Film & Television History

This documentary showcases the great movie studio's celebration of its golden anniversary with a retrospective of its best screen moments. Most of the documentary is a whirlwind tour through the studio and the achievements of its creator Darryl F. Zanuck. There is a montage of classic film clips from over 120 films, revealing interviews, archival footage, and outtakes. Some of the unforgettable stars featured are Shirley Temple, Tyrone Power, Betty Grable, Henry Fonda,and Marilyn Monroe. James Coburn hosts. ~ Karla Baker, All Movie Guide

This feature-length documentary goes into the making of the U.S. television game show Let's Make A Deal. Business meetings with advertisers, network executives, and production people clarify the "intent" of the show and the ways in which the staging of the show is influenced by that intent. The film was made with the full cooperation of co-owner and host Monty Hall and ABC television, and it serves as an excellent introduction to the economics of U.S. daytime television programming. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Director Kevin Smith records a series of question and answer sessions he held at various universities and releases them in this package. Smith, always a good storyteller, fields questions about his films, his career, and his forays into acting with a series of crowds that welcome him and are appreciative for his knowledge, his time, and his humor. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Experimental cinema legend Stan Brakhage is not exactly a household name; his work is practically unknown outside avant-garde and academic circles. But since 1952, when he was nineteen, he has created over 300 films, ranging from several seconds to several hours, methodically redefining the shape of film art. This documentary, made for Canadian TV, tries to show why he is considered one of the most innovative filmmakers of the last 50 years by exploring the depth and breath of his genius, the exceptional quality of his films and the influence of his work on generations of filmmakers. Director/screenwriter Jim Shedden does away with narration and commentary and instead lets the images speak for themselves. Film excerpts include sequences from works by Brakhage and other avant-garde filmmakers, such as George Kuchar, Jonas Mekas and Willie Varela, as well as interviews and archival footage. What is lacking is a critical analysis. For instance, Brakhage's unpopularity among 1970's feminist film-theorists -- particularly due to his patriarchal image -- is left unexplored. An original score was composed for the film by a long time associate of Brakhage, avant-garde composer James Tenney. Brakhage was screened at the International Forum of New Cinema section of the 49th Berlin Film Festival, 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide

Jeannie Epper and Zoe Bell are two women who get hurt for a living -- they're Hollywood stuntwomen, who take the falls and dodge the punches while taking the place of glamorous stars. Epper's big break came when she was hired to stand in for Lynda Carter on the Wonder Woman television series in the 1970s, while Bell made a name for herself doing Lucy Lawless' stunt work for Xena: Warrior Princess. Double Dare is a documentary which looks at the lives and careers of these two women, as well as their friendship. Epper, in her early sixties, finds herself dealing with ageism in the entertainment industry, just as she's dealt with sexism much of her life, as she struggles to stay in the game, while Bell learns from her older friend not only the nuts and bolts of stunt work but the trails Epper and her compatriots had to blaze to be respected in their profession. Double Dare also features appearances by Quentin Tarantino and Steven Spielberg. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato follow up Party Monster by returning to the documentary form of their most popular film The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Rather than examining evangelists-cum-gay icons, this time the duo takes aim at the cultural phenomenon that is and was Deep Throat, the hardcore porn film that cost 25,000 dollars to make and grossed over 600-million-dollars world-wide, making it the most successful independent film of all time. The impact of the film on the public's perception of pornography is discussed, as is the unlikely relationship the film had to the Watergate scandal. Actress Linda Lovelace who later denounced Deep Throat, claiming she'd been forced to make it at gunpoint, appears in interviews that were shot just before her fatal 2002 car accident. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Filmmaker Mark Hartley explores Australia's hidden genre in this documentary that casually casts aside "official" film history to celebrate the demented genius of director Brian Trenchard-Smith, and the exciting wave of little-known but supremely entertaining films that entertained adventurous Australian filmgoers throughout the 1970s and '80s. Every film student worth his or her weight in celluloid has seen Breaker Morant and Picnic at Hanging Rock, but what about the lesser-known gems that didn't make the film-school textbooks? In his forward to Tim Lucas' book Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark, director Martin Scorsese states, "We have to keep resisting the idea of official film history, a stately procession of 'important works' that leaves some of the most exciting films and filmmakers tucked away in the shadows." In this documentary, director Hartley explores the films forgotten by "official film history" with the comprehensive eye of a true film buff. As a child watching such films as Snapshot and The Man from Hong Kong, Hartley immediately recognized how wildly disparate they were in tone and execution from the films that comprised Australia's traditional film library. Appearing like American genre films that just happened to be shot in Australia and cast with Australian actors, these so-called "Ozploitation" flicks flourished in the wake of relaxed censorship laws down under. Yet despite constant chatter about the "new wave" of Australian cinema, financially successful films like The Man from Hong Kong and Patrick that were popular both at home and abroad were never mentioned, sneeringly dismissed as "genre" films rather than Australian films. Perhaps in the wake of such successful Australian films as Wolf Creek and Undead -- and looking ahead to such films as the slasher shocker Storm Warning and the eagerly anticipated remake of Long Weekend -- curious filmgoers are finally prepared to discover what they've been missing all these years. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

