Richard Leacock Movies
American filmmaker/cinematographer Richard Leacock made a major contribution to the development of the American version of "cinema verite" called "Direct Cinema." As enacted by Leacock and Robert Drew, Direct Cinema attempted to utilize the camera only as a means to objectively record events as they happened without subjecting it to pre-planned direction or much care for the resulting technical quality of the finished product. What was important was to capture the now, just as it happened without the interference of the director and the crew. Typically, Leacock and the others involved in the movie travelled to events with minimal equipment and carried hand-held cameras.The younger brother of feature filmmaker Philip Leacock, Richard began making his first films at age 14 while living in Britain (he was born a British citizen in the Canary Islands). Three years later he moved to the States, earned a physics degree at Harvard and participated in WW II as a combat cameraman for the army. He got his professional start in 1948 working as a cameraman and associate producer for Robert Flaherty on the dramatized documentary classic Louisiana Story (1948). Leacock went on to collaborate with a few more documentary makers, including Louis de Rochemont, before creating his own production company, Drew Associates, in 1958 with Robert Drew and making television documentaries. He and Drew started the Direct Cinema movement with their innovative Living Camera series wherein they would unobtrusively as possible record such events as the 1960 Wisconsin primary between JFK and Hubert Humphrey (Primary) or a man on death row preparing for the electric chair (Chair). Not only did Leacock, Drew and other collaborators such as D. A. Pennebaker and Al Maysles record major events, they also experimented with chronicling more mundane things. Later he founded the film department at MIT, which he also headed. His son Robert has also become a filmmaker. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 2008
In 1960, filmmaker Robert Drew began work on a documentary called Primary which concerned that year's presidential campaign; one of the candidates, John F. Kennedy, gave Drew and his crew free access to film both their public campaign events and their private strategy sessions, and it was the beginning of a close working relationship between Drew and Kennedy. Drew would go on to make three more films about Kennedy after he was elected president -- Adventures on the New Frontier, Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment and Faces of November -- with the cooperation of Kennedy and his staff, and in 2008 Drew revisited his footage of the late president to create a cinematic portrait of one of the most iconic figures in American politics. Narrated by Alec Baldwin, A President To Remember: In The Company Of John F. Kennedy was edited from Drew's archival footage of Kennedy, and captures the president both at work and with his family, offering an insight into both the leader and the man. A President To Remember: In The Company Of John F. Kennedy was an official selection at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alec Baldwin
The show business comedy Fronterz concerns three struggling actors who grow disenchanted with their profession after seeing so many rappers without any acting experience winning major roles. They decide to start their own rap act, the Large Money Mercenaries, and invent fake personalities to fit. Soon they are skyrocketing to fame, but leading double lives produces serious problems for each member of the trio. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Reno Wilson, Dennis Pressey, (more)
- 1999
Such documentary filmmaker legends as Jean Rouch, Frederick Wiseman, and Barbara Kopple appear in this loving tribute to cinema verite and its profound influence on film. Director Peter Wintonick, whose previous efforts include the acclaimed Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1993), makes a compelling case that Canada's National Film Board was at the vanguard of the cinema verite movement. The movie also features vintage footage of teen heart-throb Paul Anka and a behind the scenes look at John F. Kennedy's primary run for president. Both interviews and clips attest to the absorbing vitality that cinema verite brought to film. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- D.A. Pennebaker, Richard Leacock, (more)
- 1999
Upon returning to the Stargate Complex, the SG-1 crew is injected with sedatives and imprisoned--apparently on the orders of their own commander, General Hammond (Don S. Davis). Carter (Amanda Tapping) and Teal'c (Christopher Judge) subsequently discover that the complex has been taken over by aliens possessing the power of metamorphosis. In their attempts to escape, the crew members are stymied by the fact that the cannot tell their friends from their enemies--even among themselves. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1998
While on planet B96-3Q1, S-G's Jaffa crew member Teal'c (Christopher Judge) is bitten by a poisonous insect. Back on earth, Teal'c undergoes a horrifying metamorphosis--one that attracts the attention of Stargate Command colonel Maybourne (Tom McBeath), who intends to use Teal'c's DNA to create a new biological weapon. As the SG-1 team endeavor to develop a curative vaccine without Maybourne's knowledge, Teal'c escapes into the grimy city streets, where he bonds with a homeless girl named Ally (Colleen Rennison). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1998
