Movies with filmmaker as a character
April 2, 2019 9:01 AM Subscribe
I'm looking for documentaries where the filmmaker is or becomes one of the main characters, or the filmmaking process is illustrated in the movie.
Examples are: Minding the Gap, Stories We Tell, Shirkers. Looking for growth in the filmmaker throughout the film, ideally.
Not looking for documentaries about how another movie is made.
Examples are: Minding the Gap, Stories We Tell, Shirkers. Looking for growth in the filmmaker throughout the film, ideally.
Not looking for documentaries about how another movie is made.
All of Nick Broomfield's documentaries are more or less about his process of making that documentary. You could say much the same about Michael Moore's.
posted by rd45 at 9:13 AM on April 2, 2019
posted by rd45 at 9:13 AM on April 2, 2019
Jacques Cousteau made many documentaries in which he appeared.
posted by the webmistress at 9:15 AM on April 2, 2019
posted by the webmistress at 9:15 AM on April 2, 2019
Response by poster: Just to clarify, I'm not looking for journalist in doc (michael moore/louis theroux), but more Minding the Gap, where the main character goes through unexpected growth or mental journey or something like that.
posted by monologish at 9:22 AM on April 2, 2019
posted by monologish at 9:22 AM on April 2, 2019
The Five Obstructions is a film in which Lars von Trier challenges Jorgen Leth to repeatedly remake one of his short films with various restrictions. Throughout the film, they discuss the rules and the ways that they will affect the storytelling and filmmaking processes, and film language generally. They show you each of the films. I feel it may meet your criteria, but the focus on these two directors is of course on them as filmmakers rather than people.
posted by heatvision at 9:27 AM on April 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by heatvision at 9:27 AM on April 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
Mistaken for Strangers is a documentary about The National made by the frontman’s brother.
posted by teamnap at 9:48 AM on April 2, 2019
posted by teamnap at 9:48 AM on April 2, 2019
The Gleaners & I by the recently passed Agnes Varda.
posted by hydrophonic at 9:49 AM on April 2, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by hydrophonic at 9:49 AM on April 2, 2019 [2 favorites]
Also, I'm not clear whether you're looking specifically for movies where the maker of the documentary itself inadvertently becomes a main player, or just documentaries about the filmmaking process that show how directors are impacted by that process, but if it's the latter, then I'd add Hearts of Darkness and Lost in La Mancha
posted by Mchelly at 10:16 AM on April 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Mchelly at 10:16 AM on April 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
I haven’t seen Family Name, but I went to grad school with the filmmaker’s sibling and have heard about it. Seems like it might be what you’re looking for.
posted by centrifugal at 11:03 AM on April 2, 2019
posted by centrifugal at 11:03 AM on April 2, 2019
Not to abuse the edit window: Oh wait that's not a documentary.
posted by crLLC at 11:06 AM on April 2, 2019
posted by crLLC at 11:06 AM on April 2, 2019
Synecdoche New York is ...kinda this, though the character growth is questionable.
posted by zinful at 11:09 AM on April 2, 2019
posted by zinful at 11:09 AM on April 2, 2019
Free Solo. Jimmy Chin was very present. I'd suggest Stories We Tell, too.
posted by ChuraChura at 11:23 AM on April 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by ChuraChura at 11:23 AM on April 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
Joris Ivens' A Tale of the Wind is the best movie I know that seems to fit what you're looking for.
posted by gusottertrout at 11:25 AM on April 2, 2019
posted by gusottertrout at 11:25 AM on April 2, 2019
F for Fake. Welles' subjects aren't the only fakers.
posted by hollyholly at 11:38 AM on April 2, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by hollyholly at 11:38 AM on April 2, 2019 [4 favorites]
As mentioned above,Agnes Varda and Ross McElwee seem to fit, Orson Welles' F is for Fake might, some Chris Marker movies could by how they're narrated as his experiences, some of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's shorts and his Mysterious Object at Noon might in a similar fashion, and maybe Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One would fit too.
posted by gusottertrout at 11:39 AM on April 2, 2019
posted by gusottertrout at 11:39 AM on April 2, 2019
Fellini appears in Roma as himself although uncredited.
posted by Botanizer at 11:52 AM on April 2, 2019
posted by Botanizer at 11:52 AM on April 2, 2019
Stevie by "Hoop Dreams" director Steve James
posted by Clustercuss at 12:08 PM on April 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Clustercuss at 12:08 PM on April 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
The Wizard of Speed and Time is the story of Mike Jittlov (the director) making a stop motion animated feature.
