

Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail
Genres
Overview
Narrated by historian, critic and filmmaker Elvis Mitchell, this documentary reflects the development of the iconic filmmaker's signature style, through the making of one of his benchmark films, Blackmail. The documentary highlights the birth of the "Hitchcock Touch" at a period when talking pictures first emerged and explores his trademark themes, like such as murder, suspense and cool blondes. While focusing on Blackmail, the documentary reveals how this film also foreshadows the director's later masterpieces, from Psycho to North by Northwest and from The Birds to Frenzy.
Details
Budget
$0
Revenue
$0
Runtime
79 min
Release Date
2024-10-18
Status
Released
Original Language
English
Vote Count
3
Vote Average
6.7
Elvis Mitchell
Narrator
Alfred Hitchcock
Self (archive footage)
5.7
John Ford Goes to War
When World War II broke out, John Ford, in his forties, commissioned in the Naval Reserve, was put in charge of the Field Photographic Unit by Bill Donavan, director of the soon-to-be-OSS. During the war, Field Photo made at least 87 documentaries, many with Ford's signature attention to heroism and loss, and many from the point of view of the fighting soldier and sailor. Talking heads discuss Ford's life and personality, the ways that the war gave him fulfillment, and the ways that his war films embodied the same values and conflicts that his Hollywood films did. Among the films profiled are "Battle of Midway," "Torpedo Squadron," "Sexual Hygiene," and "December 7."
2002-01-01 | en
0.0
Pictures of Europe
What makes European cinema so special? Find out in Paul Joyce’s feature-length documentary, Pictures of Europe, which examines the differences between American independent and Hollywood movies and films from European directors. Featuring luminary iconoclasts from European cinema such as Agnes Varda, Bernardo Bertolucci and Pedro Almodovar, as well as American counterpoints from Paul Schrader, and those who have crossed back and forth, such as Paul Verhoeven
1990-04-25 | en
6.7
Bugatti: A Thirst for Speed
The story of the Bugattis of Milan and Molsheim, the eccentric family behind the brand: Carlo, the patriarch and furniture designer; Rembrandt, the troubled sculptor; Ettore, the gifted engineer; Jean, the unfortunate heir. Art and design. Beauty and luxury. The fastest cars. Races. The need for speed.
2018-03-11 | de
7.5
Boundless
As Hong Kong's foremost filmmaker, Johnnie To himself becomes the protagonist of this painstaking documentary exploring him and his Boundless world of film. A film student from Beijing and avid Johnnie To fan, Ferris Lin boldly approached To with a proposal to document the master director for his graduation thesis. To agreed immediately and Lin's camera closely followed him for over two years, capturing the man behind the movies and the myths. The result is Boundless, a candid profile of one of Hong Kong's greatest directors and a heartfelt love letter to Hong Kong cinema.
2013-11-02 | cn
6.7
Caligari: When Horror Came to Cinema
On February 26, 1920, Robert Wiene's world-famous film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari premiered at the Marmorhaus in Berlin. To this day, it is considered a manifesto of German expressionism; a legend of cinema and a key work to understand the nature of the Weimar Republic and the constant political turmoil in which a divided society lived after the end of the First World War.
2014-02-12 | de
6.1
Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet at Work on a Film Based on Franz Kafka’s Amerika
This film is at once a self-portrait and an homage to Jean-Marie Straub, Farocki's role model and former teacher at the Film Academy.
1983-11-13 | de
0.0
Remembering Ragtime
Memories from the making of the classic Milos Forman film "Ragtime".
2004-11-16 | en
6.0
Hellborn
Conrad Brooks discusses "Hellborn," his unfinished movie with Ed Wood, and other projects
1993-01-01 | en
5.8
Room 999
In 1982, Wim Wenders asked 16 of his fellow directors to speak on the future of cinema, resulting in the film Room 666. Now, 40 years later, in Cannes, director Lubna Playoust asks Wim Wenders himself and a new generation of filmmakers (James Gray, Rebecca Zlotowski, Claire Denis, Olivier Assayas, Nadav Lapid, Asghar Farhadi, Alice Rohrwacher and more) the same question: “is cinema a language about to get lost, an art about to die?”