During World War II, the propaganda engine of the U.S. government made a pivotal decision with unforeseeable results: they tapped John Huston to shoot war documentaries with an expressly patriotic spin. Few could guess the degree to which Huston's documentaries would depict the sheer brutality and horror of modern warfare - particularly his Let There Be Light and The Battle of San Pietro. The films served (by default) as cinematic protests, even as they graced new and brilliant heights within the scope of American documentary. (Indeed, Light was banned by the government for 35 years). Midge Mackenzie's 1998 documentary John Huston: War Stories explores this little known facet of Huston's career, intercutting clips from the various documentaries with a Huston interview shot just prior to his death. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Huston
This gentle French comedy has a meandering plotline as it traces the exploits of a young man recognized as a the son of a star. The main protagonist is 23-year old Harvey who works as the guide for a group of Georgian singers who have a Paris gig. He is interested in Dinara, the 18-year old interpreter for the group. While in a restaurant, they encounter Marco Garciano who tells them he played the small lad in Crin blanc, a classic French film. He is really a half-time chauffeur and con-artist. Marco tells Harvey that he is the son of Gascogne, the father of the New Wave, and close friend and inspiration to many directors between 1958 and 1962. Marco tries to prove his point by taking Harvey and Dinara to meet some former French film impresarios. They see Alexandra Stewart and Bernadette Lafont. They also meet Claude Chabrol while he eats lunch. They meet many more including director Michel Deville. All they meet are convinced that Harvey is indeed Gascogne's son. Many of the female stars claim to be his mother. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Grégoire Colin, (more)
This music documentary is produced and directed by the same filmmaker who brought Monterrey Pop to the screen. It features performances from a 1969 Toronto rock 'n roll festival. The film shows performers Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Eric Clapton, Bo Diddley, Alan White, Klaus Voorman and John Lennon and Yoko Ono with the Plastic Ono Band. Although many other people appeared in the 12-hour-long festival, the filmmaker chose to record the whole performances of these few, rather than give highlights of the entire festival. Festival-goers booed and walked out on a performance by Yoko Ono and her brand new Plastic Ono Band. Film reviewers at the time were similarly affected. Latterly, though, both her performance and this film have grown in interest and watchability, particularly given the rarity of such thorough documentation of these key performers' work in concert. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- 1987
Three girls who are living very precariously in the Boston area are followed in this documentary. Mars ran away from home when she was thirteen, now makes her living as a stripper in the famous "Combat Zone," and has found a family for herself (of sorts) among the patrons, bartenders and other strippers of the district. Pinky is just fourteen and hates school, skipping it whenever she can. However, she must be fast on her feet to outwit the social workers who want to place her in a (strict) foster home. Martha is about to become a single mother, but of all the girls, she is the only one showing any willingness to take responsibility for herself and her problems. Reviewers complained about the length of this documentary (eighty-four minutes) and, paradoxically, also complained that certain crucial information got left out. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- 1986
This excellent biographical documentary looks at the life and work of director William Wyler. The film is dominated by clips from many of Wyler's better-known works, such as Roman Holiday, Ben-Hur, and Funny Girl. A long interview with the director himself (conducted a few days before he died) provides his personal perspective on his work and interviews with his actors and colleagues offer some surprising comments about the man. Terence Stamp feels Wyler may not have had a good command of English, while Laurence Olivier notes that Wyler taught him how to drop theatrical exaggerations and act for the camera. Bette Davis gives the most extensive commentary. Excerpts from home movies show Wyler and his family on vacation and also record a bit of the making of Wuthering Heights. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Wyler, Bette Davis, (more)
- 1986
Unless audiences love Strindberg or are fascinated with avant-garde performances, this documentary on Strindberg's play about a man who dies will not be exceptionally absorbing. Star Alain Cluny is shown both on and off stage, as he performs the play and prepares for his role. On the stage Cluny sits at a table and reads from a script while images are projected on screens next to him, figures enter and exit silently, and sets are exchanged behind him. The story itself deals with a man who goes to the island of the dead with a lot of questions he wants answered. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alain Cuny
- 1985
German documentarian Klaus Wildenhahn uses interviews with the two filmmakers who are the subject of this cinematic study: Jerzy Bossak from Poland and Richard Leacock from the United States, to help form the core of a retrospective of their work and philosophy. Along with the interviews, conducted in Germany and the U.S., Wildenhahn adds clips that illustrate the two men's most well-known films, records the comments they make on their oeuvre and their theories and attitudes about filming, and shows a little about them in their off-work hours. Most notable among the Leacock clips are Louisiana Story (1948) and Primary (1960) in which he was the cameraman, and for Bossak, the historical Majdanek (1944), on the Nazi death camp near Lubin, and Warsaw '56, about the struggles of the impoverished sectors of Warsaw to find housing and survive after World War II. Of most interest to the historians of documentary filmmaking, this informative documentary might still appeal to the naturally curious, non-expert as well.
