documentary films
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COMPLICATED WOMEN (N/A)
(55 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
In silent films, female characters were divided into the categories of ingenue and vamp; and in the years when the Hollywood Production Code ran rampant (1934-68), women in movies behaved according to a strict set of rules guaranteed to protect the public against any suggestion of impropriety. But for five glorious years (1929-34), post-sound but pre-Code, the screen was dominated by what author/critic Mick LaSalle has termed "Complicated Women - the title of his book and a new documentary. Independent and uninhibited, these pre-Code women shared a penchant for scanty clothing and an appreciation of the power provided by their own sexuality. These "complicated women" were tough cookies. In her Oscar®-winning role in The Divorcee (1930), Norma Shearer plays Jerry, a man's woman with a male name and a male viewpoint. When her husband cheats, she evens the score with a one-night stand with his best friend before announcing to hubby: "From now on, you're the only man in the world that my door is closed to." Claudette Colbert, told in Torch Singer (1933) that she's "hard," snaps back, "Sure I am. Just like glass. So hard nothing could cut it but diamonds. Come around with a fistful sometime." Maybe the hardest of all is Barbara Stanwyck in the luridly entertaining Baby Face (1933). Coming from a brutal upbringing where she was pimped (and possibly molested) by her own father, Stanwyck's Lily Powers literally sleeps her way to the top, moving upward from floor to floor of a banking corporation and never looking back at the trail of male victims she leaves behind. On the lighter side of pre-Code naughtiness is Mae West, who stretched the limits of what was allowed in movies with such vehicles as I'm No Angel (1933), in which she drawls her usual double entendres as a circus performer who lives with one man but dallies with several others including Cary Grant. Relaxed standards of the day allowed Jean Harlow to play a happy-go-lucky prostitute who gets the man (Clark Gable) in the jungle romance Red Dust (1932), while prancing about in various stages of undress and going au naturel for a dip in a rain barrel. by Roger Fristoe
Starring: | Directed by:
STAR BIO: Greta Garbo / Joan Crawford (N/A)
(46 & 87 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
Not easy to understand why anyone asked Joanne Woodward and Burt Reynolds to make contributions. Neither of them was a close confidante of the actor nor ever worked with him. Seems strange to hear them talking about him and contributing little to our knowledge of him without any first hand experience. The film clips, revealing Flynn in all his charismatic glory (especially during the height of his career) are generous and always stimulating, reminding us how great his screen presence was--a combination of athletic grace and classic good looks along with acting ability that was often underrated. Any fan of the actor will appreciate this documentary. It has style and content and the kind of assurance about its subject that will endear it to Flynn's fans. If nothing else, it serves to remind us that he was one of the most dashing actors of the silver screen and, when teamed with Olivia de Havilland in those great adventure-romance classics, he had no peer.
Starring: Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford | Directed by:
STAR BIO: Humphry Bogart / Cary Grant (N/A)
(46 & 87 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
While it does deal with some of his unsavory exploits (such as the rape trial), it does not exploit them and instead shows us another, more sensitive side of Flynn that has been missing in most biographies of the actor.
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant | Directed by:
STAR BIO: JAMES CAGNEY / MYRNA LOY (N/A)
( Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
James Cagney: Top of the World (1992) Michael J. Fox hosts this documentary featuring film clips and rare behind-the-scenes footage that traces superstar James Cagney's rise to the top. Cast: James Cagney, Michael J. Fox, Jack Lemmon. Dir: Carl Lindahl. C-47 min. Myrna Loy: So Nice To Come Home To (1991) Kathleen Turner hosts this retrospective look at Loy's career. Included are excerpts from some of her performances as well as newsreel footage.
Starring: James Cagney, Myrna Loy | Directed by:
STAR BIO: Jane Mansfield / Linda Darnell (N/A)
(43 & 44 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: B
Starring: Jane Mansfield & Linda Darnell | Directed by:
STAR BIO: JEAN HARLOW / BETTE DAVIS (N/A)
(47 / 48 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
Harlow: The Blonde Bombshell (1993) Sharon Stone hosts this look at Jean Harlow's rise to stardom and her tragic end. Sharon Stone hosts, with clips of Jean Harlow, Clark Gable. D: Tom McQuade. C 47m. *** All About Bette:The Life and Films of Bette Davis (1994) Jodie Foster hosts a retrospective on the life and career of one of Hollywood's great stars. C 48m.