While its best known as one of the great living institutions of American television comedy, Saturday Night Live has also earned a reputation as a great showcase for popular music, and this five-volume collection features many of the show's most memorable musical moments. Saturday Night Live: 25 Years of Music features both musically oriented comedy sketches from the show -- from Bill Murray's over-the-top lounge singer Nick Rovers and "Tom Snyder" (impersonated by Dan Aykroyd) interviewing Mick Jagger to Ana Gasteyer's impression of Celine Dion and Aerosmith appearing on "Wayne's World" -- as well as classic performances from SNL's many musical guests. Performers include Ray Charles, Billy Joel, the Grateful Dead, Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Paul Simon, Neil Young, R.E.M., Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, Nirvana, Metallica, Roy Orbison, and many, many more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Everyone has a skeleton or two in his or her closet, but what about the director behind some of the most successful thrillers ever to hit the silver screen? Could M. Night Shyamalan be hiding a deep, dark secret that drives his macabre cinematic vision? Now viewers will be able to find out firsthand what fuels The Sixth Sense director's seemingly supernatural creativity as filmmakers interview Shyamalan as well as the cast and crew members who have worked most closely with him over the years. Discover the early events that shaped the mind of a future master of suspense in a documentary that is as fascinating as it is revealing. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Editing teaches the viewer how editors compile strips of film in order to create memorable moviegoing experiences. In addition to interviews with a variety of respected and award-winning editors, the movie offers clips form some of the most memorable films in the history of the artform. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Robert Evans' rise from second-string actor (who really was discovered while lounging by the pool at the Beverly Hills Hotel) to head of one of Hollywood's biggest movie studios is told from the viewpoint of Evans himself in this documentary, adapted from his autobiography (and featuring Evans' own narration). In 1957, Evans had already achieved success in the garment business when actress Norma Shearer spotting him at poolside and suggested he should play her late husband, legendary producer Irving Thalberg, in the movie Man of a Thousand Faces. While Evans knew he wasn't cut out to be an actor, he discovered he liked the movie business, and after becoming a film industry executive, Evans was named head of production at Paramount in the late '60s. Under Evans' leadership, Paramount produced such classics as Rosemary's Baby, Love Story, and The Godfather. He also married actress Ali McGraw; however, McGraw left Evans for Steve McQueen after they starred together in The Getaway. After leaving Paramount to become a producer (and racking up hits like Chinatown and Marathon Man), Evans' golden touch began to elude him; an arrest for drugs seemed to put an end to his career, until he made a comeback as a freelance producer in the 1990s on such films as Sliver and The Saint. Part of the narration for The Kid Stays in the Picture was drawn from the book-on-tape version of Robert Evans' autobiography of the same name, which featured Evans reading his own work; the audio book has developed a cult following of its own, and legend has it Dustin Hoffman based his performance in Wag The Dog on Evans' reading style on the tape. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide