Documentary's about Film Making/Film Makers
These are documentary's from my collection that involve film making in some way. Some are about a single actor, director, etc.. others focus on a certain creative period, or a specific experience or event involving someone from the film community. There are many more doc's in this genre that I have yet to see but am well aware of. I will continue to add them as they become available to me.
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- DirectorKevin BrownlowStarsLindsay AndersonAlbert DieudonnéAbel GanceBBC documentary on the long and flamboyant career of French filmmaker Abel Gance.
- DirectorLes BlankStarsWerner HerzogKlaus KinskiClaudia CardinaleA documentary following German auteur Werner Herzog as he deals with difficult actors, bad weather and getting a boat over a mountain, all in an effort to make his film Fitzcarraldo (1982).
- DirectorRichard SchickelStarsSally FieldBarbara StanwyckHumphrey BogartSally Field hosts this thorough documentary about actress Barbara Stanwyck. Highlights include Ball of Fire (1941), Double Indemnity (1944) and Sorry, Wrong Number (1948).
- DirectorValerie A. RobinsStarsOtto PremingerBurgess MeredithSaul BassThe life and films of iconic producer. director, and actor Otto Preminger are depicted through clips from his films and interviews with co-workers.
- DirectorMichael EpsteinThomas LennonStarsRichard Ben CramerWilliam AllandThomas AndersonDocumentary about the battle between Orson Welles and William Randolph Hearst over Welles' Citizen Kane (1941). Features interviews with Welles' and Hearst's co-workers also as a relative complete bio of Hearst.
- DirectorPeter FitzgeraldStarsEva Marie SaintPatricia HitchcockErnest LehmanHosted by Eva Marie Saint, the film's leading lady, this 40-minute documentary of Alfred Hitchcock's only M-G-M film combines interviews (Martin Landau, Patricia Hitchcock, production designer Robert F. Boyle and screenwriter Ernest Lehman), movie clips and behind the scenes photos to make for a fascinating look at one of the silver screen's glowing gems. For fans of North by Northwest (1959) and Hitchcock aficionados, this is a must see treat.
- DirectorKevin BrownlowStarsKenneth BranaghForrest J. AckermanMichael F. BlakeLon Chaney, the silent movie star and makeup artist, renowned for his various characterizations and celebrated for his horror films, becomes the subject of this documentary.
- DirectorDavid RivaStarsBurt BacharachAndré G. BrunelinRosemary ClooneyThe films, affairs and struggles of the iconic star of The Blue Angel as told by Rosemary Clooney, Roger Corman, Deanna Durbin and many more.
- DirectorHugh Munro NeelyStarsCharlize TheronJeanine BasingerCari BeauchampAn exploration of actress Marion Davies, including her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst and her life both before and after her movie career.
- DirectorJan HarlanStarsKatharina KubrickMalcolm McDowellStanley KubrickThe career and life of Stanley Kubrick is explored through pictures, clips from his films, his old home movies, comments from his colleagues and a narration by Tom Cruise.
- DirectorRichard SchickelStarsWoody AllenA series of interviews with Woody Allen interlaced with clips from his films.
- DirectorDavid StrohmaierStarsLowell ThomasFred WallerJim MorrisonA nostalgic and compelling look into the legendary three camera, three projector process that revolutionized motion pictures and led the industry into the widescreen era. Through actual Cinerama clips, rare behind the scenes footage and new interviews, CINERAMA ADVENTURE takes the viewer back to a lost era of movie showmanship, placing this American cinema phenomenon into historical perspective.
- DirectorDamian PettigrewStarsFederico FelliniRoberto BenigniLuigi 'Titta' BenziA look at Fellini's creative process. In extensive interviews, Fellini talks a bit about his background and then discusses how he works and how he creates. Several actors, a producer, a writer, and a production manager talk about working with Fellini. Archive footage of Fellini and others on the set plus clips from his films provide commentary and illustration for the points interviewees make. Fellini is fully in charge; actors call themselves puppets. He dismisses improvisation and calls for "availability." His sets and his films create images that look like reality but are not; we see the differences and the results.
