Producers and Creatives
A list of documentaries depicting the arduous, methodical and creative process of producing movies in unconventional and innovative ways, often against the studio system.
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57 titles
- DirectorChuck WorkmanStarsOrson WellesSimon CallowChristopher WellesA look at the life and work of the great theatre, radio and film artist.
- 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.
- DirectorAviva SlesinStarsA. Scott BergBette DavisSamantha EggarA tribute to director William Wyler consisting of interviews and excerpts from his many classic films.
- DirectorTed HaimesStarsKevin SpaceyJonathan DemmeAlfred HitchcockThis documentary is a fascinating look at the cinematic genius of Alfred Hitchcock. Briefly covering much of his early British works, the film primarily focuses on his American classics, such as "Shadow of a Doubt", "Notorious", "Rear Window", "Vertigo", "Psycho" and "The Birds". The movie also covers his television years and neatly examines the Hitchcock signature touches, from his inevitable brief cameo to his famous MacGuffin. Kevin Spacey narrates, and there are interviews with his delightful daughter Pat as well as such film directors as Brian De Palma, Jonathan Demme, Curtis Hanson, Robert Altman, Ronald Neame and Peter Bogdanovich, along with cast and crew members Tippi Hedren, Joseph Stefano, Norman Lloyd, Robert F. Boyle, Teresa Wright and Janet Leigh.
- DirectorPaul MertonStarsPaul MertonKiri BloomMatthew EarleyPaul Merton looks at the British films of Alfred Hitchcock, the silent films and the early sound films.
- StarsRobert PowellRoy Ward BakerCharles BarrA brief profile of Alfred Hitchcock's work in Britain's film industry. This is a good introduction for those who are unfamiliar with Hitchcock's life.
- DirectorKent JonesStarsWes AndersonPeter BogdanovichDavid FincherFilmmakers discuss how Francois Truffaut's 1966 book "Cinema According to Hitchcock" influenced their work.
- DirectorNancy BuirskiStarsSidney LumetIn a never-before-seen interview filmed in 2008, three years before his death, Sidney Lumet discusses his life and career.
- DirectorChuck WorkmanStarsChantal AkermanRobert AltmanPeter BogdanovichAmidst a constant stream of hundreds of film clips, dozens of filmmakers voice their opinions on the titular question while primarily looking beyond the Hollywood mainstream to independent, experimental, documentary and avant-garde films.
- DirectorManel MayolCarles PratsStarsCarlos AguilarAlessandro AlessandroniDario ArgentoDespite his short filmography, Sergio Leone is considered one of the most important European directors. His westerns made a mark in the history of genre cinema and continue to influence new generations of film directors. This documentary hears testimony from his wife Carla, his scriptwriter Sergio Donati, director of photography Tonino Delli Colli, composers Ennio Morricone and Alessandro Alessandroni, as well as other personalities within the Italian film industry such as Damiano Damiani and Florestano Vancini. Leone's principal works are reconstructed in these interviews, with particular reference to the world famous "Trilogy of Dollars": "A Fistful of Dollars", "For a few dollars more", "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". The son of a fine Italian silent movies director, Sergio Leone became the most prestigious assistant director in Italy. He made his debut as a director with "The Colossus of Rhodes", one of the last of the peplum film genre. He later achieved international recognition for his westerns and the film that kept him budy for the last few years of his life "Once Upon a Time in America".
- DirectorJean-François GiréStarsJean-Yves BertelootSergio LeoneBenito MussoliniThe destiny of Sergio Leone from his poor childhood in a neighborhood under fascism in Rome until his last film in America. This guided the filmmaker's personal life and career to create his epic antiheroes and spaghetti westerns.
- DirectorRob GoldbergStarsRichard DreyfussSteven SpielbergDavid FearA fascinating program that goes behind the scenes of Steven Spielberg's landmark 1975 film JAWS.
