Light Keeps Me Company (2000), Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003), The Typewriter, the Rifle and the Movie Camera (1996), Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography (1993), A Decade Under the Influence (2003), Friedkin Uncut (2018), It Came From Kuchar (2009), Tranceformer: A Portrait of Lars von Trier (1997) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Film Aesthetics movies.
Storyline: Director Carl-Gustaf Nykvist visits colleagues and friends of his father, Swedish filmmaker Sven Nykvist.
Plot Keywords: documentary, biography, cinematography, film history, director, interviews, black and white photography ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Of the cities in the world, few are depicted in and mythologized more in film and television than the city of Los Angeles. In this documentary, Thom Andersen examines in detail the ways the city has been depicted, both when it is meant to be anonymous and when itself is the focus. Along the way, he illustrates his concerns of how the real city and its people are misrepresented and distorted through the prism of popular film culture. Furthermore, he also chronicles the real stories of the city's modern history behind the notorious accounts of the great conspiracies that ravaged his city that reveal a more open and yet darker past than the casual viewer would suspect.—Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)
Plot Keywords: documentary, film history, los angeles, film analysis, independent film, filmmaking, social commentary ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: In a documentary about Samuel Fuller, the spectator gets different impressions about the Hollywood director and his films. The film is divided into the three sections: The Typewriter, the Rifle and the Movie Camera. The first segment covers Fuller's past as a newsman where he began as a copy boy and ended as a reporter. Part two describes Fuller's experiences in World War II, in which he participated as a soldier. The last section focuses on Fuller as director. Tim Robbins interviews Samuel Fuller revealing the director's own memories and impressions. Beside the interview, Jim Jarmusch, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino accompany the documentary with their comments.—Gerhard Windecker <g.wind@mbox300.swipnet.se>
Plot Keywords: documentary, film history, independent film, director, filmmaking, biography, film criticism ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.—<jhailey@hotmail.com>
Plot Keywords: documentary, cinematography, art, film history, hollywood, visual art, interviews ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Between the death of the old Hollywood studio system and the rise of the counterculture, the late 1960s and early '70s were a near-revolutionary time in American filmmaking, as detailed in this documentary by Ted Demme and Richard LaGravanese. Equally influenced by the foreign films of art-house cinemas and the cheap B-movies of late-night TV, eager young filmmakers and actors rewrote Hollywood's rules. This film includes interviews with most of the era's leading figures.
Plot Keywords: documentary, film history, hollywood, 1970s, directors, producers, actors ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Oscar®-winning, Chicago-born director William Friedkin achieved fame with his 1973 horror blockbuster The Exorcist. But this illuminating documentary shows the director's unwavering commitment to rawness and realism across his career, from The French Connection (1972) to Killer Joe (2011). Featuring interviews with Ellen Burstyn, Willem Dafoe, and Quentin Tarantino, among others, Friedkin Uncut reveals a savvy craftsman who is unapologetic about his no-nonsense approach to moviemaking.—AMBI Distribution
Plot Keywords: documentary, director, filmmaking, hollywood, film history, interviews, behind the scenes ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: IT CAME FROM KUCHAR is the definitive, feature documentary about the legendary, underground filmmaking twins, the Kuchar brothers. George and Mike Kuchar have inspired two generations of filmmakers, actors, musicians, and artists with their zany, "no budget" films and with their uniquely enchanting spirits. George and Mike Kuchar grew up in the Bronx in the 1950's making "no-budget" films, compulsively copying Hollywood melodramas with their aunt's 8mm, home-movie camera. In the 1960's the New York underground film scene embraced them as the "8mm Mozarts". Their early films deeply inspired many filmmakers, including John Waters, Buck Henry, Atom Egoyan, Todd Haynes, Cory McAbee and Wayne Wang. IT CAME FROM KUCHAR includes numerous clips from the Kuchar brother's early films including HOLD ME WHILE I'M NAKED, SINS OF THE FLESHAPOIDS, and many others. IT CAME FROM KUCHAR features interviews of many of the filmmakers, artists and writers who've been inspired by the Kuchars. The film also features interviews of key "actors" from the Kuchar's films, ranging from the earliest days in the Bronx through today. For close to forty years George has taught film production at the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI). His class is unbelievable in a circus-like, Fellini-esque style that generates tremendous enthusiasm from his students. IT CAME FROM KUCHAR follows his latest class production as they make an over-the-top "monster picture".—Jennifer Kroot