- DirectorCarmen PicciniStarsWoody AllenFausto AncillaiRoberto BenigniInterviewed participants and clips shed light on: Whether Fellini used scripts or improvised. The extent to which actors made sounds on the set that were totally changed in dubbing. The casting of unusual looking people even in bit parts.
- DirectorKevin BrownlowMichael KloftStarsKenneth BranaghAdolf HitlerSydney ChaplinA look at the parallel lives of Charles Chaplin and Adolf Hitler and how they crossed with the creation of The Great Dictator (1940).
- DirectorTed DemmeRichard LaGraveneseStarsFrancis Ford CoppolaWilliam FriedkinRobert AltmanA documentary examining the decade of the 1970s as a turning point in American cinema. Some of today's best filmmakers interview the influential directors of that time.
- DirectorRichard SchickelStarsCharles ChaplinSydney PollackBill IrwinNarrated by Sydney Pollack, film critic Richard Schickel's dazzling two-hour plus documentary to one of the towering figures in film: Charles Chaplin. Hardcore Chaplin fans may not find much new material here, but more unfamiliar admirers will gain some valuable information about one of the most famous personalities of the 20th century. Schickel has constructed the documentary as a chronological survey of Chaplin's work, starting with his most significant shorts and covering all of his features. Schickel supports his narration with testimony from artists familiar with Chaplin's work and family members who offer personal insights into the comedian's life. The documentary plays down but doesn't ignore the controversies that swirled around Chaplin's private life. But the main focus is on the films. They include some of the best-loved movies of all time. Clips from "Kid Auto Races at Venice," the 1914 Keystone short in which Chaplin first used his Tramp costume, reveal a startlingly modern technique and sensibility, as if the filmmakers were predicting and mocking reality TV. Subsequent shorts show Chaplin refining his 'Little Tramp' character while absorbing the essentials of filmmaking. By the time he made "Easy Street," in 1917, Chaplin had perfected a combination of knockabout farce and Victorian sentiment that still proves irresistible. Chaplin's early features, including "The Kid," "The Gold Rush" and "City Lights," were such blockbuster hits that he could essentially ignore the coming of sound for almost a decade. Those making appearances on the program include Woody Allen, Richard Attenborough, Jeanine Basinger, Claire Bloom, Geraldine Chaplin. Sydney Chaplin, Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr., Milos Forman, Bill Irwin, Norman Lloyd, Marcel Marceau, David Raksin, David Robinson, Andrew Sarris, Martin Scorsese and Jeffrey Vance.
- 20031h 59mTV-147.5 (3.1K)DirectorKenneth BowserStarsMartin ScorseseDennis HopperPeter BogdanovichA look at 1970s Hollywood when it was known as New Hollywood, and the director was the star of the movie.
- DirectorWendy AppleStarsKathy BatesZach StaenbergJodie FosterDocumentary about the art of film editing. Clips are shown from many groundbreaking films with innovative editing styles.
- DirectorRichard SchickelStarsMartin ScorseseCharles ScorseseCatherine ScorseseDirector Martin Scorsese discusses his life growing up in Manhattan and his filmmaking career.
- DirectorChristopher BirdKevin BrownlowStarsBuster KeatonJames KarenLouis B. MayerA documentary which explores movie comedian Buster Keaton's five years under contract at MGM, where personal problems and studio tyranny nearly destroyed him.
- DirectorJacques RichardStarsHenri AlekanCatherine AllégretJo AmorinLife and work of the founder of the Cinémathèque Française.
- DirectorChristopher BirdKevin BrownlowStarsJulie ChristieGreta GarboCharles BuschAn original documentary from Turner Classic Movies, narrated by Julie Christie
- DirectorChristopher BirdKevin BrownlowStarsAlec BaldwinMerian C. CooperDavid StrohmaierThis documentary explores the incredible life of Merian C. Cooper, from his time as a soldier and pilot in three different wars, to his exploits in Hollywood, as a director, producer and cinematic innovator.
- DirectorGisela GrischowVolker SchlöndorffStarsJean ArthurHumphrey BogartJames CagneyBilly Wilder discusses his life and films in interviews filmed by Volker Schlondorff over two weeks in 1988.