- DirectorLaurent BouzereauStarsSteven SpielbergPeter BenchleyDavid BrownExcellent and very detailed documentary on the making of a classic. Filled with appealing trivia, exhaustive interviews with cast and crew members, and never before seen footage.
- DirectorErik HollanderStarsSteve AltenJoe AlvesRoy ArbogastAfter three decades, Jaws continues to intrigue, thrill and frighten viewers. This documentary focuses on the many ways Jaws has helped to shape common elements of pop culture.
- DirectorRoy FrumkesStarsGeorge A. RomeroSusan TyrrellNicole PotterA documentary about George A. Romero's films, with a behind scenes look at Dawn of the Dead.
- DirectorMichael MatessinoStarsJohn CarpenterDavid FosterBill LancasterA revealing and insightful look into the making of this underrated horror film.
- DirectorAdam SimonStarsGeorge A. RomeroJohn CarpenterTom SaviniAn examination into the nature of 1960s-'70s horror films, the artists involved, and how they reflected contemporary society.
- DirectorGarry S. GrantStarsAdrienne BarbeauJohn CarpenterNick CastleChronicles the work of cult director John Carpenter through interviews with him and his associates, with emphases on the earlier work.
- DirectorMichael EpsteinStarsSteven BachHal AshbySandy Berke JordanAn inside look at the hectic production of Heaven's Gate (1980), the media circus that turned it into a synonym for movie flop and how it added to the tectonic change that occurred in Hollywood film studios after it infamously flopped.
- 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.
- DirectorChris SmithStarsMark BorchardtMike SchankTom SchimmelsDocumentary about an aspiring filmmaker's attempts to finance his dream project by finally completing the low-budget horror film he abandoned years before.
- DirectorKeith FultonLouis PepeStarsTerry GilliamJohnny DeppJeff BridgesTerry Gilliam's doomed attempt to get his film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), off the ground.
- 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).
- DirectorFrank PavichStarsAlejandro JodorowskyMichel SeydouxH.R. GigerThe story of cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but ultimately doomed film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel.
- DirectorArnold GlassmanTodd McCarthyStuart SamuelsStarsConrad L. HallJohn BaileyVilmos ZsigmondCameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography, illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from The Birth of a Nation (1915) to Do the Right Thing (1989).
- DirectorLaurent BouzereauStarsCharlton HestonFraser C. HestonTom SelleckA look at the career of Hollywood legend Charlton Heston and his role in Ben-Hur.
- DirectorAdrian SibleyStarsDino De LaurentiisMartha De LaurentiisRaffaella De LaurentiisDocumentary about legendary Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis who's credits range from Fellini's La Strada to today's Hannibal franchise. This profile follows octogenarian De Laurentiis in Hollywood and returning to Rome to set up a new film.
- DirectorMark HartleyStarsSam FirstenbergDavid PaulsenLuigi CozziThe history of the independent film company, The Cannon Film Group, Inc..
- DirectorMichael Paul StephensonStarsGeorge HardyPita RayMicki KnoxA look at the making of the film Troll 2 (1990) and its journey from being crowned the "worst film of all time" to a cherished cult classic.
- DirectorTom DonahueStarsDeborah AquilaRisa Bramon GarciaEllen ChenowethThe surprising, never-before-told tale of the indispensable yet unsung Casting Director - Iconoclasts whose keen eye, exquisite taste and gut instincts redefined Hollywood.
- DirectorAlex StapletonStarsRoger CormanMartin ScorseseQuentin TarantinoA documentary on DIY producer/director Roger Corman and his alternative approach to making movies in Hollywood.
- DirectorMark HartleyStarsPhillip AdamsGlory AnnenChristine AmorThe story of the Australian exploitation genre cinema of 1970s and 80s.
- DirectorElijah DrennerStarsRobert ForsterEric SchaeferEddie MullerA documentary about the history of exploitation movies, from the silent-film era to the 1970s.
