's extracurricular biography as a former spy will affect the voting. Co-Author of Milchan's biography, Joseph Gelman, said the following:

"Given his massive body of work and contributions to the industry, if there is one person in Hollywood who deserves an Academy Award, it would be Arnon. 12 Years a Slave is a worthy and meaningful candidate for Best Picture. It is a movie that will stand the test of time as perhaps the definitive cinematic portrayal of America slavery, the most problematic institution in American history.  

I don't think that American Hustle, a fun movie, brings that kind of gravitas to the table. It's not a serious movie. It is not a movie that people will look back on 20 years from now, or even a year from now, and say 'wow!' Hollywood likes to think of itself as a meaningful industry, in addition to being an entertainment industry.  

Somewhere deep in Arnon's conscience, I know that he sees 12 Years a Slave as a small measure of repentance for past transgressions involving his activities in South Africa. It's an interesting story of redemption, and Hollywood loves stories of redemption. If Milchan wins the Oscar for this important movie, I would put that as the final scene in the movie version of his biography. A real closing of a circle. A "Hollywood ending" if you will.   

Meir and I will be pulling for 12 Years a Slave, not because of Arnon, but because frankly, it's the best movie of the year. It's that simple."      

Worldwide Coverage of the 'Confidential' Saga!

Over the past few weeks, The 'Confidential' saga has been covered on every continent other than Antarctica... by every major news outlet in the world. Below is a tiny sampling of literally hundreds upon hundreds of articles. Links provided:

The UK Guardian, CNN, The Washington Post, BBC, UK Daily Mail, NBC News, UPI, France24, RT, Al-Arabiya, CBS News, The Hong Kong Standard, Germany's Der Spiegel, New York Daily News, The Hollywood Reporter, Fox News, Associated Press, Huffington Post,  Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Italy's La Stampa, The Australian,....

Fox News on the Milchan Story: "This is a Movie in Itself!"

"Hollywood producer by day, Israeli spy by night.
This is a movie in itself!"

CBS News: A Jaw-Dropping Interview as CBS News Talks With 'Confidential' Co-Author Meir Doron

"A new tail of international intrigue is coming to light...."

Based on the Book 'Confidential': The Full Israel Channel 2 Milchan Documentary - No Translation But Fully Understandable:

Note: Channel 2 gave full credit to the authors at the end of the live broadcast,
but seem to have cut the credit on their web post of the broadcast.  

TOTAL VINDICATION - AP: Hollywood's Arnon Milchan Says He Was A Spy

                                                         WORLDWIDE COVERAGE

By ARON HELLER Associated Press

Stories about Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan's alleged double life have been circulating for years.

 

Now, the Israeli businessman behind hits like "Pretty Woman," ''Fight Club" and "L.A. Confidential" has finally come forth with a stunning admission — for years he served as an Israeli spy, buying arms on its behalf and boosting its alleged nuclear program.

 

In a far-reaching interview aired Monday with Israel's Channel 2 TV's flagship investigative program "Uvda," Milchan detailed a series of clandestine affairs in which he was involved and particularly how he helped purchase technologies Israel allegedly needed to operate nuclear bombs.

"I did it for my country and I'm proud of it," said Milchan, who ran a successful fertilizer company in Israel before making it big in Hollywood.

 

Even there, he says he continued with his clandestine work while maintaining close ties with Israel's leadership.

 

According to an unauthorized biography published two years ago, Milchan worked for Israel's now-defunct Bureau of Scientific Relations, known as Lekem, which worked to obtain information for secret defense programs. The bureau was disbanded in 1987 after it was implicated in the spying affair for which Jonathan Pollard, a civilian intelligence analyst for the U.S. Navy, was sentenced to life in prison.

 

Milchan also says other big Hollywood names were connected to his covert affairs.

 

"When I came to Hollywood I detached myself completely from my physical activities to dedicate myself to what I really wanted — filmmaking," he said. "(But) sometimes it gets mixed up."

 

The 68-year-old Milchan founded the New Regency film company and has produced more than 120 movies since the 1970s, working closely with directors such as Martin Scorsese, Roman Polanski, Sergio Leone and Oliver Stone. He forged an especially close relationship with Robert De Niro, who along with actors Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck, is featured in Uvda's broadcast.

 

"I had heard but I wasn't sure," De Niro said, of Milchan's activities. "I did ask him once and he told me that he was an Israeli and of course he would do these things for his country."

Ha'aretz: Hollywood is Always on the Lookout for Blockbuster Stories, and This Coming Monday it will get the Juicy Details

Although this is the first time that Milchan has spoken about the subject since the publication of 'Confidential'....

This isn’t the first time Milchan's role in Israeli arms dealings and intelligence has surfaced: Just two years ago authors Meir Doron and Joseph Gelman published a book titled “Confidential: The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon Arnon Milchan" – which alleged that Milchan was an operative for Israel's Bureau of Scientific Relations. The bureau, headed by spy-masters Benjamin Blumberg and Rafi Eitan, gathered information for secret defense-related programs, including Israel's alleged nuclear program. The bureau was closed after Jonathan Pollard was arrested for spying on behalf of Israel in 1986.

