Sydney Pollack
Also Known As: Sidney Pollack
Biography: Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer and actor. For his film Out of Africa (1985), Pollack won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture. He was also nominated for Best Director Oscars for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) and Tootsie (1982). Some of his other best-known works include Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Way We Were (1973), Three Days of the Condor (1975) and Absence of Malice (1981). His subsequent films included Havana (1990), The Firm (1993), The Interpreter (2005), and he produced and acted in Michael Clayton (2007). Pollack also made appearances in Robert Altman's Hollywood mystery The Player (1992), Woody Allen's relationship drama Husbands and Wives (1993), and Stanley Kubrick's erotic psychological drama Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Description above from the Wikipedia article Sydney Pollack, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Department: Directing
Place of Birth: Lafayette, Indiana, USA
Birthday: July 01, 1934
Deathday: May 26, 2008
Adult: No
Gender: Male
Popularity:
Known For:
Eyes Wide Shut
Overview: After Dr. Bill Harford's wife, Alice, admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings -- and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.
Genres: Drama Thriller Mystery
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1999-07-16
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For Whom the Bell Tolls
Overview: During the Spanish Civil War, an American allied with the Republicans finds romance during a desperate mission to blow up a strategically important bridge.
Genres: War Drama TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1959-03-12
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Changing Lanes
Overview: A rush-hour fender-bender on New York City's crowded FDR Drive, under most circumstances, wouldn't set off a chain reaction that could decimate two people's lives. But on this day, at this time, a minor collision will turn two complete strangers into vicious adversaries. Their means of destroying each other might be different, but their goals, ultimately, will be the same: Each will systematically try to dismantle the other's life in a reckless effort to reclaim something he has lost.
Genres: Thriller Action Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2002-04-07
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Avenue Montaigne
Overview: A young woman arrives in Paris where she finds a job as a waitress in bar next on Avenue Montaigne that caters to the surrounding theaters and the wealthy inhabitants of the area. She will meet a pianist, a famous actress and a great art collector, and become acquainted with the "luxurious" world her grandmother has told her about since her childhood.
Genres: Comedy Drama Romance
Original Language: fr
Release Date: 2006-02-15
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The Player
Overview: A Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected - but which one?
Genres: Mystery Drama Thriller Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1992-04-03
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Made of Honor
Overview: Tom and Hannah have been platonic friends for 10 years. He's a serial dater, while she wants marriage but hasn't found Mr. Right. Just as Tom is starting to think that he is relationship material after all, Hannah gets engaged. When she asks Tom to be her 'maid' of honor, he reluctantly agrees just so he can attempt to stop the wedding and woo her.
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2008-04-30
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Michael Clayton
Overview: A law firm brings in its "fixer" to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multi-billion dollar class action suit.
Genres: Drama Thriller Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2007-09-28
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War Hunt
Overview: Dispatched to the front lines during the Korean War, an idealistic American soldier discovers the horrors of combat and comes at odds with a psychopathic member of his platoon.
Genres: Drama War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1962-05-01
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A Civil Action
Overview: Jan Schlickmann is a cynical lawyer who goes out to 'get rid of' a case, only to find out it is potentially worth millions. The case becomes his obsession, to the extent that he is willing to give up everything—including his career and his clients' goals—in order to continue the case against all odds.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1998-12-25
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Random Hearts
Overview: After losing their spouses in a plane crash, an internal affairs cop and a congresswoman find each other's keys in each other's loved ones' possessions and discover that the two were having an affair.
Genres: Drama Romance Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1999-10-08
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Tootsie
Overview: When struggling, out of work actor Michael Dorsey secretly adopts a female alter ego – Dorothy Michaels – in order to land a part in a daytime drama, he unwittingly becomes a feminist icon and ends up in a romantic pickle.
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1982-12-17
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Lost Angeles - Eine Stadt zwischen Traum und Trauma
Overview: Documentary about the dark side of Los Angeles.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: de
Release Date: 2000-01-01
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Männer im Trenchcoat, Frauen im Pelz
Overview: Film noir, which enjoyed particular success in the 1930s and 1940s, is probably the most profound genre of classic Hollywood cinema. Eckhart Schmidt tries to show the background and developments and speaks, among others, with directors such as Richard Fleischer and Robert Wise as well as with "femme fatale" actresses. Filmmakers of the following generations explain how the style and themes of noir continue to shape cinema today.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: de
Release Date: 2004-12-19
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Glanz und Elend in Hollywood: Natalie Wood
Overview:
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: de
Release Date: 2009-10-08
Popularity:
Husbands and Wives
Overview: When Jack and Sally announce that they're splitting up, this comes as a shock to their best friends Gabe and Judy. Maybe mostly because they also are drifting apart and are now being made aware of it. So while Jack and Sally try to go on and meet new people, the marriage of Gabe and Judy gets more and more strained, and they begin to find themselves being attracted to other people.
