Having just finished "The Offer" and enamoured by Matthew Goode's performance as Robert Evans, whilst it did make me want to watch "The Godfather" again, it also made me want to rewatch "The Kid Stays In The Picture" - the documentary (now twenty years old itself) about the producer and in his own words.
Having been plucked from his life as a successful businessman by Hollywood actress Norma Shearer and presented with an acting career, Robert Evans soon learns that performance in front of the camera is not for him, but producing is something he'd be good at. He quickly learns the ropes, but even he can't believe it when Charlie Bludhorn, the new owner of ailing Paramount Pictures, makes him the head of the studio. Determined to turn around the fortunes of the studio, he embarks on a series of property based pictures, led by strong scripts and utilising the best young actors and directors. It leads to a period of unprecedented success - but several poor decisions will soon have a dramatic effect on Evan's life.
Cleverly made up almost entirely on pre-existing footage, this documentary tells an abridged, perhaps even shallow, version of Evan's life built on the foundation of his reading of his own autobiography. Evan's is a great storyteller and his impressions of some of the other characters in this story are well done. It's really interesting to see it in comparison with "The Offer" which proports to tell Ruddy's version of the production of "The Godfather" - which, differs greatly from what Evan's talks about here. Indeed, Ruddy isn't even name checked in this one.
The style works really well, as it's a much more dynamic way of telling the story than just flicking around talking heads with occasional input would have been. It made for a real interesting story, even if it felt like it was racing through it. It has to be said though, I think I am a big mark for movies, documentaries and podcasts that are about Hollywood, so I was probably in the bag already.
Another really enjoyable time. (It did make me wonder if Matthew Goode might be up for playing Evan's again in a telling of the story of "The Cotton Club" - and the fallout of that. )
Having been plucked from his life as a successful businessman by Hollywood actress Norma Shearer and presented with an acting career, Robert Evans soon learns that performance in front of the camera is not for him, but producing is something he'd be good at. He quickly learns the ropes, but even he can't believe it when Charlie Bludhorn, the new owner of ailing Paramount Pictures, makes him the head of the studio. Determined to turn around the fortunes of the studio, he embarks on a series of property based pictures, led by strong scripts and utilising the best young actors and directors. It leads to a period of unprecedented success - but several poor decisions will soon have a dramatic effect on Evan's life.
Cleverly made up almost entirely on pre-existing footage, this documentary tells an abridged, perhaps even shallow, version of Evan's life built on the foundation of his reading of his own autobiography. Evan's is a great storyteller and his impressions of some of the other characters in this story are well done. It's really interesting to see it in comparison with "The Offer" which proports to tell Ruddy's version of the production of "The Godfather" - which, differs greatly from what Evan's talks about here. Indeed, Ruddy isn't even name checked in this one.
The style works really well, as it's a much more dynamic way of telling the story than just flicking around talking heads with occasional input would have been. It made for a real interesting story, even if it felt like it was racing through it. It has to be said though, I think I am a big mark for movies, documentaries and podcasts that are about Hollywood, so I was probably in the bag already.
Another really enjoyable time. (It did make me wonder if Matthew Goode might be up for playing Evan's again in a telling of the story of "The Cotton Club" - and the fallout of that. )