- StarsValerie SpencerJohn LandisJonathan KuntzVarious film historians, film makers, and cultural commentators discuss the cultural, political, economic and religious reasons for what is known as the pre-code era of Hollywood movie making in the early 1930s, and those same factors which resulted in the drastic turn to working under the code for the twenty or so years starting in 1934. The "code" is the Hollywood Production Code of 1930 (also known as the Hays Code, so named for Will H. Hays, the first head of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America), which was developed in order for movie making in Hollywood to run smoothly in the face of increased outside censors. The code was largely ignored until 1934, when its enforcement was overseen by Joseph Breen who took over from Hays and who had a different agenda of moral purity. During those four years, pre-code Hollywood movies are characterized by their rawness and pushing the envelope of sexuality and moral ambiguity (with the depraved side often winning), which were not allowed under the code. What happened to the distribution of pre-code movies during the years that the code was enforced, the reasons for the slow breakdown of the code in the early to mid 1950s, and the reasons for renewed interest in pre-code movies later in the century are also discussed.
- DirectorIsaac JulienBernard RoseStarsDavid HockneyDerek JarmanChris LoweA film involving two courageous and innovative artists-one the subject and one the filmmaker-provides a cinematic journey that illuminates the work and enduring importance of the late Derek Jarman.
- DirectorJeffrey SchwarzStarsForrest J. AckermanJohn BadhamDiane BakerChronicles the last great American showman, filmmaker William Castle, a master of ballyhoo who became a brand name in movie horror with his outrageous audience participation gimmicks.
- DirectorKent JonesStarsMartin ScorseseOrson WellesVal E. LewtonMartin Scorsese narrates this tribute to Val Lewton, the producer of a series of memorable low-budget horror films for RKO Studios. Raised by his mother and his aunt, his films often included strong female characters who find themselves in difficult situations and who have to grow up quickly. He is best remembered for the horror films he made at RKO starting in 1942. Starting with only a title - his first was Cat People (1942) - he would meticulously oversee every aspect of the film's completion. Although categorized as horror films, his films never showed a monster, leaving it all to the viewers imagination, assisted by music, mood and lighting.
- DirectorJon RonsonStarsJon RonsonAnthony FrewinJan HarlanJon Ronson is asked by the widow of Stanley Kubrick to investigate the contents of about a thousand boxes left by Kubrick, shown to contain materials reflecting the work Kubrick did after the release of Barry Lyndon (1975) in 1975.
- DirectorGaizka UrrestiJavier EspadaStarsJuan Luis BuñuelJavier EspadaLuis BuñuelThe life of one of the most important filmmakers and thinkers of the 20th century.
- DirectorSusan RayStarsGerry BammanRichard BockPeer BodeDrawing on Nicholas Ray's archive of never-before-seen film, video, and stills, his wife Susan investigates the questions of his work and the relationship forged by Ray between his life and his art. Includes interviews with Jim Jarmusch and Victor Erice.
- 1985– 3h 12mNot Rated7.7 (5.3K)TV EpisodeDirectorRobert B. WeideStarsWoody AllenLetty AronsonMarshall BrickmanA documentary on Woody Allen that trails him on his movie sets and follows him back to Brooklyn as he visits his childhood haunts.
- DirectorCraig McCallStarsJack CardiffMartin ScorseseKirk DouglasIn 2001 Jack Cardiff (1914-2009) became the first director of photography in the history of the Academy Awards to win an Honorary Oscar. But the first time he clasped the famous statuette in his hand was a half-century earlier when his Technicolor camerawork was awarded for Powell and Pressburger's Black Narcissus. Beyond John Huston's The African Queen and King Vidor's War and Peace, the films of the British-Hungarian creative duo (The Red Shoes and A Matter of Life and Death too) guaranteed immortality for the renowned cameraman whose career spanned seventy years.
- DirectorVera IwereborStarsBaby PeggyHobart BosworthJack EarleDocumentary about an extraordinary lady, Diana Serra Cary. In the early 1920's she was one of Hollywood's first major child stars, Baby Peggy.
