Documentaries about Directors
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- DirectorKevin BrownlowDavid GillStarsRoy AitkenLindsay AndersonWilliam BakewellBrilliant pioneer of the feature film and discoverer of Hollywood - yet some say he single-handedly re-awakened the Ku Klux Klan.
- StarsJames MasonHans-Joachim KulenkampffJackie CooganUsing in part rare out-take footage, the film-making methods and techniques of Charles Chaplin are explored.
- 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.
- StarsLindsay AndersonCharles LamontWilliam R. CoxA series about the life, career and works of the movie comedy genius.
- DirectorPatrick MontgomeryStarsEdward BinnsPaul KohnerMarcel DalioErich von Stroheim was an director of silent movies, as well as an actor in both silents and talkies. Uncompromising and rigid, he battled the studio system for control over his pictures' content, and his career had many ups and downs as a result. Through interviews, photos, and archival footage, The Man You Loved to Hate explores von Stroheim's career. The title refers to von Stroheim's frequent casting as a German villain in films of the early 1940s. Von Stroheim's last famous acting role was in Billy Wilder's Sunset Blvd.
- DirectorJorge DanaStarsFritz LangArtur BraunerClaude Chabrol
- DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsWilliam FriedkinFritz LangAmerican director William Friedkin interviewed Austrian director Fritz Lang on February 21st and 24th, 1975.
- DirectorJosé Luis López-LinaresJavier RioyoStarsJosé SanchoCarlos FuentesClaudio IsaacDocumentary about spanish director Luis Buñuel.
- 1995–19983h 45m8.5 (5.1K)TV EpisodeDirectorMartin ScorseseMichael Henry WilsonStarsMartin ScorseseAllison AndersKathryn BigelowMartin Scorsese describes his initial and growing obsession with films from the 1940s and 50s as the art form developed and grew with clips from classics and cult classics.
- DirectorPeter BogdanovichStarsJohn FordPeter BogdanovichOrson WellesA documentary on the life and films of director John Ford.
- DirectorNick RedmanStarsRudy BehlmerJanet BergstromJames D'ArcA documentary focusing on Ford's time at Fox and his relationship with Darryl F. Zanuck.
- DirectorGeorge Stevens Jr.StarsFred AstaireWarren BeattyPandro S. BermanBiography of the Academy Award winning director including dramatic color footage of WWII.
- DirectorRobert TrachtenbergStarsGeorge CukorPeter BogdanovichJean SimmonsCukor was an American film director. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. Noted films include What Price Hollywood? (1932), A Bill of Divorcement (1932), Our Betters (1933), and Little Women (1933)
- DirectorKent JonesMartin ScorseseStarsMartin ScorseseElia KazanElias KoteasA documentary on the late Elia Kazan.
- DirectorNicholas RayWim WendersStarsGerry BammanRonee BlakleyPierre CottrellWim Wenders abandons the shoot of one of his own films in order to help his friend and fellow director Nicholas Ray create his swan song before he dies.
- DirectorAnnie TresgotMichel CimentStarsBilly WilderMichel CimentJack LemmonFrench film critic Michel Ciment interviews Billy Wilder about his life and film-making.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsMartin ScorseseWorld-renowned director Martin Scorsese narrates this journey through his favorites in Italian cinema.
- 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.
- DirectorCarlo LizzaniStarsBjörn AndrésenLaura AntonelliTina ApicellaActors who worked with and knew Luchino Visconti are interviewed about his life.
- DirectorMario CanaleStarsMichele PlacidoRafael AzconaNicoletta BraschiDepicts the highlights of director/writer Marco Ferreri's career. A nonconformist man, extreme, provocative in his ways, always close to the bleeding edge, and considered a visionary experimentalist.
- DirectorCarlo Di CarloStarsMichelangelo AntonioniA documentary on the life, work, and character of Michelangelo Antonioni.
- 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 SchickelStarsJohn CusackClint EastwoodAutobiography of Clint Eastwood up to his movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."
- DirectorAdam LowStarsAkira KurosawaSam ShepardPaul ScofieldAdam Low's Kurosawa is a 90-minute documentary that looks at Kurosawa's life and works. Originally broadcast on PBS in the US, the film follows a fairly conventional approach as it chronicles Kurosawa's career. The film includes many interviews, more of which are provided on the documentary's home video releases. The film is narrated by Sam Shepard, with sections of Kurosawa's autobiography read by Paul Scofeld. It is a tribute, a celebration and an hommage. A DVD, which comes with almost two hours of extra interviews, has been released as a region free disc by the Australian Madman Entertainment.
- DirectorChris MarkerStarsShigehiko HasumiChris MarkerAkira KurosawaA documentary that shows the production of Ran and discusses the film techniques of Kurosawa himself.