It's All True (1993), Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003), Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin (2003), The Typewriter, the Rifle and the Movie Camera (1996), Cameraman: The Life & Work of Jack Cardiff (2010), Filmed in Supermarionation (2014), The Patsy (1928), Looking for Richard (1996) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Film Studies movies.
Storyline: In 1942, fresh off the success of "Citizen Kane," director Orson Welles journeys to Brazil to make a documentary. The unscripted look at bullfighting, the samba and three fisherman making a voyage of protest on the open sea stuns the studio with its daring storytelling and politics. The unfinished film is scuttled, and so is the director's career. The story of the debacle is told through interviews with Welles and others involved in the project, plus rarely viewed scenes from the documentary.
Plot Keywords: documentary, 1940s, film history, hollywood, independent film, biography, filmmaking ...
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: Narrated 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.—alfiehitchie
Plot Keywords: biography, documentary, film history, silent film, comedy, hollywood, filmmaking ...
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: In 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.—Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Plot Keywords: biography, documentary, film history, hollywood, filmmaking, art, visual arts ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Directed and co-produced by Stephen La Riviere and hosted by Lady Penelope and Parker themselves, 'Filmed in Supermarionation' is a screen adaptation of his book of the same name and features a wealth of previously unseen archive footage, brand new interviews with the surviving casts and crews and clips from the shows themselves. A highlight of the film are ingenious and accurate recreations of the pioneering techniques used in the productions.—Anonymous
Plot Keywords: documentary, special effects, puppetry, nostalgia, science fiction, film technology, behind the scenes ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: An awkward teenager hopelessly in love with her elder sister's boyfriend tries to make him notice her.
Plot Keywords: comedy, silent film, black and white film, american film, classic film, slapstick, 1920s ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Director Al Pacino juxtaposes scenes from Richard III, scenes of rehearsals for Richard III, and sessions where parties involved discuss the play, the times that shaped the play, and the events that happened at the time the play is set. Interviews with mostly British actors are also included, attempting to explain why American actors have more problems performing Shakespearean plays than they do.—Ron Kerrigan <mvg@whidbey.com>
Plot Keywords: documentary, shakespeare, drama, film production, actors, american film, director ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Steve McQueen truly is an American Icon. One of America's most endearing and intriguing movie stars, he "is still the King of Cool" according to Esquire Magazine-50 years after the zenith of his career. The strangest thing about him, however, is barely known, despite countless biographies and articles. Steve McQueen was a believer in Jesus Christ. On the surface McQueen had everything he could want-fame, cars, homes, more money than he could spend in a lifetime. An avid fan of the actor (and owner of a replica of McQueen's car in the classic film Bullitt), Pastor Greg Laurie hits the road in his mint Mustang, traveling the country in search of the true, untold story of McQueen's redemption-filled final chapters.—Greg Laurie
Plot Keywords: biography, documentary, steve mcqueen, actor, hollywood, film history, legend ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: This documentary about the culture of intense cinephilia in New York City reveals the impassioned world of five obsessed movie buffs. The filmmakers expose this delightfully deranged cult by capturing the daily lives of its members. Interviews in movie houses, on the street and in the homes of the subjects tell the story of each individual. Many cannot hold a job, or choose not to. All of them have demoted the importance of the real world, giving all of their attention to the fantasy world of the movies. These human encyclopedias of cinema see two to five films a day, and from 600 to 2,000 films per year. Many have no physical sex lives, living instead in a world of romance with stars like James Dean or Audrey Hepburn. In Cinemania, Hollywood's biggest fans become the true stars. This is the story of their lives, their memories, their unbending habits and the films they love.—Miriam Hopkins
Plot Keywords: documentary, new york, independent film, obsession, film history, cult film, director ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Mark Cousins dives deep into the visual world of legendary director and actor Orson Welles to reveal a portrait of the artist as he's never been seen before.
Plot Keywords: documentary, biography, film history, art, director, visual art, archival footage ...
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: 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 ...
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