- DirectorRichard SchickelStarsSydney PollackHoward HawksMarilyn MonroeA documentary filmography of Howard Hawks, including lengthy footage of Hawks himself discussing his films and many clips from his best-known pictures.
- DirectorRichard SchickelStarsCliff RobertsonRaoul WalshA profile of Raoul Walsh, a master of the action film. His films have been Westerns and crime dramas and the 86-year old director reminiscences with a treasury of film clips.
- DirectorRichard SchickelStarsSydney PollackKing Vidor
- DirectorRichard SchickelStarsSamuel FullerSydney PollackReed HadleySamuel Fuller discusses his career as a filmmaker, illustrated by plenty of clips.
- DirectorRichard SchickelStarsAlfred HitchcockCliff RobertsonA look at Alfred Hitchcock's films. The Master of Suspense himself, who is interviewed extensively here, shares stories including his deep-seated fear of policemen, elaborates on the difference between shock and suspense, defines the meaning of "MacGuffin," and discusses his use of storyboarding in designing a film. Clips from many of his greatest films (including "North by Northwest", "Shadow of a Doubt", "The Birds", and the legendary shower scene from "Psycho") illustrate his points, often to Hitchcock's own voice-over observations, with narrator Cliff Robertson offering other critical insights.
- DirectorBridget TerryStarsUma ThurmanKathy BatesMary Lea BandyThis documentary, first shown on the Turner Classic Movies cable channel, tells of the life and career of screenwriter Frances Marion. By the mid 1920s, she was the most respected and highest paid script writer in Hollywood. She also became the first person to win two Oscars for her work (for The Big House (1930) and The Champ (1931)).
- DirectorHugh A. RobertsonStarsRichard RoundtreeGordon ParksIsaac HayesA short behind-the-scenes documentary of the making of Shaft (1971), focusing on the directing of Gordon Parks and the musical score by Isaac Hayes.
- DirectorAlain BergalaStarsAmir AbbasCharles ChaplinReza Hachemi
- DirectorMichal LeszczylowksiStarsErland JosephsonAndrei TarkovskyLarisa TarkovskayaDocumentary on the making of "The Sacrifice."
- DirectorLes BlankStarsWerner HerzogTom LuddyMichael GoodwinA short documentary in which directors Werner Herzog and Errol Morris make a bet which results in Herzog being forced to eat his own shoe.
- 20111h 4mTV-PG8.1 (379)TV EpisodeDirectorMark CousinsStarsMark CousinsJean-Michel FrodonAgnes de MilleThe first two decades of cinema, 1895-1918; its invention in New Jersey and Lyon and its development from a gimmick to a language through the innovation of many technicians and artists.
- DirectorPip ChodorovStarsPip ChodorovKen JacobsHans RichterWhat is experimental film, and why is it called that? Artists and poet working in celluloid since before WWI have always found themselves in a no man's land. Excluded both from the art world and from the film industry, they bodly created a grassroots network for making and showing their films. They also created a profound body of work that continues to influence our culture. I wanted to share a few of the films I love and introduce you some of the free, radicals artists who made them.
- StarsSharon TateMartin RansohoffJ. Lee ThompsonPromotional short film on an aspiring young actress Sharon Tate and her first film Eye of the Devil (1966). She takes acting classes and elocution lessons and is clearly on the fast-track to become a star. She is shown both at work and at play, dancing with actor 'David Hemmings' and frolicking with the pigeons in Hyde Park. Actor David Niven says she's a wonderful actress who has a great career ahead of her.
- StarsMark CousinsJuan Diego BottoAleksandr SokurovA comprehensive history of the medium and art of motion pictures.
- DirectorFax BahrGeorge HickenlooperEleanor CoppolaStarsDennis HopperMartin SheenMarlon BrandoDocumentary that chronicles how Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979) was plagued by extraordinary script, shooting, budget, and casting problems--nearly destroying the life and career of the celebrated director.
- DirectorMarina ZenovichStarsAndrew BraunsbergRichard BrennemanDouglas DaltonExamines the public scandal and private tragedy which led to legendary filmmaker Roman Polanski's sudden flight from the United States.