Genres: Comedy Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1992-09-18
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Love in Hollywood
Overview: Various Hollywood people talk about love.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: de
Release Date: 1996-12-08
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One Six Right
Overview: An exhilarating documentary film that celebrates the unsung hero of aviation - the local airport - by tracing the life, history, and struggles of an airport icon: Southern California's Van Nuys Airport. Featuring thrilling aerial photography and a sweeping original score, the film dispels common misconceptions and opposes criticism of General Aviation airports.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2005-11-25
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Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin
Overview: Brilliant, long in-the-works story of the life and art of the world's greatest comedian and the cinema's first genius, Charlie Chaplin. Produced, written and directed by renowned film critic Richard Schickel.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2003-05-01
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The Men Who Made the Movies: King Vidor
Overview: Overview of director King Vidor's filmography.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: es
Release Date: 1973-01-01
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The Men Who Made the Movies: Howard Hawks
Overview: A documentary filmography of Howard Hawks, including lengthy footage of Hawks himself discussing his films and many clips from his best-known pictures.
Genres: Documentary TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1973-01-01
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Inside 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'
Overview: A look inside the making of 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2000-06-27
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Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making 'A Clockwork Orange'
Overview: In this documentary, we follow Stanley Kubrick as he creates one of the most controversial films of all time, one that retains its power to shock audiences, even after 35 years. At the time of its release, A Clockwork Orange created a firestorm of controversy. Through interviews with collaborators, filmmakers, screenwriters and authors, we come to appreciate Stanley Kubrick as an artist unafraid to take risks and court controversy, committed unwaveringly to his single-minded goal: the highest artistic quality of his films.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2007-10-23
Popularity:
Char·ac·ter
Overview: A raw and candid dialogue about the life and craft of acting between longtime colleagues and friends Dabney Coleman, Peter Falk, Charles Grodin, Mark Rydell, Harry Dean Stanton and Sydney Pollack. Drago Sumonja's document takes us into the hearts, minds, and living rooms of some of America's greatest storytellers.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2012-11-30
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Hello Actors Studio
Overview: After Lee Strasberg’s death in 1982, the most prestigious talents from the Actors Studio assumed the leadership of this exceptional organization. For the first time ever, filmmakers have been allowed to film their work.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1988-11-09
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The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller
Overview: Samuel Fuller discusses his career as a filmmaker, illustrated by plenty of clips.
Genres: Documentary TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2002-07-02
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Death Becomes Her
Overview: Madeline is married to Ernest, who was once arch-rival Helen's fiance. After recovering from a mental breakdown, Helen vows to kill Madeline and steal back Ernest. Unfortunately for everyone, the introduction of a magic potion causes things to be a great deal more complicated than a mere murder plot.
Genres: Comedy Fantasy Horror
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1992-07-30
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The Electric Horseman
Overview: A former champion rodeo rider is reduced to using his saddle skills to promote a breakfast cereal in a gaudy Las Vegas show. When he's asked to perform with a $12 million horse, he discovers it is being doped to remain docile. He flees into the desert astride the beast in an act of defiance. A story-hungry female reporter gives chase.
Genres: Drama Romance Comedy Western
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1979-12-21
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Robert Redford & Sydney Pollack: The Men and Their Movies
Overview: A special highlighting actor/producer/director Robert Redford's 30-year career in motion pictures and his special relationship with director Sidney Pollack.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1990-12-09
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Sanford Meisner: The American Theatre's Best Kept Secret
Overview: A leading acting teacher who trained some of the most famous performers of the stage and screen, Sanford Meisner was a founding member of the Group Theatre. The Group Theatre, a cooperative theater ensemble, became a leading force in the theater world of the 30s. Meisner performed in many of the group’s most memorable productions.
Genres: Documentary TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1990-08-27
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Dino De Laurentiis: The Last Movie Mogul
Overview: Documentary about legendary Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis who's credits range from Fellini's La Strada to today's Hannibal franchise. This profile follows octogenarian De Laurentiis in Hollywood and returning to Rome to set up a new film.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2001-04-01
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Barbra Streisand: The Concert - Live at the MGM Grand
Overview: Barbra Streisand returned to regular concert performances with this lavish production at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. Performing on New Years Eve 1993 and January 1, 1994 Streisand was a smash hit and a U.S concert toured followed through the first half of 1994. The tour concluded in July in Anaheim, California and the final performance was filmed for a HBO special and won Barbra two Emmys the following year. However THIS performance is the MGM Grand concert which was filmed but not released in any format until 2004.