Starring: Jean Harlow, Bette Davis | Directed by:
STAR BIO: JOHN GARFIELD / GARY COOPER (N/A)
( Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
Starring: John Garfield, Gary Cooper | Directed by:
STAR BIO: Peter Lorre / Boris Karloff (N/A)
(44 & 44 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: B
Starring: Peter Lorre & Boris Karloff | Directed by:
STAR BIO: Rita Hayworth / Lana Turner (N/A)
( Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
RITA: Highlights will include a rare interview with the star's daughter, Yasmin Aga Kahn, as well as never-before-seen color home movie footage from the 1940s, 1960s and 1970s, rare family photographs and commentary from Hayworth herself throughout the program from an interview taped shortly before Alzheimer's ravaged her memory.The documentary also includes interviews with actress Nicole Kidman, Hayworth's family members and a never-before-seen interview with her last husband, James Hill. The documentary also features footage of Hayworth from The Carol Burnett Show, footage of her weddings to Prince Aly Khan and Dick Haymes and more than 300 rare photographs. LANA TURNER: Featuring exclusive remembrances from Turner's daughter, Cheryl Crane, the TCM Original documentary, Lana Turner: A Daughter's Memoirs, will offer a rare behind-the-scenes look at the successes, tragedies and bitter disappointments that plagued one of MGM's most popular leading ladies.Produced by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Carole Langer (A&E Networks' The Rat Pack), the documentary will feature an exclusive interview with Crane, who shares personal observations and memories and recalls conversations where Turner confided in her about her many lovers, husbands, fears and the anxiety that resulted from her fame. Crane will also detail the incidents that occurred before, during and after the murder of her mother's lover and small-time hoodlum, Johnny Stompanato.
Starring: Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner | Directed by:
STAR BIO: STEVE MCQUEEN / RITA HAYWORTH (N/A)
(87 & 58 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool (2004) Documentary that explores the life and career of Hollywood anti-hero Steve McQueen. BW & C 87m. LBX CC / Rita (2003) A documentary on the life story and experiences of Rita Hayworth told through film clips and stills, archival footage and stills, dramatic re-enactments and on-screen interviews. BW & C 58m. CC
Starring: Steve McQueen, Rita Hayworth | Directed by:
STAR BIO: The Adventures of Errol Flynn (2005)
(87 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
This is an interesting and very informative, entertaining way to spend time learning about ERROL FLYNN. Aside from some penetrating comments from two of his ex-wives (Nora Eddington and Patrice Wymore), there are some frank and very supportive comments on the real Errol Flynn (if anybody really knew him) from his most frequent co-star, Olivia de Havilland. It is the first time she has openly revealed anything about the deep love and affection Flynn and de Havilland had for each other. In addition, some very interesting comments by Richard Dreyfuss, who became a Flynn fan at the age of eight and gives what seem like spontaneous, off the cuff comments that seem unrehearsed and genuine. Daughter Diedre expresses the wish that others knew more about the quieter, family man side of Flynn that is obscured by all the tales of his womanizing. It seems that his real interest lay in writing, but although he wrote two novels (neither a great literary success), he lacked the discipline to achieve his literary ambitions.
Starring: Errol Flynn | Directed by: David Heeley
STAR BIO: The Women of Film Noir (N/A)
( Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: B
Ava Gardner: The Femme Fatale, A Tribute to Film Noir's Femme Fatales, Poison: The Femme Fatale, Of Course I'm Lying: A Tribute to Femme Fatales, Femme Fatale-The Noir Dame, Cruel Beauty, Ladies of Film Noir
Starring: | Directed by:
STAR BIO: UNIVERSAL HORROR (1998)
(90 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: B
Assembled by film historian Kevin Brownlow and narrated by actor Kenneth Branagh, this 90-minute special celebrates the classic horror films that emanated from Hollywood's Universal Studios. Beginning with such silent classics as The Phantom of the Opera and The Cat and the Canary, Universal went into full gear in the early '30s, launching such valuable properties as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Mummy, and (in the 1940s) The Wolf Man, and making stars of the "twin titans of terror," Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. The studio maintained its horror quota well into the 1950s with its Creature from the Black Lagoon series, but the emphasis in this special is on the pre-1948 scare fests. Highlights include interviews with surviving Universal actors and technicians (Gloria Stuart is particularly amusing), and rare clips from Dracula [Spanish-language version]. Universal Horror made its American TV debut on the Turner Classic Movies cable service.
