Burt Lancaster: Daring to Reach (1996)
*** (out of 4)
Pretty good documentary taking a look at the life and career of Burt Lancaster. The likes of Jeff Corey, Earl Holliman, James Hill, Rhonda Fleming, Sydney Pollack, Ted Post and Virginia Mayo are on hand to tell stories about the actor. The documentary clocks in well under a hour so it's not as definitive as one would hope but I think fans of the actor should have a good time. I think the best aspect is its title because the documentary really does show how brave Lancaster was with the type of roles he was willing to play. As we go through countless pictures in the actor's filmography, one really realizes that he could play just about anything. The film offers up countless clips from his movie and one really remembers just how talented Lancaster was. The cast tells some pretty funny stories about what type of person Lancaster was and especially when it came to working with him and how he'd often play director, which didn't always sit well with the real director. Mayo tells some fun stories as does Post who directed the actor in the late 70s. There's no question that a more detailed documentary is certainly needed but fans of the actor should still enjoy this one.
*** (out of 4)
Pretty good documentary taking a look at the life and career of Burt Lancaster. The likes of Jeff Corey, Earl Holliman, James Hill, Rhonda Fleming, Sydney Pollack, Ted Post and Virginia Mayo are on hand to tell stories about the actor. The documentary clocks in well under a hour so it's not as definitive as one would hope but I think fans of the actor should have a good time. I think the best aspect is its title because the documentary really does show how brave Lancaster was with the type of roles he was willing to play. As we go through countless pictures in the actor's filmography, one really realizes that he could play just about anything. The film offers up countless clips from his movie and one really remembers just how talented Lancaster was. The cast tells some pretty funny stories about what type of person Lancaster was and especially when it came to working with him and how he'd often play director, which didn't always sit well with the real director. Mayo tells some fun stories as does Post who directed the actor in the late 70s. There's no question that a more detailed documentary is certainly needed but fans of the actor should still enjoy this one.