Documentaries (Film Related)
by prinivi | created - 09 May 2014 | updated - 10 May 2014 | PublicAs with all great film-related documentaries, it invokes the sensation of wanting to watch more — seek out what you haven't seen, revisit those works you love.
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1. The Men Who Made the Movies: Alfred Hitchcock (1973 TV Movie)
57 min | Documentary, Biography
A look at Alfred Hitchcock's films. The Master of Suspense himself, who is interviewed extensively here, shares stories including his deep-seated fear of policemen, elaborates on the ... See full summary »
Director: Richard Schickel | Stars: Alfred Hitchcock, Cliff Robertson
Votes: 399
2. The Men Who Made the Movies: Howard Hawks (1973 TV Movie)
57 min | Documentary, Biography
A documentary filmography of Howard Hawks, including lengthy footage of Hawks himself discussing his films and many clips from his best-known pictures.
Director: Richard Schickel | Stars: Sydney Pollack, Howard Hawks, Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall
Votes: 384
3. The Men Who Made the Movies: George Cukor (1973 TV Movie)
57 min | Documentary, Biography
In the series of documentaries directed by Richard Schickel following classic film directors, this episode interviews the creative mind behind "My Fair Lady", "The Philadelphia Story", "... See full summary »
Director: Richard Schickel | Star: George Cukor
Votes: 269
4. The Men Who Made the Movies: Vincente Minnelli (1973 TV Movie)
57 min | Documentary
Director: Richard Schickel | Stars: Cliff Robertson, Vincente Minnelli
Votes: 233
5. The Men Who Made the Movies: Frank Capra (1973 TV Movie)
88 min | Documentary, Biography
Director: Richard Schickel | Star: Frank Capra
Votes: 152
6. The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011)
Not Rated | 62 min | Documentary, History
A comprehensive history of the medium and art of motion pictures.
Stars: Mark Cousins, Juan Diego Botto, Aleksandr Sokurov, Norman Lloyd
Votes: 4,829
7. Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan (2011)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Biography
The life and work of the renowned film visual effects artist and producer.
Director: Gilles Penso | Stars: Ray Harryhausen, Peter Jackson, Terry Gilliam, Guillermo del Toro
Votes: 1,364
8. The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004)
TV-PG | 98 min | Documentary, History
Documentary about the art of film editing. Clips are shown from many groundbreaking films with innovative editing styles.
Director: Wendy Apple | Stars: Kathy Bates, Zach Staenberg, Jodie Foster, Michael Tronick
Votes: 3,195
9. This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)
Unrated | 98 min | Documentary
Kirby Dick's exposé about the American movie ratings board.
Director: Kirby Dick | Stars: Kirby Dick, Kimberly Peirce, Darren Aronofsky, Atom Egoyan
Votes: 28,620 | Gross: $0.30M
10. Side by Side (2012)
Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary
The documentary investigates the history, process and workflow of both digital and photochemical film creation.
Director: Christopher Kenneally | Stars: Derek Ambrosi, Michael Ballhaus, Andrzej Bartkowiak, Dion Beebe
Votes: 13,716 | Gross: $0.03M
11. The Pixar Story (2007)
G | 87 min | Documentary
The Pixar Story takes audiences behind the scenes of the groundbreaking company that pioneered a new generation of animation and forever changed the face of filmmaking.
Director: Leslie Iwerks | Stars: Stacy Keach, John Lasseter, Brad Bird, John Musker
Votes: 7,050
12. Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)
R | 96 min | Documentary
Documentary 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.
Directors: Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper, Eleanor Coppola | Stars: Dennis Hopper, Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, George Lucas
Votes: 23,218 | Gross: $1.32M
13. Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011)
R | 95 min | Documentary
A documentary on DIY producer/director Roger Corman and his alternative approach to making movies in Hollywood.
Director: Alex Stapleton | Stars: Roger Corman, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Paul W.S. Anderson
Votes: 2,674 | Gross: $0.01M
14. Stanley Kubrick's Boxes (2008 TV Movie)
48 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Jon Ronson is asked by the widow of Stanley Kubrick to investigate the contents of about a thousand boxes left by Kubrick, shown to contain materials reflecting the work Kubrick did after the release of Barry Lyndon (1975) in 1975.
Director: Jon Ronson | Stars: Jon Ronson, Anthony Frewin, Jan Harlan, Christiane Kubrick
Votes: 1,362
15. Akira Kurosawa: My Life in Cinema (1993 TV Movie)
118 min | Documentary, Biography
In a long dialogue, Nagisa Oshima interviews Akira Kurosawa, leading him to share his thoughts about filmmaking, his life and works, and numerous anecdotes relating to his films and his various film activities.
