Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

Hollywood Film Festival
movies about the movies,
about Hollywood,
and about cinema history

here on page 1: brief essay books about Hollywood movies documentary films links selected films, A to Z A thru F on page 2: G thru L • M thru R • S thru Z

see also films made on location in West Los Angeles (Culver City, Venice, Santa Monica & Malibu)
at the Culver City, California Film Festival Page

Books About Movies About Hollywood

Fiction About Hollywood & Cinema, 1915 to present

"Movies About The Movies: Hollywood Reflected" [1997] by Christopher Ames Univ Press of KY 9x6 pb [3/98] for $19.95 Univ Press of KY 9¼x6¼ hardcover [5/97] for $32.50 covers "What Price Hollywood?" [1932], "A Star Is Born" [1937], "Stand-In" [1937], "Boy Meets Girl" [1938], "Sullivan's Travels" [1941] by Preston Sturges, "In A Lonely Place" [1950] starring Humphrey Bogart, "Sunset Boulevard" [1950] by Billy Wilder, "The Bad & The Beautiful" [1952], "Singin' In The Rain" [1952], "The Star" [1952], "A Star Is Born" [1954], "Pennies From Heaven" [1981], "Purple Rose of Cairo" [1985] by Woody Allen, "The Player" [1992] by Robert Altman, "Last Action Hero" [1993], and others

Documentary Films About Hollywood & Movies

"Before Hollywood, There Was Fort Lee:
Early Moviemaking In New Jersey"

Image Ent. color/b&w DVD [5/2003] for $22.49 includes the 40-minute featurette produced by Fort Lee Film Commission in 1964, plus a half-hour version of Maurice Tourneur's "A Girl's Folly" [World Film 1917] showing scenes inside a movie studio; D.W. Griffith's "The New York Hat" [Biograph 1912 short] starring Mary Pickford & Lionel Barrymore; "The Wishing Ring" [World Film 1914 feature] adapted & directed by Maurice Tourneur; and portions of Edwin S. Porter's "Rescued From The Eagle's Nest" [Edison 1908 short] and D.W. Griffith's "The Curtain Pole" [Biograph 1909 short] starring Mack Sennett & Florence Lawrence

"Easy Riders, Raging Bulls" documentary [BBC-TV March 2003]

2-hour documentary covering significant films of the late 1960s & early 1970s: Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby" [1968], "Easy Rider" [1969], Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" [1969], "Midnight Cowboy" [1969], Francis Ford Coppola's "The Rain People" [1969], Robert Altman's "M*A*S*H" [1970], Peter Bogdanovich's "The Last Picture Show" [1971], Robert Altman's "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" [1971], Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets" [1973], George Lucas's "American Graffiti" [1973], Hal Ashby's "Shampoo" [1975] starring Warren Beatty, Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" [1976], and Scorsese's "Raging Bull [1980] Adapted & directed by Kenneth Bowser, based on Peter Biskind's book; narrated by William H. Macy Shout! Factory color DVD [5/2004] 2 disks for $15.00 full credits at IMDb

"Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How The Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood" [1998] by Peter Biskind S&S/Touchstone 7x5½ pb [4/99] for $12.24 Bloomsbury Paperbacks 7¾x5 pb [9/99] out of print/many, many used Simon & Schuster 9¼x6¼ hardcover [4/98] out of print/many, many used book entry at Wikipedia

"The  Greatest  Movie  Ever  Sold"
[Sony Pictures Classics April 2011]
A documentary about branding, advertising, and product placement in movies & television that was
financed and made possible by brand displays, advertising & product placement. Produced, co-written
& directed by Morgan Spurlock; DVD/Blu-ray not yet available; credits at IMDb

"Hollywood Goes To War" DVD Box Set [2011]  