The "Uvda" report does, however, contain some shocking new details about Milchan's work, including claims that other Hollywood bigwigs like the legendary, late director Sydney Pollack and at least one other Academy Award-winning actor, both figured into his work for Israel.

Israel's Channel 2 to Air Lengthy Interview with Arnon Milchan, Possibly about Subjects Raised in 'Confidential'

Israel's Channel 2 Ilana Dayan is not a pushover. She Interviewed Arnon Milchan for the Investigative show 'Uvda'. It has the potential to be a blockbuster of an interview if she did not hold back, and no back-room deals were cut.  

A bird has just whispered in our ear, informing us that a lengthy interview with Hollywood Producer Arnon Milchan has been given to Israel's premier investigative journalism show 'Uvda', a few days ago. The show will air in prime time, 9:00 PM, in approximately two weeks. Channel 2 is Israel's most watched station, and Uvda is it's most important investigative show. The interviewer, Ilana Dayan is one of Israel's most respected investigative journalists. Channel 2 will begin promoting the show, which will also be its season premier, in the coming days.

Clearly, a number of crucial elements exposed in the book 'Confidential' will be discussed, and this may represent the first time that Arnon Milchan has agreed to discuss such matters publicly. We do not know exactly what was said in the interview, but we do know that the book 'Confidential' served as the significant resource for the interviewer. Ilana Dayan is not known to throw soft-balls, or to be used as a PR tool, so there is a good chance that the interview will be authentic and impactful. Stay tuned.

Nationally Syndicated Columnist, Cal Thomas, Mentions 'Confidential' in his new Column about Jonathan Pollard - In 550 US Publications

Pollard supporters are circulating a classified memo written by then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, which they say instructs the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv to “spy” on Israel. The document was released by WikiLeaks and published in the Guardian in 2010 and is included in the book, “The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon Arnon Milchan,” by Meir Doron and Joseph Gelman. If the same standard were applied to Rice as has been applied to Pollard, Rice might be in an Israeli prison.

Read the entire article here. Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist who's articles are featured in over 550 newspapers across North America.

RT Runs Lengthy Segment On Milchan "Nuclear Smuggling"

The segment was also posted on Al Jazeera. It should be noted that claims of Netanyahu's involvment in 'Operation Pinto' are based only on the testimoney of convicted nuclear smuggler Richard Kelly Smyth and have never been independently verified.

Terry Gilliam Explains Arnon Milchan's Reaction to Sid Sheinberg's Comment about 'Brazil' as "The Film of The Decade".

In a newly released clip, director Terry Gilliam describes a classic Hollywood moment, which is detailed in Confidential. Following the screening of Brazil to Universal executives at the Afred Hitchcock theater, Gilliam immediately sensed that they hated it. Universal boss, Sid Sheinberg, came out and called it "the movie of the decade". Milchan though he meant it, but Gilliam understood that it was a snide comment and represented the first shot in "the battle of Brazil". A knock down, drag out, war with the studio to get the movie released:

The Battle of Brazil also represented the beginning of bad blood between Arnon Milchan and Sid Sheinberg. At one point, Sheinberg publicly challenged Milchan to "put his money where his mouth is". Milchan replied in public that "anti-Semitisim is anti-Semitisim even if it comes from an assimilated Beverly Hills Jew." As described in Confidential, years later, Milchan ran into Sid Sheinberg on Broad Beach in Malibu. "He was strolling along when he encountered a  friendly dog and began to play with it. Within moments, the dog's owner suddenly appeared and he was not happy, saying 'excuse me, that's my dog.' Milchan turned around and saw Sid Sheinberg. 'Oh, I guess that means we're neighbors now," he said surprised. Sheinberg was neither friendly nor amused. "you're going to reduce the property values around here," he replied. They have never spoken since."

Cleveland Jewish News Lists the Release of 'Confidential' as an Important Event in Jewish History for July 30th

One Smart Little Paper Indeed: The Cleveland Jewish News lists the release of Confidential as an important event in Jewish History for July 30th, (2011): 

"2011: Gefen Books is scheduled to release Confidential: The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon Arnon Milchan, by brothers-in-law Meir Doron and Joseph Gelman, which “tells the story of an Israeli nuclear intelligence agent who found his way into the film business.”

Personnel Chaos at Milchan's New Regency as CFO Resigns....Again

After just over three months as CFO and 13 years with the company, Bob Corzo is leaving New Regency. Today’s surprise move sees Mimi Tseng hired as the company’s new CFO. That makes the former Summit Entertainment’s EVP, Finance & Operations the third or fourth person to hold the CFO job in as many months.

A lot of bad karma is in the air. Besides Corzo and Santor, company chairman Bob Harper and Hutch Parker exited in late 2011 as Milchan, who owns 80% of the film and financing company, took direct control again and installed himself as Chairman. Milchan, who’s known to send out a mean-spirited email or two to staff, brought former Paramount production president Weston in as CEO in the fall of last year. Alexandra Milchan rejoined her father’s company as EVP Production in mid-September last year. Former Fox 2000 EVP Carla Hacken became New Regency’s production president in late November last year. Andrew Plotkin was named EVP Television earlier this month as the company relaunched their TV division.