~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Leacock
- 1970
No director is credited for this documentary of a recording session of nine songs from the Broadway play Company. Dean Jones, George Coe, Barbara Barrie and other cast and chorus members are given direction from Columbia Records studio producer Tom Shepard. The singers are shown in the studio and relaxing during a coffee break at a corner bar. Overdubs were recorded two days later for this musical, written by composer Steven Sondheim. The color of the film is often erratic. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- 1970
The third (and last) of author Norman Mailer's experiments in cinéma vérité filmmaking created between 1968 and 1970, Maidstone stars Mailer as Norman T. Kingsley, a celebrated filmmaker who is often described as "the American Buñuel." Kingsley and a large retinue of friends, actors, and colleagues have descended on his estate in Upstate New York to work on his latest project, a sexually provocative drama. At the same time, Kingsley is planning to launch a campaign for president, and he's visited by a large number of guests eager to discuss his political perspectives, including journalists, academics, and a handful of African-American radicals. Also on hand is Kingsley's ever-present posse of hangers-on nicknamed "the cash box," led by his half-brother Raoul (Rip Torn). As a British television reporter records the proceedings for an upcoming profile, a shadowy group of American intelligence agents questions if the nation might be better off without the possibility of a Kingsley candidacy. In the film's final reels, Mailer and his cast and crew drop their collective improvisation and discuss their work so far before the camera, but Torn takes it upon himself to give the film the ending he feels it needs by attacking Mailer with a hammer. Fascinating if only for its remarkable portrait of Mailer's legendary ego in full flight, Maidstone would be the writer's last stab at filmmaking until he was hired to direct a film adaptation of his novel Tough Guys Don't Dance in 1987. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Norman Mailer
- 1968
This color documentary chronicles the musical concert on Mount Scopus in Israel a mere three weeks after the Six Day War. Leonard Bernstein and Isaac Stern join the Yoi Yisrael Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic, and the Tel Aviv Philharmonic Choir for stirring classical renditions by Mahler and Mendelssohn. The concert was recorded by Columbia records for release at a later date and accurately captured the live music in all its classic splendor. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion sits proudly in the front row as the symphonies play to a capacity crowd. Scenes of the war, the Wailing Wall, schools and hospitals are also included as Bernstein and Stern tour the country and meet the people of Israel. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leonard Bernstein, Isaac Stern, (more)
- 1968
This documentary of world-famous composer Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) follows him through several creative endeavors. With the West German Symphonic Orchestra, he conducts a recording session for a memorial piece he composed to honor the recently deceased author Aldous Huxley . His wife and friends gather for a party in their Beverly Hills home which includes such luminaries as author/playwright Christopher Isherwood and choreographer George Balanchine. During the party, the choreographer confers with the maestro on a collaboration based on Stravinsky's original composition for the Huxley memorial. The composer freely recalls audience's early rejection of his music; the initial debut of his Firebird Suite was met with a chorus of boos from the audience. He discusses the many opinions people have about Richard Wagner and how his own views about the controversial composer have changed. Then he makes comments about modern composers and his own enduring place in musical history. One interesting statement by Stravinsky is his observation about young composers: "They say they don't like my consonant music. They are wrong." ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
The first concert film of the rock & roll era, Monterey Pop is an invaluable record of some of the major musical figures of the late 1960s. The organizers of the Monterey International Pop Festival, held June 16-18, 1967, wisely chose to record the proceedings on film for commercial distribution. Even if some of the festival's big acts -- The Byrds, The Grateful Dead, and Buffalo Springfield -- didn't make the final cut for various reasons, the roster of performers who did reads like a who's who of the era: Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company (featuring Janis Joplin), Simon & Garfunkel, and The Mamas and the Papas (that group's leader, John Phillips, was one of the festival's principal organizers). The festival's "international" tag is well-earned by one performer in the film: Ravi Shankar, whose final-day performance was one of the festival's highlights and closes the movie on an exuberant note. Though the festival seemed to be anticipating nearby San Francisco's Summer of Love, the film chooses to concentrate on the musical performers, with only brief intimations of the burgeoning counterculture. ~ Tom Wiener, Rovi
- 1962
This entertaining video features Jane Fonda as she opens in her first role on Broadway. ~ Rovi
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