National Archives & Topics Ent. DVD set [11/2011] 18 disks for $53.99 contains 46 films from the National Archives covering World War II, Korea & VietNam, featuring seven Academy Award winners; Hollywood actors include Lucille Ball, Lloyd Bridges, Clark Gable, Katherine Hepburn, Paul Newman, Ronald Reagan, Ginger Rogers, Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne & Orson Welles; directors include John Ford & William Wyler; featured rare films include "Let There Be Light" [1946] by John Huston, "December 7th" [1943] directed by John Ford, and "This Is Korea!" [1951] directed by John Ford

"Hollywood's Magical Island: Catalina" documentary [Blue Water Ent. 2003] video/DVD available from producer full credits at IMDb • official movie site

"Let's Go To The Movies!" A series of 12 documentary short films produced by the Motion Picture Academy for showing in theaters

"Let's Go To The Movies!" [A.M.P.A.S./R.K.O. May 1949]
An overview of the history of motion pictures; narrator promises the subsequent shorts; clips of John Barrymore,
Al Jolson, Georges Méliès, Mary Pickford, D.W. Griffith's "The Battle" • credits at IMDb
watch "Let's Go To The Movies!" [9:10] free online at Internet Archive

"This Theatre and You" [A.M.P.A.S./R.K.O. 1948]
credits at IMDb

"Movies Are Adventure" [A.M.P.A.S./Universal Sept 1948]
Describes how the 'magic seat' of a movie theater and its big screen can transport the movie-goer to all types
of thrills and adventures; narrated by Gerald Mohr; clips of George Bancroft, Andy Devine,
Douglas Fairbanks & Tim Holt • credits at IMDb

"The Art Director" [A.M.P.A.S./Fox Nov 1949]
bare credits at IMDb

"The Soundman" [A.M.P.A.S./Columbia Jan 1950]
credits at IMDb

"History Brought To Life" [A.M.P.A.S./Paramount March 1950]
Behind-the-scenes look at the critical work of studio research departments;
narrated by Cecil B. DeMille • credits at IMDb

"Screen Actors" [A.M.P.A.S./M.G.M. May 1950]
Attempts to show how movie stars are people just like you & me; clips include Edward Arnold,
Gene Autry, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Bing Crosby, Dan Duryea, Glenn Ford, Clark Gable,
Ava Gardner, Gene Kelly & Joel McCrea • credits at IMDb

"The Costume Designer" [A.M.P.A.S./R.K.O. July 1950]
Features Oscar-winner Edith Head, with clips of Linda Darnell, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Ava Gardner, Betty Grable,
Katharine Hepburn, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Gene Tierney & Henry Wilcoxon • credits at IMDb

"The Screen Writer" [A.M.P.A.S./Fox Sept 1950]
Clips of Charles Brackett, Dore Schary & Darryl F. Zanuck • credits at IMDb

"Moments In Music" [A.M.P.A.S./M.G.M. Nov 1950]
Clips of Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Betty Hutton, Harry James, Danny Kaye, Dorothy Lamour,
Mario Lanza & Leopold Stokowski • credits at IMDb

"The Cinematographer" [A.M.P.A.S./M.G.M. Jan 1951]
Narrated by Warner Anderson; clips of Bing Crosby, Melvyn Douglas, Bob Hope
& Van Johnson • credits at IMDb

"The Screen Director" [A.M.P.A.S./Warner Bros. March 1951]
Clips include Frank Capra, Michael Curtiz, John Ford, John Huston, Elia Kazan, Burt Lancaster, Ida Lupino,
Joseph L. Mankiewicz, John Wayne, Tennessee Williams, William Wyler & Jane Wyman • credits at IMDb

"LIFE: Great Romances" [2003]

