The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't

Who Is Bill Rebane?

2021 · ★ 5.7

A feature-length documentary on the life and work of Wisconsin grindhouse cinema auteur Bill Rebane, featuring historians, critics, and filmmakers, plus cast and crew members who worked with Rebane himself.

In the Shadow of Hollywood: Race Movies and the Birth of Black Cinema

2007 · ★ 6.5

This documentary captures the sounds and images of a nearly forgotten era in film history when African American filmmakers and studios created “race movies” exclusively for black audiences. The best of these films attempted to counter the demeaning stereotypes of black Americans prevalent in the popular culture of the day. About 500 films were produced, yet only about 100 still exist. Filmmaking pioneers like Oscar Micheaux, the Noble brothers, and Spencer Williams, Jr. left a lasting influence on black filmmakers, and inspired generations of audiences who finally saw their own lives reflected on the silver screen.

Muppet Guys Talking: Secrets Behind the Show the Whole World Watched

2017 · ★ 8.2

Five of the original Muppet performers come together for the first time ever to share behind-the-scenes secrets of the Muppets. Includes rare performance footage, surprising stories and insights into how Jim led his team to produce legendary work.

The Making of Ladies and Gentlemen, Fabulous Stains

1999 · ★ 7.5

A documentary look at the 'making of' and cult success of the troubled Lou Adler directed film "Ladies And Gentlemen The Fabulous Stains" starring Diane Lane.

The Five Obstructions

2003 · ★ 7

In 1967, experimental filmmaker Jorgen Leth created a striking short film, The Perfect Human, starring a man and women sitting in a box while a narrator poses questions about their relationship and humanity. Years later, Danish director Lars von Trier made a deal with Leth to remake his film five times, each under a different set of circumstances and with von Trier's strictly prescribed rules. As Leth completes each challenge, von Trier creates increasingly further elaborate stipulations.

Chronicle Of The Pied Piper

1985 · ★ 5

A behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of Barta’s masterpiece.

Other Men's Careers

2023 · ★ 8.5

Eccentric, outspoken, and unfiltered TV and low budget film director Josh Becker struggles to emerge from the shadow of his work on "The Evil Dead", "Xena", the careers of his more successful colleagues, depression and alcoholism to fulfill his lifelong ambition of creating high quality, successful films.

Mehrjui: The Forty-Year Report

2016

Mehrjui: The Forty-Year Report dives into the artistic world of Iranian director Dariush Mehrjui. The film offers critical interpretations of his works from cinema experts, enriched with personal anecdotes from his peers.

Before Hollywood There Was Fort Lee, N. J.

1964 · ★ 10

Amazing, but true: Fort Lee, New Jersey (just across the George Washington Bridge from Manhattan), was once the epicenter of American film production. This documentary of a truly bygone era combines photographs culled from private collections, as well as restored footage from such films as Thomas A. Edison's Rescued from an Eagle's Nest and D.W. Griffith's The New York Hat, filmed at the studios in Fort Lee.

Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail

2024 · ★ 6

Narrated by historian, critic and filmmaker Elvis Mitchell, this documentary reflects the development of the iconic filmmaker's signature style, through the making of one of his benchmark films, Blackmail. The documentary highlights the birth of the "Hitchcock Touch" at a period when talking pictures first emerged and explores his trademark themes, like such as murder, suspense and cool blondes. While focusing on Blackmail, the documentary reveals how this film also foreshadows the director's later masterpieces, from Psycho to North by Northwest and from The Birds to Frenzy.

Documentary for the Recently Deceased: The Making of Beetlejuice

A documentary about Tim Burton's iconic 1988 fantasy comedy Beetlejuice, covering all the aspects of production: from filming in East Corinth, Vermont, to the stop-motion and special effects work, as well as a series of exclusive interviews and rare behind the scenes archives.

Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy

2023 · ★ 5

This is not a documentary about the making of Midnight Cowboy. It is about a humane and groundbreaking masterpiece and the flawed but gifted people who made it. It is about a troubled era of cultural ferment, social and political change, about broken dreams and strivers, then and now. It is about an era that made a movie and a movie that made an era.