Director: Shizuo Satô | Stars: Akira Kurosawa, Nagisa Ôshima
Votes: 82
16. The Making of 'Psycho' (1997 Video)
94 min | Documentary
Documentary about the making of Hitchcock's classic thriller Psycho (1960), featuring interviews with surviving cast and crew members.
Director: Laurent Bouzereau | Stars: Alfred Hitchcock, Peggy Robertson, Clive Barker, Joseph Stefano
Votes: 466
17. Shooting 'Panic Room' (2004 Video)
53 min | Documentary
Watch David Fincher's journey of the filming process for Panic Room (2002) in this interesting documentary. We see the entire cast and crew throughout production until the final filming day... See full summary »
Director: David Prior | Stars: David Fincher, Jodie Foster, Alec Gillis, Conrad W. Hall
Votes: 103
18. Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood (2010)
Documentary, History
The history of Hollywood film from the medium's invention to the birth of the New Hollywood in 1970.
Stars: Christopher Plummer, Daniel Selznick, Gregory Orr, Samuel Goldwyn Jr.
Votes: 408
19. The Beast Within: The Making of 'Alien' (2003 Video)
178 min | Documentary, Sci-Fi
This made-for-DVD documentary treats horror and science fiction film fans to a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Alien, the terrifying classic about a spaceship crew trapped with a ... See full summary »
Director: Charles de Lauzirika | Stars: Bolaji Badejo, Martin Bower, Gordon Carroll, Veronica Cartwright
Votes: 692
20. The Godfather Family: A Look Inside (1990 TV Movie)
73 min | Documentary
A documentary chronicling the making of all three films in the Godfather trilogy.
Director: Jeff Werner | Stars: Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo, Marlon Brando, James Caan
Votes: 1,159
21. Michael H. Profession: Director (2013)
PG-13 | 92 min | Documentary, Biography
Michael Haneke, theorists of the image that knows better than any other the dregs of our society with their existential fears and emotional derail ment to bring to light - a portrait.
Director: Yves Montmayeur | Stars: Michael Haneke, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Yves Montmayeur, Susanne Lothar
Votes: 422
22. Billy Wilder Speaks (2006 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 71 min | Documentary
Billy Wilder discusses his life and films in interviews filmed by Volker Schlondorff over two weeks in 1988.
Directors: Gisela Grischow, Volker Schlöndorff | Stars: Jean Arthur, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Gary Cooper
Votes: 456
23. It's All True: Based on an Unfinished Film by Orson Welles (1993)
G | 87 min | Documentary
"It's All True: Based on an Unfinished Film by Orson Welles" is a 1993 documentary feature about Orson Welles's ill-fated Pan-American anthology film "It's All True," shot in 1941-42 but never completed.
Directors: Bill Krohn, Myron Meisel, Orson Welles, Richard Wilson | Stars: Manuel 'Jacare' Olimpio Meira, Jeronimo André De Souza, Raimundo 'Tata' Correia Lima, Manuel 'Preto' Pereira da Silva
Votes: 864
24. Orson Welles: The Paris Interview (1960 TV Movie)
53 min | Documentary
A vintage interview captures the artist reflecting on Citizen Kane and expounding on directing, acting and writing and his desire to bestow a valuable legacy upon his profession. The scene ... See full summary »
Director: Allan King | Stars: Bernard Braden, Orson Welles
Votes: 76
25. With Orson Welles: Stories of A Life in Film (1990 TV Movie)
150 min | Documentary
A two-and-a-half hour documentary retrospective on the career of Orson Welles.
Director: Leslie Megahey | Stars: Peter Bogdanovich, Charlton Heston, Micheál MacLiammóir, Leslie Megahey
Votes: 77
26. Cinematographer Style (2006)
86 min | Documentary
110 of the world's top cinematographers discuss the art of how and why films look the way they do.
Director: Jon Fauer | Stars: Remi Adefarasin, Russ T. Alsobrook, Howard A. Anderson III, Howard A. Anderson
Votes: 392
27. The Incredibly Strange Film Show (1988–1989)
45 min | Documentary
This show is a series of documentaries focusing on the world of psychotronic movies. Episodes focus on the lives of such diverse filmakers as Hershell Gordon Lewis, Saim Raimi, Doris ... See full summary »
Stars: Jonathan Ross, Ric Meyers, David F. Friedman, Johnny Legend
Votes: 158
28. Elia Kazan: A Director's Journey (1995)
75 min | Documentary, Biography
Elia Kazan was one of the greatest Hollywood and Broadway directors. A three-time Academy Award winner, five-time Tony Award winner and winner of Best Dramatic Film at Cannes, he was also ... See full summary »
Director: Richard Schickel | Stars: Elia Kazan, Eli Wallach
Votes: 189
29. Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed (2007 TV Movie)
155 min | Documentary
Filmmakers, critics and even politicians discuss the social impact of the "Star Wars" films and the franchise's reliance in mythology and history.