Volume 1: looks at couples John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Richard Burton & Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward, Robert Wagner & Natalie Wood, and Jackie Kennedy & J.F.K. Madacy Records b&w/color DVD [1/2003] for $9.30 Volume 2: looks at couples Clark Gable & Carole Lombard, Douglas Fairbanks & Mary Pickford, Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall, Greta Garbo & John Gilbert, and Grace Kelly & Prince Rainier Madacy Records b&w/color DVD [1/2003] for $14.40 Volume 3: looks at couples Cary Grant & Barbara Hutton, Howard Hughes & Ava Gardner, Ernest Hemingway & Martha Gellhorn, Amelia Earhart & George Putnam, and Eva & Juan Peron Madacy Records b&w/color DVD [1/2003] for $9.88 Volume 4: looks at couples Marilyn Monroe & Joe DiMaggio, Tony Curtis & Janet Leigh, Laurence Olivier & Viven Leigh, Ingrid Bergman & Roberto Rossellini, and Aristotle Onassis & Maria Callas Madacy Records b&w/color DVD [1/2003] out of prodn/used complete set on 4 disks Madacy Records b&w/color DVD set [1/2003] 4 disks for $35.99

"Los Angeles Plays Itself" [2003]
This wondrous documentary, often featuring noir-style black-and-white images, was built from unlicensed
film clips, so it can never be officially released theatrically or on DVD in the USA; produced, written & directed
by Thom Andersen; narrated by Encke King • credits at IMDb

watch for free on YouTube (in 12 parts)
trailer [1:28] • Part 1 [14:52] • Part 2 [13:53] • Part 3 [14:31] • Part 4 [14:40]
Part 5 [14:19] • Part 6 [14:30] • Part 7 [13:54] • Part 8 [14:04]
Part 9 [14:01] • Part 10 [12:51] • Part 11 [13:11] • Part 12 [13:51]

"Memories of The Silent Stars" [Blackhawk 1998]

"Rare behind-the-scenes footage of silent film legends" including Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, Clara Bow, Bebe Daniels, Marion Davies, Marie Dressler, Douglas Fairbanks, Lillian & Dorothy Gish, Tom Mix, Mae Murray, Charles Ray, Norma Shearer, Ben Turpin, Erich von Stroheim, Pearl White, and Fay Wray; from the Blackhawk Collection; organ score by Bob Vaughn Unknown Video b&w silent DVD [11/2004] out of prodn/scarce Blackhawk b&w silent VHS [8/98] out of prodn/scarce not listed on IMDb; available on DVD from the Unknown Video website

"Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood" [T.C.M. Nov 2010]

7-episode documentary TV mini-series; the one-hour programs are entitled: 1. Peepshow Pioneers; 2. The Birth of Hollywood, 1907-1920; 3. The Dream Merchants, 1920-1928; 4. Brother, Can You Spare a Dream?, 1929-1941; 5. Warriors & Peacemakers, 1941-1950; 6. The Attack of the Small Screens, 1950-1960; 7. Fade Out, Fade In; narrated by Christopher Plummer Warner Home Video widescreen color DVD [DUE April 2011] for $28.99 credits at IMDb • T.C.M. official program site with Timeline & Studio Map

"Off The Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's"
[indep June 1998]

Chasen's restaurant was a Hollywood institution for 60 years, and the site of many after-Oscars parties. Chasen's stood at the corner of Beverly Blvd. and Doheny Drive (across the street from Beverly Hills, in what is today West Hollywood), and is now a Bristol Farms grocery store. Directed by Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini; all-star list of interviewees; plus longtime employees Tommy Gallagher, Raymond Bilbool, Ronnie Clint, Pepe Ruiz, Val Schwab & Onetta Johnson New Video Group color DVD [3/2004] for $22.49 New Video Group color VHS [10/99] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb • restaurant entry at Wikipedia

"Shadows In Paradise: Hitler's Exiles In Hollywood"
documentary feature film [indep 1980]

As Hitler gained power in Germany, intellectuals and radicals and artists and Jews fled into exile; a large number settled in Southern California, briefly transforming philistine Hollywood into one of the capitals of world culture. Co-produced & directed by Peter Rosen; hosted by James Conlon; featured interviews include playwright Bertolt Brecht, composer Hanns Eisler, playwright Lion Feuchtwanger, composer Erich Wolf-gang Korngold, filmmaker Fritz Lang, Nobel laureate Thomas Mann, author Erich Maria Remarque, composer Arnold Schoenberg, composer Ernst Toch, screenwriter Salka Viertel, conductor Bruno Walter, and composer Erich Zeisl • credits at IMDb White Star color DVD [9/2008] for $19.99

