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Best movie studio documentary recommendations (1 Viewer)

MattPeriolat

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Having recently rewatched MGM When the Lion Roard, it has gotten me wondering what else is out there on movie and Hollywood history that is at least equal to or exceeds it.
I know of two docs currently on DVD, the Warned doc You Must Remember This and the TCM overview doc Movie Stars and Moguls. Having not seen either and unaware of what else may be out there, I seek recommendations and reviews please to give me some ideas on what to watch or check out next.
Thanks in advance.
 

Dave B Ferris

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The Adventures of Robin Hood, 2-disc DVD and Blu, both have an hour-long documentary, which also premiered on TCM, called Glorious Technicolor.
 

Charles Smith

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A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope is included on the THX 1138 DVD and BLU.
 

Charles Smith

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Cinerama Adventure, included on the DVD and BLU collector's editions of How The West Was Won.
 

Charles Smith

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Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood, on the Five Star Collection DVD of Cleopatra. (re FOX)
 

Charles Smith

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One more, then I'm letting someone else take a turn:

Behind the Planet of the Apes, 2-hour doc hosted by Roddy McDowall. I know it's on the large Blu-ray set, don't know about others.

Trying not to get too single-movie-specific here -- but both this and the Cleopatra one are as much about 20th Century Fox as about the films themselves. I find both of them utterly fascinating, and worthy of repeat viewings.
 

Peter M Fitzgerald

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For purchase, these are expensive and scarce, but Netflix offers them for DVD rental:
VISIONS OF LIGHT: THE ART OF CINEMATOGRAPHY (1992)
FLESH AND BLOOD: THE HAMMER HERITAGE OF HORROR (1997)
These are easier to find for purchase:
FOREVER EALING (2002) --bonus on both Criterion's KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS standard DVD and Lionsgate's THE LADYKILLERS (1955) Bluray
ADDED ATTRACTIONS: THE HOLLYWOOD SHORTS STORY (2006) --bonus on THE LAUREL & HARDY COLLECTION: THE DEVIL'S BROTHER/BONNIE SCOTLAND
THE CUTTING EDGE: THE MAGIC OF MOVIE EDITING (2004) --a bonus on the BULLITT 2-Disc SE DVD
I'M KING KONG: THE EXPLOITS OF MERIAN C. COOPER (2005) --on the KING KONG ('33) Bluray and 2-disc SE DVD
 

mdnitoil

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20th Century Fox: The Blockbuster Years and 20th Century Fox: The First 50 Years, both out of print from Image, serve a similar purpose to Lion Roars, except the focus is obviously Fox.
I would also recommend Goldwyn - The Man and His Movies and Walt: The Man Behind the Myth for golden age independent production stuff.
After that, there's a mountain of individual actor/crew stuff available as well.
 

MattPeriolat

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Forgot to mention that I had Walt already. Love that one. Wish Age of Believing from TCM was out on DVD or blu as well as that was a nice follow-up.

Beyond that... wowzers, this is a fantastic list so far. I'm frantically scribbling notes, checking prices and evaluating what and when. :) Please, by all means, keep the recommendations flowing. If you need a tighter focus, overviews of Hollywood from the start of the silent era until maybe the 60s or 70s intrigue me greatly.

Before anyone says it, I heard about Hollywood this morning. You bet your dollar I want it, but it seems impossible to find on decent media anymore because of the rights issues. Wish they'd fix that as I could really sink my teeth into that one.
 

Matt Hough

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Waking Sleeping Beauty covers the Disney studio from its problematic early 1980s situation through the release of The Lion King, but it's not all hearts and flowers as the sometimes ugly story unfolds. A definite must if you don't already have it!
 

Eric Vedowski

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The RKO Story (1987) 6 episodes. I wish this was available, it was excellent.
The Lady with the Torch (1999), a history of Columbia Pictures hosted by Glenn Close. Don't think this has turned up on any DVD but they ought to dig it out and put it on something as an extra. Not so hot as I recall.
 

DavidBC

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MattPeriolat said:
Before anyone says it, I heard about Hollywood this morning. You bet your dollar I want it, but it seems impossible to find on decent media anymore because of the rights issues. Wish they'd fix that as I could really sink my teeth into that one.
Hollywood is absolutely sensational. Found the VHS brick at a yard sale last summer and have watched it through multiple times. Definitely worth seeking out.
 

MattPeriolat

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Originally Posted by DavidBC /t/321866/best-movie-studio-documentary-recommendations#post_3943824
Hollywood is absolutely sensational. Found the VHS brick at a yard sale last summer and have watched it through multiple times. Definitely worth seeking out.
Found episodes on an internet streaming site YOU can find, quite TUBElar actually.

Seriously, yes, this needs a DVD issue as it is excellent in what it covers and does it very well.

First I've heard about RKO and Columbia having history packages, so will have to run those down. Seems like only Paramount does not have one, unless I've missed something.

Please continue to advise, the research is quite rewarding and perfect for indoor work in hot weather. Thanks very much.
 

Peter M Fitzgerald

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Not as much about the studios per se, as it is about particular films and filmmakers, but there's also the DVD edition of PERSONAL JOURNEY WITH MARTIN SCORSESE THROUGH AMERICAN MOVIES (1995).
 

Escapay

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Eric Vedowski said:
The Lady with the Torch (1999), a history of Columbia Pictures hosted by Glenn Close. Don't think this has turned up on any DVD but they ought to dig it out and put it on something as an extra. Not so hot as I recall.
An excerpt about From Here to Eternity (2 minutes, 23 seconds) was put on its DVD, although it's labeled "The Making of From Here to Eternity," without noting it's an excerpt. Needless to say, when I first watched it and didn't know where it came from, I thought it was just about the worst "making-of" that I'd ever seen. Even now, knowing where it's actually from, it seems like a very weak effort on Columbia's part for one of their upper-tier titles.
Gilda and The Loves of Carmen both feature two excerpts (joined together) focusing on Rita Hayworth, simply called "Rita Hayworth: The Columbia Lady" (8 minutes, 50 seconds). It's a bit more substantial than the From Here to Eternity piece, as it not only includes clips from her early films, but also had audio interviews with Fred Astaire (about working with her in You'll Never Get Rich) and Orson Welles (about The Lady from Shanghai). I always loved how Close says that Gilda is "almost impossible to follow" when talking about that film.
I wish I could have seen the whole documentary, even though the excerpts that are on DVD aren't exactly the most exciting things in the world.
 

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