Starring: Various | Directed by: Kevin Brownlow
(55 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
In silent films, female characters were divided into the categories of ingenue and vamp; and in the years when the Hollywood Production Code ran rampant (1934-68), women in movies behaved according to a strict set of rules guaranteed to protect the public against any suggestion of impropriety. But for five glorious years (1929-34), post-sound but pre-Code, the screen was dominated by what author/critic Mick LaSalle has termed "Complicated Women - the title of his book and a new documentary. Independent and uninhibited, these pre-Code women shared a penchant for scanty clothing and an appreciation of the power provided by their own sexuality. These "complicated women" were tough cookies. In her Oscar®-winning role in The Divorcee (1930), Norma Shearer plays Jerry, a man's woman with a male name and a male viewpoint. When her husband cheats, she evens the score with a one-night stand with his best friend before announcing to hubby: "From now on, you're the only man in the world that my door is closed to." Claudette Colbert, told in Torch Singer (1933) that she's "hard," snaps back, "Sure I am. Just like glass. So hard nothing could cut it but diamonds. Come around with a fistful sometime." Maybe the hardest of all is Barbara Stanwyck in the luridly entertaining Baby Face (1933). Coming from a brutal upbringing where she was pimped (and possibly molested) by her own father, Stanwyck's Lily Powers literally sleeps her way to the top, moving upward from floor to floor of a banking corporation and never looking back at the trail of male victims she leaves behind. On the lighter side of pre-Code naughtiness is Mae West, who stretched the limits of what was allowed in movies with such vehicles as I'm No Angel (1933), in which she drawls her usual double entendres as a circus performer who lives with one man but dallies with several others including Cary Grant. Relaxed standards of the day allowed Jean Harlow to play a happy-go-lucky prostitute who gets the man (Clark Gable) in the jungle romance Red Dust (1932), while prancing about in various stages of undress and going au naturel for a dip in a rain barrel. by Roger Fristoe
Starring: | Directed by:
STAR BIO: Greta Garbo / Joan Crawford (N/A)
(46 & 87 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
Not easy to understand why anyone asked Joanne Woodward and Burt Reynolds to make contributions. Neither of them was a close confidante of the actor nor ever worked with him. Seems strange to hear them talking about him and contributing little to our knowledge of him without any first hand experience. The film clips, revealing Flynn in all his charismatic glory (especially during the height of his career) are generous and always stimulating, reminding us how great his screen presence was--a combination of athletic grace and classic good looks along with acting ability that was often underrated. Any fan of the actor will appreciate this documentary. It has style and content and the kind of assurance about its subject that will endear it to Flynn's fans. If nothing else, it serves to remind us that he was one of the most dashing actors of the silver screen and, when teamed with Olivia de Havilland in those great adventure-romance classics, he had no peer.
Starring: Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford | Directed by:
STAR BIO: Humphry Bogart / Cary Grant (N/A)
(46 & 87 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
While it does deal with some of his unsavory exploits (such as the rape trial), it does not exploit them and instead shows us another, more sensitive side of Flynn that has been missing in most biographies of the actor.
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant | Directed by:
STAR BIO: JAMES CAGNEY / MYRNA LOY (N/A)
( Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
James Cagney: Top of the World (1992) Michael J. Fox hosts this documentary featuring film clips and rare behind-the-scenes footage that traces superstar James Cagney's rise to the top. Cast: James Cagney, Michael J. Fox, Jack Lemmon. Dir: Carl Lindahl. C-47 min. Myrna Loy: So Nice To Come Home To (1991) Kathleen Turner hosts this retrospective look at Loy's career. Included are excerpts from some of her performances as well as newsreel footage.
Starring: James Cagney, Myrna Loy | Directed by:
STAR BIO: Jane Mansfield / Linda Darnell (N/A)
(43 & 44 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: B
Starring: Jane Mansfield & Linda Darnell | Directed by:
STAR BIO: JEAN HARLOW / BETTE DAVIS (N/A)
(47 / 48 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
Harlow: The Blonde Bombshell (1993) Sharon Stone hosts this look at Jean Harlow's rise to stardom and her tragic end. Sharon Stone hosts, with clips of Jean Harlow, Clark Gable. D: Tom McQuade. C 47m. *** All About Bette:The Life and Films of Bette Davis (1994) Jodie Foster hosts a retrospective on the life and career of one of Hollywood's great stars. C 48m.