Spies Against Armageddon: A Stunning New Book by Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv

The Authors of Confidential highly recommend the new book by Dan Raviv and Yossi Melman, Spies Against Armageddon, due for release in the coming days. Melman and Raviv are long-time, top notch and highly credible investigative journalists who specialize in the world of Israeli intelligence. Their wide body of work was referenced multiple times in Confidential. Like their previous books, such as Every Spy a Prince and Friends In Deed, there is little doubt that it will be groundbreaking. Confidential: The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon Arnon Milchan, is referenced in this fascinating new book.

Enthusiastic Reviews in Jewish Community Newspapers From New Jersey to Nevada. But from Iran? ah... Not so Much

Jewish Times:
"I enjoyed reading about this extraordinary individual in a new biography that could almost be fiction: Confidential: Secret Agent turned Hollywood Tycoon Arnon Milchan...is a fascinating read about a larger- than- life character. It can truly be said of Arnon Milchan, “you can’t make this stuff up.”

Las Vegas Isrealite:
"A stunning new book that has made headlines worldwide...there seems to be a general consensus, Confidential: The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon Arnon Milchan is a gripping portrait..."

Iran's Press TV:
 "A recent book, Confidential: The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon Arnon Milchan by IDF veterans...self-declared Israel-supporters Meir Doron and Joseph Gelman, highlights how he was involved in procuring components to build and maintain Israel's nuclear arsenal. Hundreds of millions of dollars were paid in commissions on deals between Israel and the US which are now used for Mossad's assassination squads. Perhaps we can forgive movie people such as Warren Beatty, Robert De Niro, Sergio Leone and Oliver Stone for needing funding for their movies, regardless of the source."

On the other hand, a great review for Confidential in Vietnam:

Peter Bart Calls 'Confidential' Title "Gaudy"

In the first negative comment about 'Confidential' since Iran's Press TV, Peter Bart, VP over at Variety, called Confidential's title "Gaudy". The title Confidential was inspired by Milchan's own L.A. Confidential. Maybe Bart was referring to the subtitle, of which there is an interesting back-story involving Mr. Milchan, and how the exact wording came about. But that's for another time.

In any event, Mr. Bart might be unaware that the original version of Confidential explained in detail the longtime cozy relationship between Mr. Milchan and Mr. Peter Bart. That segment in the book was removed because it was not central to the story, but also to avoid unnecessary embarrassment. Apparently, no good deed goes unpunished. Of course, anyone can Google "Arnon Milchan Peter Bart"   to scratch the surface of that relationship. The fix is clearly in.

Mr. Bart's line that Milchan "points out that he inherited a company that manufactured chemical fertilizer and, as a player in the chemicals business for a nation that was often at war, he had his share of military contracts" is truly laughable. Mr. Milchan's downplaying-response is of course understandable, but Mr. Bart's stunning lack of intellectual curiosity on this rather weighty matter (ironically, a far more serious matter than the fluffy subject of his article) is not exactly what anyone would call real "Journalism".

Perhaps he should read the book... or at least read the forward written by Israel's premier national-security journalist, Yossi Melman, of the Ha'aretz newspaper: "I never believed in my lifetime that so many accurate facts about Mr. Milchan and the LAKAM would ever be published," said Mr. Melman, who along with CBS News correspondent Dan Raviv is the author of two aclaimed books on the history of Israeli intelligence; Every Spy a Prince, and Friends Indeed. Of course, Raviv and Melman are also what one might describe as real journalist... unlike Mr. Bart.

The Authors Interview With Israeli President Shimon Peres:

On February 8th, 2010, the authors of Confidential interviewed Israeli President Shimon Peres on the life of legendary Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan. The President confirmed in generalities Mr. Milchan's substantial contributions to the defense of Israel in a covert capacity, and that he [Peres] had "recruited him" back during the days when he served in the Ministry of Defense in the 1960's. When we asked whether he believed Mr. Milchan worthy of the Israel Defense Prize, he stated that as President he could not make any individual recommendation but that he certainly felt that he [Milchan] is worthy; "and that that, in fact, is almost a recommendation". He also stated within the context of our discussions about Mr. Milchan and the nuclear program, that "we went for Dimona [Israel's nuclear rector] in order to reach for peace", i.e. peace through strength. A direct acknowledgement of Israel's nuclear program and its defense-related implications. The cordial interview was conducted in Hebrew at the Presidents Residence in Jerusalem. The President was calm, courteous, measured, professional, generous with his time, and straightforward. We asked to tape the interview but his assistant who was also present requested that we take notes instead. The President however, did tape the interview. We are thankful to him for extending us this journalistic opportunity.

Confidential Now Available on iPhone, iPad & iPod touch via iBooks at iTunes

OK, it looks like we are up on all of the Apple platforms (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad) via iTunes. download your digital Confidential here.