Director: Kevin Burns | Stars: Linda Ellerbee, Newt Gingrich, Joan B. Connelly, Peter Jackson
Votes: 711
30. Empire of Dreams: The Story of the 'Star Wars' Trilogy (2004 Video)
151 min | Documentary, History, Sci-Fi
An in-depth making of documentary about the original Star Wars trilogy, covering the productions of the three films and their impact on popular culture.
Directors: Edith Becker, Kevin Burns | Stars: Robert Clotworthy, Walter Cronkite, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg
Votes: 5,266
31. Stephen King: Shining in the Dark (1999 TV Movie)
50 min | Documentary
Director: David Stewart | Stars: Kathy Bates, Frank Darabont, Mick Garris, Tom Hanks
Votes: 108
32. Room 237 (I) (2012)
Not Rated | 102 min | Documentary
An exploration of various interpretations of Stanley Kubrick's horror film, The Shining (1980).
Director: Rodney Ascher | Stars: Bill Blakemore, Geoffrey Cocks, Juli Kearns, John Fell Ryan
Votes: 23,108 | Gross: $0.26M
33. The Coen Brothers (2000 TV Movie)
41 min | Documentary
A documentary showing the lives of the famous directors Ethan Coen and Joel Coen. Including many guests featuring in their films.
Director: Sarah Aspinall | Stars: Neil Pearson, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Roger Deakins
Votes: 269
34. Writing with Light: Vittorio Storaro (1993 TV Movie)
45 min | Documentary
Director: David M. Thompson | Stars: Néstor Almendros, Vittorio Storaro, Francis Ford Coppola, Warren Beatty
Votes: 75
35. Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light (2006 Video)
68 min | Documentary, History
The genre of Film Noir gets an in-depth examination. Through a multitude of interviews with industry enthusiasts and film clips, every aspect of what makes a Noir is touched upon.
Director: Gary Leva | Stars: John Alton, Drew Casper, Roger Deakins, John Debney
Votes: 321
36.
Biography (1987– )
Episode:
Bette Davis: If Looks Could Kill
(1994)
TV-14 | 50 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Share the magical memories - and see clips from her Oscar winning performances - in this profile of the "First Lady of the American screen."
Stars: Peter Graves, Eddie Acuff, Anne Baxter, Humphrey Bogart
Votes: 213
37.
Biography (1987– )
Episode:
Katharine Hepburn: On Her Own Terms
(1996)
TV-14 | 44 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Director: Bill Harris | Stars: Anne Edwards, Anthony Harvey, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Hepburn
Votes: 128
38. The Pervert's Guide to Cinema (2006)
150 min | Documentary
Slavoj Zizek examines famous films in a philosophical and a psychoanalytic context.
Director: Sophie Fiennes | Star: Slavoj Zizek
Votes: 7,337
39. The People vs. George Lucas (2010)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary, Comedy
An examination of the widespread fan disenchantment with George Lucas.
Director: Alexandre O. Philippe | Stars: Joe Nussbaum, Daryl Frazetti, Doug Jones, Damian Hess
Votes: 4,872
40. The Celluloid Closet (1995)
R | 102 min | Documentary, History
A documentary surveying the various Hollywood screen depictions of homosexuals and the attitudes behind them throughout the history of North American film.
Directors: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman | Stars: Lily Tomlin, Tony Curtis, Susie Bright, Arthur Laurents
Votes: 7,509 | Gross: $1.51M
41. American Grindhouse (2010)
Not Rated | 80 min | Documentary
A documentary about the history of exploitation movies, from the silent-film era to the 1970s.
Director: Elijah Drenner | Stars: Robert Forster, Eric Schaefer, Eddie Muller, John Landis
Votes: 2,615 | Gross: $0.01M
42. Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006)
Unrated | 88 min | Documentary, Horror
A documentary on the history of the slasher film.
Director: Jeff McQueen | Stars: Ed Green, Wes Craven, John Carpenter, Joseph Stefano
Votes: 3,618
43. Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003 Video)
R | 101 min | Documentary
Playboy unveils the hottest moments in the history of film. This feature-length documentary traces the evolution of sex in Hollywood cinema and uncovers the formula for successfully arousing audience interest around the world.