- DirectorJake WestStarsJulian PetleyMarc MorrisAndy NymanA documentary analyzing the furore which so-called "video nasties" caused in Britain during the 1980s.
- DirectorJake WestStarsSian BarberMartin BarkerGraham BrightPrepare to be corrupted and depraved once more by the sequel to the definitive guide to the Video Nasties phenomenon--the most extraordinary and scandalous era in the history of British film. All 82 films that fell foul of the Director of Public Prosecutions DzSection 3dz list are trailer-featured, with specially-filmed intros for each title.
- DirectorWendy AppleStarsKathy BatesZach StaenbergJodie FosterDocumentary about the art of film editing. Clips are shown from many groundbreaking films with innovative editing styles.
- DirectorPeter HansonStarsAllison AndersJane AndersonDoug AtchisonWar stories and life lessons from the industry's top writers.
- 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.
- DirectorJon FauerStarsRemi AdefarasinRuss T. AlsobrookHoward A. Anderson III110 of the world's top cinematographers discuss the art of how and why films look the way they do.
- DirectorChristopher KenneallyStarsDerek AmbrosiMichael BallhausAndrzej BartkowiakThe documentary investigates the history, process and workflow of both digital and photochemical film creation.
- 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.
- 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.
- DirectorBill PhilputtStarsJules BrennerDon CalfaJames DalesandroRetrospective documentary about the making of the horror cult classic "The Return of the Living Dead."
- 20091h 36mUnrated7.1 (2.9K)DirectorAndrew MonumentStarsLance HenriksenLarry CohenJoe DanteAn exploration of the appeal of horror films, with interviews of many legendary directors in the genre.
- 20136h 40mNot Rated8.5 (2.7K)VideoDirectorDaniel FarrandsStarsCorey FeldmanPeter M. BrackeSamantha DelutriA chronicle of the history of the Friday the 13th franchise.
- DirectorDaniel FarrandsAndrew KaschStarsHeather LangenkampStacey AldenErika AndersonExplore the origins of "dream demon" Freddy Krueger in this award-winning documentary that takes you behind the scenes of the most frightening and imaginative horror franchise in motion picture history!
- DirectorJeff McQueenStarsEd GreenWes CravenJohn CarpenterA documentary on the history of the slasher film.
- DirectorDaniel FarrandsStarsNatalie AdamsDiane AlmeidaErich AndersonA documentary exploring 30 years of the "Friday The 13th" film series featuring all new interviews with cast and crew from all 12 films and various horror fans and filmmakers.
- DirectorMorgan NevilleStarsAlan CummingPeter BogdanovichOja KodarIn the final fifteen years of the life of legendary director Orson Welles, he pins his Hollywood comeback hopes on a film, The Other Side of the Wind (2018), in itself a film about an aging film director trying to finish his last great movie.
- DirectorPeter BogdanovichStarsJohn FordPeter BogdanovichOrson WellesA documentary on the life and films of director John Ford.
- DirectorJake WestStarsEmily BoothAllan BryceAlan JonesEvery Video Nasty from the DPP list of 39, and the DPP list of dropped 33 titles is critiqued and explored, followed by the original trailers.
- DirectorDonna DaviesStarsGabriel BartalosHoward BergerSteve BiodrowskiAn inside look at the world of Hollywood special effects and the company paving the way, KNB Effects.
- DirectorKevin VanHookStarsHoward BergerRob BottinJosh BrolinThis documentary delves into the art of make-up effects with the best industry legends.
- DirectorDavid GregoryStarsFerdinando BaldiManolo BologniniEnzo G. CastellariA visual history of Italian western cinema in the 60s and 70s.
- DirectorLaurens C. PostmaStarsDavid CronenbergJeff GoldblumStephen KingDocumentary about the career of director David Cronenberg, with clips from his films and interviews with friends, colleagues, film critics and Cronenberg himself.