Plot Keywords: documentary, independent film, underground film, art film, experimental film, biography, film history ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: A portrait of Denmark's most acclaimed and controversial director, Lars von Trier. A meeting with von Trier on a private level as well as with his film universe. Filmmaker Stig Björkman follow von Trier during a period of more than two years, meet him at work, at home and at leisure.—Fredrik Klasson <fredrik.klasson@telia.com>
Plot Keywords: documentary, director, biography, filmmaking, art, creativity, film history ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Internationally renowned director Margarethe von Trotta takes a closer look at Bergman's life and work and explores his film legacy with Bergman's closest collaborators, both in front and behind the camera, as well as a new generation of filmmakers. The documentary presents key scenes, recurring themes in his films and his life, and journeys to the places at the center of Bergman's creative achievement and the focal points of his life such as the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, locations and landscapes from his masterpieces, and the stations from his career in Sweden, France and Germany. Explore the many layers of Bergman's work and life with INGMAR BERGMAN - LEGACY OF A DEFINING GENIUS.—Anonymous
Plot Keywords: documentary, film history, biography, filmmaking, art film, classic cinema, film criticism ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Great Directors, directed by Angela Ismailos, features conversations with ten of the world's greatest living directors: Bernardo Bertolucci, David Lynch, Liliana Cavani, Stephen Frears, Agnes Varda, Ken Loach, Todd Haynes, Catherine Breillat, Richard Linklater and John Sayles. The film documents Ismailos' voyage of discovering the creative personalities behind the camera. She explores the filmmakers' artistic evolution and personal identity, the role of politics and history on their work, and the agony and dilemmas in the creative process. It also examines the challenges of being an artist in an age of commercialism and globalization. The film traces the influence of cinematic movements and iconic directors on these directors' work-from the role of Neo-Realism in Bertolucci's evolution to the influence of Federico Fellini on David Lynch, Ingmar Bergman on Catherine Breillat and Rainer Werner Fassbinder on Todd Haynes.—Anonymous
Plot Keywords: documentary, film history, filmmaking, cinematic art, hollywood, independent film, film criticism ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: The movie is based on real events and deals with the background to the shooting of Lang's thriller "M - A City is Looking for a Murderer." It is 1930 and Fritz Lang has been successfully active in the film business for eleven years. He is looking for material for a new film, a sound film. He is tired of the large-scale projects, his next film is said to be significantly smaller. In addition, there is a crisis in his relationship with Thea von Harbou, who seems to be more and more enthusiastic about the ideals of National Socialism. During his research, he comes across reports about a serial killer from Düsseldorf. He travels from Berlin to the Rhineland and joins the crime commissioner Ernst, who heads the investigation. Peter is arrested as a suspect, Fritz is given the opportunity to interview him. When he meets Anna, friend of a victim and suspected eyewitness, he is overwhelmed by memories of his first wife Lisa, who looks immensely similar to Anna, and who shot Peter when she caught him with Thea von Harbou.
Plot Keywords: biography, documentary, film history, german cinema, film noir, expressionism, art film ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: When an underground cartoonist (Tom Hulce) is framed for killing his girlfriend (Virginia Madsen), not even his wife (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) believes his innocence.
Plot Keywords: independent film, documentary, film festival, american film, short film, experimental film, director ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Martin Scorsese shows excerpts of 30 pre-1961 classic Italian films, explaining their historical significance and how each influenced his work.
Plot Keywords: documentary, film history, italian cinema, director's perspective, film criticism, film analysis, film art ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: This lauded documentary by revered director Martin Scorsese explores the history of American cinema by focusing on the work of a number of highly influential filmmakers. In addition to examining pioneering productions by D.W. Griffith and F.W. Murnau, Scorsese looks at a variety of other key directors, including Charlie Chaplin, John Ford, Vincente Minnelli and Orson Welles, while featuring interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Kathryn Bigelow and other cinema luminaries.
Plot Keywords: documentary, film history, director's perspective, film analysis, hollywood, filmmaking, film criticism ...
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