2023-10-05 | fr
7.0
Un film (autoportrait)
The shooting diary of a film shot in France and in the United States. Using photos of Paris and of New York City, excerpts of his former films, statements by friends of his and shooting sequences of the film itself, tormented filmmaker Marcel Hanoun has made a heterogeneous and unclassifiable film about the difficulty of filming.
1984-05-23 | fr
5.7
The Moviemakers: Tarantino
Since the early 1990s, Quentin Tarantino has been on a cinematic rollercoaster ride, that's never looked like slowing down, that has cemented himself as one of the worlds most influential filmmakers. Through his unique style, Tarantino carved out a place in Hollywood just for him, and even when others have tried to emulate him, his films stand-out amongst the crowd. And with one movie left before he supposedly retires, we take a look back at the ups and downs of his incredible life on film.
2023-06-26 | en
6.7
Chaplin Today: 'City Lights'
In 1928, as the talkies threw the film industry and film language into turmoil, Chaplin decided that his Tramp character would not be heard. City Lights would not be a talking picture, but it would have a soundtrack. Chaplin personally composed a musical score and sound effects for the picture. With Peter Lord, the famous co-creator of Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit, we see how Chaplin became the king of slapstick comedy and the superstar of the movies.
2003-05-14 | en
6.9
The Five Obstructions
Lars von Trier challenges his mentor, filmmaker Jørgen Leth, to remake Leth’s 1967 short film The Perfect Human five times, each with a different set of bizarre and challenging rules.
2003-11-07 | da
7.8
Des Amandiers aux Amandiers
A free and intimate portrait behind the scenes of Valeria Bruni Tedeschi's creation. In front of the camera, she transmits to today’s young actors the memory of the 1980s.
2022-07-09 | fr
8.4
Image Makers: The Adventures of America's Pioneer Cinematographers
Documentary following the history of America's first cinematographers.
2019-11-06 | en
6.5
In the Shadow of Hollywood: Race Movies and the Birth of Black Cinema
This documentary captures the sounds and images of a nearly forgotten era in film history when African American filmmakers and studios created “race movies” exclusively for black audiences. The best of these films attempted to counter the demeaning stereotypes of black Americans prevalent in the popular culture of the day. About 500 films were produced, yet only about 100 still exist. Filmmaking pioneers like Oscar Micheaux, the Noble brothers, and Spencer Williams, Jr. left a lasting influence on black filmmakers, and inspired generations of audiences who finally saw their own lives reflected on the silver screen.
2007-09-15 | en
6.0
The Making of Double Impact, Parts 1 & 2
Jean-Claude van Damme, Sheldon Lettich and more discuss the 1991 film "Double Impact" from inception to reception.
2019-05-28 | en
0.0
Hollywood's Master of Myth: Joseph Campbell - The Force Behind Star Wars
Documentary charting the contribution to Hollywood movies made by writer Joseph Campbell, whose ideas about mythic structure helped shape Star Wars.
1999-07-18 | en
8.5
Other Men's Careers
Eccentric, outspoken, and unfiltered TV and low budget film director Josh Becker struggles to emerge from the shadow of his work on "The Evil Dead", "Xena", the careers of his more successful colleagues, depression and alcoholism to fulfill his lifelong ambition of creating high quality, successful films.
2023-08-01 | en
10.0
Flood in the Desert
Explore the 1928 collapse of the St. Francis Dam, the second deadliest disaster in California history. A colossal engineering and human failure, the dam was built by William Mulholland, a self-taught engineer who ensured the growth of Los Angeles by bringing the city water via aqueduct. The catastrophe killed more than 400 people and destroyed millions of dollars of property.
2022-05-03 | en