- DirectorMaximilian SchellStarsMarlene DietrichMaximilian SchellAnnie AlbersRetrospective on the career of enigmatic screen diva Marlene Dietrich.
- DirectorRob EpsteinJeffrey FriedmanStarsLily TomlinTony CurtisSusie BrightA documentary surveying the various Hollywood screen depictions of homosexuals and the attitudes behind them throughout the history of North American film.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogKlaus KinskiClaudia CardinaleThe love-hate relationship between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski, the deep trust between the director and the actor, and their independently and simultaneously hatched plans to murder one another.
- DirectorJosé Luis López-LinaresJavier RioyoStarsJosé SanchoCarlos FuentesClaudio IsaacDocumentary about spanish director Luis Buñuel.
- DirectorRafael CastanedoArturo RipsteinStarsLuis BuñuelJulio AlejandroLilia PradoFriends of Luis Buñuel discuss the director while Buñuel mixes drinks and entertains friends in his home.
- DirectorSerge BrombergEric LangeStarsPeter HudsonKate GuyonvarchKevin BrownlowA look back at Charlie Chaplin's early life and career, from his rough childhood and music hall success in England to his early Hollywood days and the development of his enormously popular "Little Tramp" character.
- DirectorKevin MacdonaldStarsBill PatersonBrenda BullPeter MenziesA film about Eric Campbell, the tall Scottish actor who was most famous for playing the quintessential villain for Charles Chaplin's Tramp character.
- DirectorAlbert MayslesDavid MayslesCharlotte ZwerinStarsMarlon BrandoRex MorganMary FrannJournalists from all over America meet Marlon Brando in a New York hotel room to interview him about his new film, Morituri. Seeing this as an opportunity to let the legendary actor promote the film, they find Brando unwilling to talk about it, instead he is more interested in larking about and turning on the charm when being interviewed by Bobbi Johnson (a reporter for a Boston radio station), Miss USA of 1964.
- DirectorGideon BachmannStarsFederico FelliniGideon BachmannMax BornA behind-the-scenes documentary about the filming of the Federico Fellini film, "Satyricon."
- StarsJames MasonHans-Joachim KulenkampffJackie CooganUsing in part rare out-take footage, the film-making methods and techniques of Charles Chaplin are explored.
- DirectorLaura NixStarsPeter AskinAshley BachnerStephen BachnerDocumentary on the making of the film Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001).
- DirectorRichard PattersonStarsCharles ChaplinWalter MatthauLaurence OlivierA film about the life and work of the master comedy filmmaker, Charles Chaplin.
- StarsGreg O'NeilCharles ChaplinBuster KeatonAn episode of half-hour celebrity biography series Hollywood Rivals spotlighting the personal lives and friendly (sometimes) rivalry of two legendary Hollywood adversaries, here the antagonist duo being Charlie Chaplin vs. Buster Keaton.
- StarsJames MasonColleen MooreByron HaskinThe history of the American film industry in Hollywood during the Silent era.
- DirectorDheeraj AkolkarStarsLiv UllmannIngmar BergmanSamuel FrölerThe 42 year long relationship between legendary actress Liv Ullmann and master filmmaker Ingmar Bergman.
- DirectorRay MüllerStarsLeni RiefenstahlMarlene DietrichArnold FanckA documentary about the life and work of Leni Riefenstahl, a German film director most notorious for making the most effective propaganda films for the Nazis.
- DirectorDavid HeeleyStarsJulie GarfieldEllen AdlerJoseph BernardThis documentary, aired on the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) cable network, looks at the life and career of John Garfield, whose career was cut short when he died at age 39. His difficult childhood in the rough neighborhoods of New York City provided the perfect background for the tough-guy roles he would play on both stage and screen.
- StarsKenneth BranaghJean-Louis TrintignantUlrich TukurDocumentary mini-series about the rise and fall of the European silent film industry.(DVD-Video copy)
2 Disc Set
6 Episodes
UK BBC - Photoplay Productions
2000 Image Ent. - A look at Buster Keaton, an early star of film comedies.
- StarsChristopher PlummerDaniel SelznickGregory OrrThe history of Hollywood film from the medium's invention to the birth of the New Hollywood in 1970.