Starring: Jean Harlow, Bette Davis | Directed by:
STAR BIO: JOHN GARFIELD / GARY COOPER (N/A)
( Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
Starring: John Garfield, Gary Cooper | Directed by:
STAR BIO: Peter Lorre / Boris Karloff (N/A)
(44 & 44 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: B
Starring: Peter Lorre & Boris Karloff | Directed by:
STAR BIO: Rita Hayworth / Lana Turner (N/A)
( Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
RITA: Highlights will include a rare interview with the star's daughter, Yasmin Aga Kahn, as well as never-before-seen color home movie footage from the 1940s, 1960s and 1970s, rare family photographs and commentary from Hayworth herself throughout the program from an interview taped shortly before Alzheimer's ravaged her memory.The documentary also includes interviews with actress Nicole Kidman, Hayworth's family members and a never-before-seen interview with her last husband, James Hill. The documentary also features footage of Hayworth from The Carol Burnett Show, footage of her weddings to Prince Aly Khan and Dick Haymes and more than 300 rare photographs. LANA TURNER: Featuring exclusive remembrances from Turner's daughter, Cheryl Crane, the TCM Original documentary, Lana Turner: A Daughter's Memoirs, will offer a rare behind-the-scenes look at the successes, tragedies and bitter disappointments that plagued one of MGM's most popular leading ladies.Produced by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Carole Langer (A&E Networks' The Rat Pack), the documentary will feature an exclusive interview with Crane, who shares personal observations and memories and recalls conversations where Turner confided in her about her many lovers, husbands, fears and the anxiety that resulted from her fame. Crane will also detail the incidents that occurred before, during and after the murder of her mother's lover and small-time hoodlum, Johnny Stompanato.
Starring: Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner | Directed by:
STAR BIO: STEVE MCQUEEN / RITA HAYWORTH (N/A)
(87 & 58 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool (2004) Documentary that explores the life and career of Hollywood anti-hero Steve McQueen. BW & C 87m. LBX CC / Rita (2003) A documentary on the life story and experiences of Rita Hayworth told through film clips and stills, archival footage and stills, dramatic re-enactments and on-screen interviews. BW & C 58m. CC
Starring: Steve McQueen, Rita Hayworth | Directed by:
STAR BIO: The Adventures of Errol Flynn (2005)
(87 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: A
This is an interesting and very informative, entertaining way to spend time learning about ERROL FLYNN. Aside from some penetrating comments from two of his ex-wives (Nora Eddington and Patrice Wymore), there are some frank and very supportive comments on the real Errol Flynn (if anybody really knew him) from his most frequent co-star, Olivia de Havilland. It is the first time she has openly revealed anything about the deep love and affection Flynn and de Havilland had for each other. In addition, some very interesting comments by Richard Dreyfuss, who became a Flynn fan at the age of eight and gives what seem like spontaneous, off the cuff comments that seem unrehearsed and genuine. Daughter Diedre expresses the wish that others knew more about the quieter, family man side of Flynn that is obscured by all the tales of his womanizing. It seems that his real interest lay in writing, but although he wrote two novels (neither a great literary success), he lacked the discipline to achieve his literary ambitions.
Starring: Errol Flynn | Directed by: David Heeley
STAR BIO: The Women of Film Noir (N/A)
( Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: B
Ava Gardner: The Femme Fatale, A Tribute to Film Noir's Femme Fatales, Poison: The Femme Fatale, Of Course I'm Lying: A Tribute to Femme Fatales, Femme Fatale-The Noir Dame, Cruel Beauty, Ladies of Film Noir
Starring: | Directed by:
STAR BIO: UNIVERSAL HORROR (1998)
(90 Min.) Genre: DOCUMENTARY, Transfer Quality: B
Assembled by film historian Kevin Brownlow and narrated by actor Kenneth Branagh, this 90-minute special celebrates the classic horror films that emanated from Hollywood's Universal Studios. Beginning with such silent classics as The Phantom of the Opera and The Cat and the Canary, Universal went into full gear in the early '30s, launching such valuable properties as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Mummy, and (in the 1940s) The Wolf Man, and making stars of the "twin titans of terror," Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. The studio maintained its horror quota well into the 1950s with its Creature from the Black Lagoon series, but the emphasis in this special is on the pre-1948 scare fests. Highlights include interviews with surviving Universal actors and technicians (Gloria Stuart is particularly amusing), and rare clips from Dracula [Spanish-language version]. Universal Horror made its American TV debut on the Turner Classic Movies cable service.
Starring: Various | Directed by: Kevin Brownlow