Genres: Music Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2004-03-30
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Sketches of Frank Gehry
Overview: First and foremost, Frank Gehry is an artist. Described as a young child as having golden hands, Frank begins his creation through sketch. Forming thought into substantive sculpture, the marriage of art and architechure is brought to life. Join director Sydney Pollack on a journey into the world and work of the most important architect of our Age.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2006-05-12
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Barbra Streisand: One Voice
Overview: Originally broadcast as an exclusive special on HBO, Barbra Streisand launched her September 6, 1986 concert One Voice, in part, as a protest against Reagan-era nuclear arms proliferation in the late Cold War; the event marked the diva's first official live performance since 1972.
Genres: Music TV Movie Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1986-12-27
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View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining'
Overview: An overview of the making of, and a look at the continuing popularity of, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2007-10-23
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The Visions of Stanley Kubrick
Overview: A look at the visual design of the film The Shining (1980).
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2007-10-23
Popularity:
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
Overview: The extraordinary life of Orson Welles (1915-85), an enigma of Hollywood, an irreducible independent creator: a musical prodigy, an excellent painter, a master of theater and radio, a modern Shakespeare, a magician who was always searching for a new trick to surprise his audience, a romantic and legendary figure who lived only for cinema.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2014-12-12
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The Army Game
Overview: Danny considers his time in the army a waste and pretends to be crazy to get a psychiatric discharge.
Genres: Drama TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1956-07-03
Popularity:
Something About Sydney Pollack
Overview: In this archival documentary, Sydney Pollack discusses his career and relationship with various actors, directors and producers. A large portion of the documentary examines Pollack and Robert Redford's friendship, as well as the various films they did together during the years.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: fr
Release Date: 2004-06-20
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Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star
Overview: A retrospective on the career of Robert Mitchum through interviews with friends and co-workers, scenes from his films and the actor himself.
Genres: Documentary TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1991-03-10
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A Decade Under the Influence
Overview: A documentary examining the decade of the 1970s as a turning point in American cinema. Some of today's best filmmakers interview the influential directors of that time.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2003-04-25
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Independent's Day
Overview: Filmmakers at the Sundance Film Festival discuss what it is like to be an independent filmmaker, and what Sundance has done for them.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1998-01-15
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A Better Man: The Making of 'Tootsie'
Overview: Documentary about the making of the 1982 film, featuring interviews with the cast and crew.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2008-02-05
Popularity:
The Majestic
Overview: Set in 1951, a blacklisted Hollywood writer gets into a car accident, loses his memory and settles down in a small town where he is mistaken for a long-lost son.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2001-12-21
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The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz
Overview: "The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz" - a featurette narrated by Sydney Pollack.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2005-10-25
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The Last Movie: Stanley Kubrick and 'Eyes Wide Shut'
Overview: A documentary chronicling the making of Kubrick's final film, 'Eyes Wide Shut', and his legacy.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1999-09-05
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Putting it Together: The Making of the Broadway Album
Overview: In 1985, Barbra Streisand released "The Broadway Album," which remains one of her most popular records. Barbra's first television special on HBO debuted in 1986. The special—which combined an interview with director William Friedkin with documentary footage of Barbra in the recording studio making 'The Broadway Album' - was only 40 minutes long. The best of Broadway comes to life in the tour, as Streisand rehearses "Putting it Together," "Can't Help Lovin' That Man of Mine" and "If I Loved You." Also included is the music video for "Somewhere."
Genres: Documentary Music TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1986-01-11
Popularity:
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures
Overview: With commentary from Hollywood stars, outtakes from his movies and footage from his youth, this documentary looks at Stanley Kubrick's life and films. Director Jan Harlan, Kubrick's brother-in-law and sometime collaborator, interviews heavyweights like Jack Nicholson, Woody Allen and Sydney Pollack, who explain the influence of Kubrick classics like "Dr. Strangelove" and "2001: A Space Odyssey," and how he absorbed visual clues from disposable culture such as television commercials.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2001-05-02
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Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001
Overview: This documentary about "2001: A Space Odyssey" looks at some of the things that seemed fanciful in 1968, which don't seem quite as much anymore.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2007-10-23
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Filmmakers vs. Tycoons
Overview: How the cinema industry does not respect the author's work as it was conceived, how manipulates the motion pictures in order to make them easier to watch by an undemanding audience or even how mutilates them to adapt the original formats and runtimes to the restrictive frame of the television screen and the abusive requirements of advertising. (Followed by “Filmmakers in Action.”)
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ca
Release Date: 2005-07-17
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Filmmakers in Action
Overview: What is the state of cinema and what being a filmmaker means? What are the measures taken to protect authors' copyright? What is their legal status in different countries? (Sequel to “Filmmakers vs. Tycoons.”)
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ca
Release Date: 2006-09-15
Popularity:
Amazing Grace
Overview: A behind-the-scenes documentary about the recording of Aretha Franklin's best-selling album finally sees the light of day more than four decades after the original footage was shot.
