Marilyn Monroe: The Last Torments
2011 · 70m · Documentary
Nearly fifty years after her death, Marilyn Monroe remains an absolute icon, the image of a superficial and sensual blonde forever etched in the collective imagination. But behind the legend lies a more complex reality: that of Norma Jeane Baker, a young woman abandoned by all who constantly lurched from euphoria to the depths of despair. Throughout her life, Marilyn attempted to free herself from her image and access her truth. You will discover the little-known episodes from the last years of the star's life. Why did she abandon Hollywood and move to New York under an assumed name in 1954? How did she end up locked away in a psychiatric clinic after filming "The Misfits"? What did her diaries contain? What was her relationship with her psychoanalyst? Finally, under what circumstances did this 36-year-old woman meet her death? Using numerous testimonies and archival material, the teams paint a portrait of a mysterious and tormented personality.
More Like This
Marcello Mastroianni, irrésistiblement libre
2024 · ★ 6.5
The 1960s opened with La Dolce Vita by Federico Fellini and its unforgettable lead: Marcello Mastroianni. The actor seemed to glide effortlessly through his roles — and through life — as if to say that life is not all that serious, or perhaps that it is far too serious not to be laughed at. But what kind of man was hiding behind the actor with the handsome, boyish looks, who appeared so gentle and nonchalant?
More info →
Jayne Mansfield: The Tragedy of a Blonde
2015 · ★ 6.4
On June 29, 1967, Jayne Mansfield tragically died at the age of 34. Her stunning blue Buick Electra collided with and was crushed under a semi-trailer truck. With her voluptuous figure and baby-doll face, Hollywood's most photographed actress did everything to become a star, accepting every compromise, going from icon to object. While portraying the actress, this film offers a glimpse into the Hollywood dream factory through the lens of a casting call. Like Jayne herself, who went through countless auditions...
More info →
Sheila, toutes ces vies-là
2022 · ★ 7.5
The portrait of a woman who remembers. Sheila tells the story of Sheila, without concessions or evasions. Her childhood, her parents, her beginnings, the rumors, her love affairs, her marriage, her son, her successes, her farewells, her return, her mourning. The journey of an extraordinary popular icon who never stopped fighting. The courage of an artist who never gives up. "Sheila, toutes ces vies-là" is also a journey through time. 60 years of pop music, punctuated by numerous archives, personal films, timeless hits and illustrations by Marc-Antoine Coulon. But also 60 years of fashion, through a legendary wardrobe (her TV show outfits) that Sheila invites us to rediscover.
More info →
mm 49: Vivian Fine Marathon!
2014 · ★ 10
"mm"s are m(usic(ian's))m(eetings) mostly held at the Who Unit? in Pittsburgh as a 21st century salon of sorts where formal interests can be broached casually. Attendees delight in sharing their sometimes obscure & sometimes popular musical (& otherwise) loves. For mm 49 (in the 37th month of "mm"'s history) a marathon listening party celebrating the music of Vivian Fine was decided upon. Fine was a dedicated composer who produced a variety of work over a 70 year career. This movie, of course, is not an imitation of Ken Burns style documentary movie-making. Instead, I gleefully mix the casualness & lively uninhibited conversation of mms with the formal exactitude of Fine's music. I hope you enjoy it as an upstanding example of Punk Classical. "Bah to the Bourgeoisie"! Note that I'm starting to disappear in this movie - will you miss me when I'm gone? This is my 111th feature & my 404th movie.
More info →
The Road to Ruane
2024
Billy Ruane, storied impresario of the 90s Boston indie music scene. Billy promoted shows and inspired cult-like followings of bands by the likes of The Lemonheads, Dinosaur Jr., Pixies, Superchunk, Buffalo Tom, Elliott Smith, Pavement, and Sonic Youth. His gracious treatment of artists set new standards in music. But underneath Billy’s exuberant cartoon-like demeanor and Harvard education, was the pain of a man with deep trauma, who struggled with bipolar disorder and substance abuse, and was confounded by the weight of an endless supply of money.
More info →
King Kong: Monster and Myth
2024 · ★ 7.2
In 1933, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, two audacious and visionary directors, dared to create a motion picture that eclipsed everything seen until then: when King Kong was released, it was celebrated as an artistic and technical revolution and became the first myth created by the young cinematic art.
More info →
Nasty
2024 · ★ 7.6
1972 was a turning point in Ilie Nastase's career: he won his first US Open, while also reaching both Wimbledon and Davis Cup finals. Moving back and forth in time and featuring amazing archive footage and exclusive interviews with top athletes, the documentary explores Nastase's highs and lows, the controversies that surrounded him and the enduring impact he has had on the world of tennis. Lovable, charming and generous, yet temperamental, arrogant and obscene, Mr. Nice'n'Nasty disrupted the old-fashioned etiquette of the sport in the 70s thus becoming its first rebel rock star.
More info →
Bruce Willis : les secrets d'une icône
2025 · ★ 8.5
Nothing predestined Bruce Willis to become an actor, still less of action movies, and yet in a few years he would become one of the most profitable stars in the entire history of cinema, until his career abruptly changed course. For ten years, Bruce Willis had been going through a dry spell, punctuated by dozens of low-budget films.
More info →
Code of the Freaks
2020 · ★ 8
Taking its title from Tod Browning’s classic film, this radical reframing of how characters with disabilities are represented looks at a century of Hollywood favorites with a fresh perspective. Disability activists imagine a cinematic landscape that takes people with disabilities seriously.
More info →
Billy Wilder Speaks
2006 · ★ 6.7
In 1988, German filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff sat down with legendary director Billy Wilder (1906-2002) at his office in Beverly Hills, California, and turned on his camera for a series of filmed interviews. (A recut of the 1992 TV miniseries Billy, How Did You Do It?)
More info →
Bettie Page: The Girl in the Leopard Print Bikini
2004 · ★ 7.5
Featuring the vintage films, and pictures that made her a phenomenon, BETTIE PAGE, THE GIRL IN THE LEOPARD PRINT BIKINI, focuses on the life and times of the legendary model, the times in which she lived, and the impact her career had on the subsequent fifty years.
More info →