"Showbiz Goes To War"
documentary feature film [indep 1982]

"A star-studded salute to our boys at war!" 90-minute documentary co-directed by Norman & Gail Gibson Sedawie; hosted by David Steinberg; archive footage featuring Bud Abbott, Dana Andrews, Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Robert Benchley, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Mel Blanc, Humphrey Bogart, Joe E. Brown, James Cagney, Gary Cooper, Lou Costello, Bing Crosby, Linda Darnell, Bette Davis, Jimmy Durante, Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Greer Garson, Betty Grable, Cary Grant, Alan Hale, Rita Hayworth, Adolf Hitler, Bob Hope, Betty Hutton, Harry James, Van Johnson, Al Jolson, Danny Kaye, Gene Kelly, Hedy Lamarr, Carole Lombard, Harpo Marx, Louis B. Mayer, Robert Mitchum, Harry Morgan, Margaret O'Brien, Tyrone Power, Martha Raye, Ronald Reagan, Mickey Rooney, Jane Russell, Ann Sheridan, Phil Silvers, Frank Sinatra, Barbara Stanwyck, James Stewart, Lana Turner, and John Wayne Focus Films color/b&w DVD [2/2001] out of prodn/used Warner Home Video Late-Show color/b&w VHS [1998] for $47.89 full credits at IMDb

"Strictly Background: Extras In The Spotlight"
documentary feature film [Anthem Pictures 2007]

Co-produced & directed by Jason Connell; featuring Terry Bolo, Geoffrey Gould, Cecilia Hartfeld, Louis McCarten, Jay Michaels, Cary Y. Mizobe, Tafan Nieves, Mark Nobel, Jeff Olan, John Richards & Marvin Rouillard Anthem Pictures color DVD [8/2008] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb • official movie site

"This  Film  Is  Not  Yet  Rated"
[Independent Film Channel Sept 2006]

A breakthrough exposé about the M.P.A.A. movie ratings board and its secret practices. Produced by Eddie Schmidt; co-written & directed by Kirby Dick I.F.C. color DVD [1/2007] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb • official movie site

"Why Be Good? Sexuality & Censorship In Early Cinema"
[Playboy/American Cinemateque May 2007]

70-minute documentary about the uncensored days before the Hays Code was established in 1935; featuring archive & interview footage of Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, Clara Bow, Louise Brooks, Cecil B. DeMille, Marlene Dietrich, Douglas Fairbanks, D.W. Griffith, Jean Harlow, Will H. Hays, Wm. Randolph Hearst, Pola Negri, Mary Pickford, Barbra Stanwyck, Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino, and Mae West Co-written & directed by Elaina Archer; co-written by cinema historian Scott Eyman; narrated by Diane Lane; modern interviewees include Cari Beauchamp, Budd Schulberg, Kevin Thomas & Marc Wanamaker Image Ent. color/b&w DVD [11/2008] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb

"Yesterday and Today" [United Artists Dec 1953]

An hour-long compilation of rare silent movie scenes, released in theaters to celebrate the supposed 50-year anniversary of motion pictures. The DVD also contains "After Six Days", the shortened version of the 11-reel (approx. 110 minutes) Italian silent Biblical epic "La Bibbia" [1920]. Co-produced & directed by Abner J. Greshler; written & hosted by George Jessel; with archive footrage of Jean Arthur, Mary Astor, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Clara Bow, John Bunny, Eddie Cantor, Lon Chaney, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, John Gilbert, William S. Hart, Harry Langdon, Harold Lloyd, Carole Lombard, Tom Mix, Pola Negri, Mary Pickford, Thelma Todd, and Rudolph Valentino V.C.I. Ent. b&w DVD [5/2011] for $17.99 "Yesterday and Today" credits at IMDb • "After Six Days" credits at IMDb