Genres: Music Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2018-12-07
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Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick
Overview: He is considered by many the greatest film director the medium has ever known. Yet in a 45-year career, Stanley Kubrick's films number only a dozen. That he strove for perfection is well established. What is less known is that he lavished years of energy on several films that never saw the flickering light of the silver screen. Through interviews and abundant archival materials, this documentary examines these "lost" films in depth to discover what drew Kubrick to these projects, the work he did to prepare them for production, and why they ultimately were abandoned.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2007-10-23
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Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light
Overview: Film Noir burrows into the mind; it's disorienting, intriguing and enthralling. Noir brings us into a gritty underworld of lush morbidity, providing intimate peeks at its tough, scheming dames, mischievous misfits and flawed men - all caught in the wicked web of a twisted fate.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2006-07-18
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A Dying Breed: The Making of 'The Leopard'
Overview: An hour-long documentary featuring interviews with Claudia Cardinale, screenwriter Suso Ceccho D’Amico, Rotunno, filmmaker Sydney Pollack, and many others.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2004-06-08
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The Story Behind "Absence of Malice"
Overview: A wonderfully entertaining series of interviews with Pollack, Newman, Field and Luedtke about the film, its development, its themes and the experience of making it.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2001-06-13
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And the Oscar Goes To...
Overview: The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy itself, which began in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, then head of MGM, led other prominent members of the industry in forming this professional honorary organization. Two years later the Academy began bestowing awards, which were nicknamed "Oscar," and quickly came to represent the pinnacle of cinematic achievement.
Genres: Documentary TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2014-02-01
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The Interpreter
Overview: After Silvia Broome, an interpreter at United Nations headquarters, overhears plans of an assassination, an American Secret Service agent is sent to investigate.
Genres: Crime Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2005-04-08
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A Song of Africa
Overview: An impressively done new documentary taking a look back at the making of this picture. Interviews with everyone from director Pollack to composer John Barry take us through the memories of the making of the picture. In between interview segments are looks and thoughts on and at the history of the story and Africa itself. Especially entertaining is when Streep and Pollack talk about working with the animals.
Genres: Documentary Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2000-02-29
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Willie Nelson: The Big Six-O
Overview: Willie Nelson and friends celebrate his sixtieth birthday in a star-studded concert event.
Genres: Music Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1993-05-22
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The Way We Were: Looking Back
Overview: A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the classic film about romance set against a backdrop of war and political differences. Includes interviews with star Barbra Streisand and director Sydney Pollack, giving their views on the experience of crafting this well-loved masterpiece.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1999-01-02
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Babenco: Tell Me When I Die
Overview: Besieged by cancer and nearing the end, the genius Argentine-Brazilian filmmaker Héctor Babenco (1946-2016) asks Bárbara Paz, his wife, for one last wish: to be the protagonist of his own death.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: pt
Release Date: 2020-11-26
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Burt Lancaster: Daring to Reach
Overview: He went from street-wise tough to art-collector liberal-activist, from circus-acrobat hunk to Academy Award winner. Burton Stephen Lancaster — later Burt Lancaster — was one of five children of a New York City postal worker. By eighteen, Burt was 6'2" and blessed with the athletic physique and dynamic good looks that helped make him famous. A stint in the Army introduced Burt to acting and led him to Hollywood where his first release, "The Killers" (1946), propelled him to stardom at age 32. He took control of his own career and seldom faltered.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1996-03-15
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The Last Mogul
Overview: A biography of powerful Hollywood agent and executive Lew Wasserman.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2005-06-24
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The Story of The Swimmer
Overview: A documentary about the making of the cult film The Swimmer (1968).
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2014-03-11
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Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001
Overview: Stanley Kubrick's groundbreaking 2001: A Space Odyssey opened the door to all the films and filmmakers who followed it. Through interviews with directors such as George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Sydney Pollack - as well as special effects professionals and cultural historians - this documentary examines the legacy of Kubrick's masterpiece and its influence on science fiction films, special effects and world cinema.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2007-10-23
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Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters
Overview: Hollywoods biggest talents explore what is the recipe for blockbuster, flops, and how absolute happenstance and controlled luck can make movie magic.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2006-06-13
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More About the Condor
Overview: Robert Redford discusses his involvement with 3 Days of the Condor, his interest in politics, how cinema has changed since the '70s, etc. Additionally, director Sidney Pollack recalls how 3 Days of the Condor came to exist.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2003-01-01
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AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions: America's Greatest Love Stories
Overview: A look at one hundred years of romance in American cinema.
Genres: TV Movie Documentary Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2002-06-11
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Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre
Overview: A study of the Group Theatre, a company that changed the face of American drama. The Group was founded in 1931 by Cheryl Crawford, Harold Clurman and Lee Strasberg, who were strongly influenced by the naturalistic acting of Konstantin Stanislavski’s Moscow Art Theatre.
Genres: Documentary TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1989-06-26
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