posted by tracer at 12:49 PM on April 2, 2019
posted by tracer at 12:49 PM on April 2, 2019
It's About You is a documentary about singer John Mellencamp, but the film-maker and various locations are also essentially characters.
posted by The_Vegetables at 1:21 PM on April 2, 2019
posted by The_Vegetables at 1:21 PM on April 2, 2019
The Maysles' Gimme Shelter? I re-watched it recently and it made me question whether I had ever seen the whole thing before. The scene in the editing bay where they're all watching and rewatching the stabbing incident backwards/in slo-mo etc., and Mick getting very quiet, changes the whole focus of the film for me.
posted by queensissy at 2:21 PM on April 2, 2019
posted by queensissy at 2:21 PM on April 2, 2019
Like "Man Bites Dog," above, there's "Killing Gunther." Both are pseudo-documentaries about killers: the former a serial killer who sees himself as a sophisticate; the latter an ambitious flashy hitman going up against the best. So the former's a pretty dark comedy with rape and murder; the latter is more cartoony, broad comedy, and which kinda flounders until the title character shows up, late in the film, at while point it really gets good.
Eisenstein in Guanajuato is about the famous Russian filmmaker who travelled to the very pretty central-Mexican city to make his next epic, but while he was there, he fell out of favor with the Communist party, and so he was recalled and did not complete the movie. This is not a documentary, but more of a memoir, or maybe historical fiction; not sure where they draw the line. The filmmaking process is partly depicted in the movie.
posted by Sunburnt at 2:27 PM on April 2, 2019
Eisenstein in Guanajuato is about the famous Russian filmmaker who travelled to the very pretty central-Mexican city to make his next epic, but while he was there, he fell out of favor with the Communist party, and so he was recalled and did not complete the movie. This is not a documentary, but more of a memoir, or maybe historical fiction; not sure where they draw the line. The filmmaking process is partly depicted in the movie.
posted by Sunburnt at 2:27 PM on April 2, 2019
I love The Stunt Man but it is all about making a fictional movie, not the movie we are watching. That's a really under-rated film.
posted by w0mbat at 2:50 PM on April 2, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by w0mbat at 2:50 PM on April 2, 2019 [2 favorites]
My Architect made by Nathaniel Kahn, son of Louis Kahn, comes to mind.
posted by strivesc at 2:56 PM on April 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by strivesc at 2:56 PM on April 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
The Big Picture, with Kevin Bacon. Directed by Christopher Guest! Note: it is not a mockumentary
posted by O9scar at 3:01 PM on April 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by O9scar at 3:01 PM on April 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm not exactly certain what you're looking for but Lars von Trier's second film, Epidemic, may suit the bill. I have not seen it since 1987 so cannot state the plot exactly (it is absolutely NOT a documentary), but the director and his screenwriter appear in the film as themselves and, at one point, when they are "stuck" for what's supposed to happen next (in the film you're watching), they retreat to the basement, which is all white, and proceed to plot out on the walls the film you're watching using black paint, showing plot points and such and talking about potential endings and how to get there. The scene then affects how the rest of the movie unfolds.
It's a terrible movie and I can't recommend you watch it (here's the trailer) -- under no circumstances would I ever rewatch it -- but that one scene was very interesting to me as a young film student.
Completely unrelated to the von Trier... without researching it at all, you should find and watch David Holzman's Diary, one of the greatest and most under-appreciated movies I know of. Don't look it up, don't read about it, just find and watch it.
posted by dobbs at 7:10 AM on April 3, 2019
It's a terrible movie and I can't recommend you watch it (here's the trailer) -- under no circumstances would I ever rewatch it -- but that one scene was very interesting to me as a young film student.
Completely unrelated to the von Trier... without researching it at all, you should find and watch David Holzman's Diary, one of the greatest and most under-appreciated movies I know of. Don't look it up, don't read about it, just find and watch it.
posted by dobbs at 7:10 AM on April 3, 2019
Actually, it looks like someone's put DHD on Vimeo. So, so great.
posted by dobbs at 7:13 AM on April 3, 2019
posted by dobbs at 7:13 AM on April 3, 2019
I enjoyed Shadow of the Vampire (2000), which depicted the filming of Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922). I'd recommend watching it if you enjoy seeing John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe doing John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe-type things, or if you simply love Udo Kier (I do!).
posted by el gran combo at 2:45 PM on April 3, 2019
posted by el gran combo at 2:45 PM on April 3, 2019
Oh wait sorry! You wanted documentaries - maybe Warner Herzog's My Best Fiend?
posted by wheek wheek wheek at 3:36 AM on April 4, 2019
posted by wheek wheek wheek at 3:36 AM on April 4, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by chr1sb0y at 9:09 AM on April 2, 2019