Directors: Kevin Burns, Steven C. Smith | Stars: Brandy Snow, Shannon Tweed, Richard Roeper, Paul Verhoeven
Votes: 554
44. A Decade Under the Influence (2003)
R | 138 min | Documentary
A 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.
Directors: Ted Demme, Richard LaGravenese | Stars: Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin, Robert Altman, John G. Avildsen
Votes: 2,802 | Gross: $0.03M
45. Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape (2010)
Not Rated | 72 min | Documentary
A documentary analyzing the furore which so-called "video nasties" caused in Britain during the 1980s.
Director: Jake West | Stars: Julian Petley, Marc Morris, Andy Nyman, Xavier Mendik
Votes: 1,324
46. Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood (2001 TV Movie)
119 min | Documentary, History
A trip through the idiosyncrasies and difficulties of making one of the most tormented movies ever filmed.
Directors: Kevin Burns, Brent Zacky | Stars: Robert Culp, Roddy McDowall, Darryl F. Zanuck, Mel Gussow
Votes: 406
47. Blood, Boobs & Beast (2007)
Not Rated | 75 min | Documentary
Blood, Boobs and Beast tells the compelling story of Don Dohler, whose movies have been called everything from oddly brilliant to some of the worst films of all time. Despite his critics, ... See full summary »
Director: John Kinhart | Stars: Don Dohler, J.J. Abrams, Robert Long II, Mitch Klein
Votes: 293
48. The American Nightmare (2000)
Not Rated | 73 min | Documentary, Horror
An examination into the nature of 1960s-'70s horror films, the artists involved, and how they reflected contemporary society.
Director: Adam Simon | Stars: George A. Romero, John Carpenter, Tom Savini, David Cronenberg
Votes: 1,988
49. Movie Magic (1994–1997)
30 min | Documentary, Short, History
Documentary series dealing with every aspect of special effects in movies, from low-budget make-up to multi-million-dollar computer-generated graphics. The clear presentation includes ... See full summary »
Stars: James Cameron, Richard Edlund, Rick Baker, Ken Ralston
Votes: 184
50. Cinerama Adventure (2002)
97 min | Documentary
A nostalgic and compelling look into the legendary three camera, three projector process that revolutionized motion pictures and led the industry into the widescreen era. Through actual ... See full summary »
Director: David Strohmaier | Stars: Lowell Thomas, Fred Waller, Jim Morrison, Rudy Behlmer
Votes: 353
51. Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Shocking Truth (2000 Video)
75 min | Documentary
A documentary primarily focusing on the filming and release of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Director: David Gregory | Stars: Matthew Bell, Robert A. Burns, Tobe Hooper, Kim Henkel
Votes: 693
52. Brando (2007 TV Movie)
165 min | Documentary, Biography
The life and legacy of Marlon Brando and how he changed acting.
Directors: Mimi Freedman, Leslie Greif | Stars: Marlon Brando, Edward R. Murrow, Janet Aemisegger, Betty Gossell
Votes: 734
53. Scream: The Inside Story (2011 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 90 min | Documentary, Horror
In 1996, the horror master Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street) unleashed Scream, a slasher movie aimed at a whole new generation of teenage movie-goers. Though premiering at a time when ... See full summary »
Director: Daniel Farrands | Stars: David Arquette, Lisa Beach, Marco Beltrami, Howard Berger
Votes: 587
54. AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: America's Greatest Movies (1998 TV Movie)
138 min | Documentary
The American Film Institute commemorates the first century of American films with this awesome made-for-TV special highlighting the greatest 100 American movies as determined by leaders in ... See full summary »
Directors: Gary Smith, Dann Netter | Stars: Cher, Sally Field, Jodie Foster, Richard Gere
Votes: 677
55. Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (1987)
160 min | Documentary, Biography
A series about the life, career and works of the movie comedy genius.
Stars: Lindsay Anderson, Charles Lamont, William R. Cox, Loyal T. Lucas
Votes: 559
56. Jaws: The Inside Story (2010 TV Movie)
90 min | Documentary
A fascinating program that goes behind the scenes of Steven Spielberg's landmark 1975 film JAWS.
Director: Rob Goldberg | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Steven Spielberg, David Fear, Sid Sheinberg
Votes: 336
57. Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010 Video)
Not Rated | 239 min | Documentary, Horror
Explore 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!
Directors: Daniel Farrands, Andrew Kasch | Stars: Heather Langenkamp, Stacey Alden, Erika Anderson, Marshall Bell
Votes: 5,190
58.
HBO First Look (1992– )
Episode:
Heart of the Ocean: The Making of 'Titanic'
(1997)
28 min | Documentary, Short
Director: Ed W. Marsh | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Bill Paxton, James Cameron, Kate Winslet
Votes: 60
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