Selected Films, A to Z
A thru F {just below} • G thru L • M thru R • S thru Z

"A Movie Star" [1916] with Mack Swain & Louella Maxim

"A Star Is Born" [1937]

"A Star Is Born" remake [1954]
directed by George Cukor

"A Vitagraph Romance" [Vitagraph Sept 1912]
An early 10-minute short drama that peeks behind the scenes of movie making; written & directed by
James Young; starring Clara Kimball Young, James Morrison, Edward Kimball & Marion Davies, with cameos
from practically everyone at the Vitagraph Studio; VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb

"Abbott & Costello In Hollywood" [1945]

"Abbott & Costello Meet The Keystone Kops"
[Universal Pictures Feb 1955]

Circa 1912, Harry & Willie buy the defunct Edison Studios from a crook; after they realize that they were hoodwinked, they follow the crook to Hollywood and find him posing as a film director with plans to steal the studio payroll; includes old time steam & handcar railroad footage and biplane stunts. Directed by Charles Lamont; starring Bud Abbott & Lou Costello, Fred Clark, Lynn Bari, 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom, Frank Wilcox & Roscoe Ates, with cameos by Mack Sennett and original Keystone Cops Heinie Conklin, Harold Goodwin & Hank Mann color photo {at left} poster in 3 sizes from Amazon from $5.99 available on DVD as part of "Best of A&C, Volume 4" [2005] Universal Studios Home Ent b&w DVD set [10/2005] 6 movies on 2 disks for $24.49 Universal b&w VHS [1/98] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

"Alex In Wonderland" [] /tt0065380/

"An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn"
[Hollywood Pictures Feb 1998]

About a movie director who wants his name taken off the credits; this movie was so bad (after studio editing) that the real-life director demanded that his name be taken off the credits; definite candidate for worst film of all time. Co-produced, written & edited by Joe Eszterhas; directed by Arthur Hiller; starring Eric Idle, Ryan O'Neal, Coolio, Chuck D., Richard Jeni, Sandra Bernhard & Cherie Lunghi; cameos by Sylvester Stallone, Whoopi Goldberg, Jackie Chan, Robert Evans, Robert Shapiro, Shane Black, Gary Franklin, Joe & Naomi Eszterhas, Larry King, Peter Bart, Dominick Dunne, Billy Bob Thornton, Harvey Weinstein, Billy Barty & Stanley Ralph Ross; won astounding Razzie Awards 'grand slam' including Worst Picture, plus Razzie Worst Film of The Decade Disney Video color DVD [4/2004] for $17.99 Disney Video color VHS [2/99] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

"The Artist" modern silent film  
[France Oct 2011, Weinstein USA Nov 2011]

"The most effervescent delight in years." — Time Magazine reviewer Richard Corliss Black-and-white silent feature filmed in Los Angeles & Hollywood, California. Movie star George Valentin is uncertain how the new sound movies will affect his career; he meets and falls in love with an extra player who is destined for stardom. Written & directed by Michel Hazanavicius; starring Jean Dujardin {won award at Cannes}, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, Missi Pyle, Malcolm McDowell, Penelope Ann Miller, James Cromwell & Ed Lauter DVD/Blu-ray not yet available • full credits at IMDb

"The  Bad  and  The  Beautiful"
[M.G.M./Loew's Dec 1952]

A studio head calls together a director, a screenwriter, and a leading actress who explain in flashback why they refuse to work with a cut-throat Hollywood producer. Directed by Vincente Minnelli; starring Kirk Douglas, Lana Turner, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell, Barry Sullivan, Gloria Grahame, Gilbert Roland, Leo G. Carroll, Vanessa Brown, Francis X. Bushman & Barbara Billingsley; won Oscars for Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress (GG), Best B&W Cinematography {Br5uce Surtees}, Best Set Decoration, nomination for Best Actor (KD); nominated for BAFTA, DGA & WGA awards; listed on National Film Registry (2002) Turner b&w DVD [2/2002] for $17.99 M.G.M. b&w VHS [9/98] out of prodn/used Rhino/W.E.A. soundtrack CD [6/96] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb

"The Barefoot Contessa" [Sept 1954]

"Barton Fink" [1991]
by Joel & Ethan Coen /title/tt0101410/

"The  Big  Knife" [1955]
based on the stageplay by Clifford Odets

"The  Big  Picture"
[Columbia Sept 1989]

A high-minded film student wins a national prize that includes access to bigwigs in Hollywood; after a series of compromises, his film project has lost the original vision, and the filmmaker has lost his soul. Co-written & directed by Christopher Guest; starring Kevin Bacon, Emily Longstreth, J.T. Walsh, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael McKean, Kim Miyori, Teri Hatcher, Dan Schneider, Jason Gould, Fran Drescher, Suzy Cote, Eddie Albert & June Lockhart Sony widescreen color DVD [10/2002] out of prodn/used Sony color VHS [4/97] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb 27"x39" poster available at AllPosters.com

"Birth of Babylon" [2001]
Director: Alex Monty Canawati /tt0252947/

sequel "Return To Babylon" [2008]
Director: Alex Monty Canawati /tt0255820/

"Bombshell" [M.G.M. Oct 1933]
Directed by Victor Fleming; starring Lee Tracy, Jean Harlow, Frank Morgan, Franchot Tone & Pat O'Brien
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombshell_(film)

"Boy  Meets  Girl"  [Warner Bros. Aug 1938]

Two screenwriters devise a plot for the studio's cowboy star that involves a baby. The baby becomes a star, and the cowboy and his agent run off with the mother and the kid. Directed by Lloyd Bacon; script by Bella & Samuel Spewack from their Broadway play; starring James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Marie Wilson, Ralph Bellamy, Frank McHugh, Dick Foran, Bruce Lester & Penny Singleton M.G.M. b&w VHS [9/98] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb "Studio One" telecast June 1949: video/kinescope not availaible • credits from IMDb playscript of "Boy Meets Girl" [1935] and "Spring Song" [1934] Dramatist's Play Service 7½x5¼ pb [10/46] for $7.50 credits of 1935 Broadway play

"Broken Embraces" [Spain March 2009, USA Nov 2009]
Co-produced, written & directed by Pedro Almodóvar; starring Penélope Cruz
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_Embraces

"Buffalo Bill and The Indians, or Sitting
Bull's History Lesson" [De Laurentiis June 1976]

Before the invention of the motion picture, the traveling Wild West shows of Buffalo Bill and others created 'The Show Business'. Directed by Robert Altman; based on the stage play by Arthur L. Kopit; starring Paul Newman {as 'Buffalo Bill' Cody}, Joel Grey, Geraldine Chaplin, Frank Kaquitts, Will Sampson, Frank Kaquitts, Pat McCormick, Shelley Duvall, Noelle Rogers & Burt Lancaster MGM/UA widescreen DVD [5/2001] for $17.98 MGM/UA color VHS [5/2000] for $14.95 full credits from IMDb Bantam movie tie-in pb [1976] out of print/used Based on the 1969 stage play "Indians: A Play" by Arthur L. Kopit Bantam movie tie-in pb [1976] out of print/used

"The  Carpetbaggers"
[Embassy/Paramount April 1964]

The hard-driven heir to an industrial fortune {obviously based on Howard Hughes} builds airplanes, directs movies and breaks the hearts of friends & lovers. Directed by Edward Dmytryk; script by John Michael Hayes, based on the bestselling novel; starring George Peppard, Alan Ladd, Robert Cummings, Martha Hyer, Elizabeth Ashley, Lew Ayres, Martin Balsam, Ralph Taeger, Archie Moore, Leif Erickson, Carroll Baker, Arthur Franz & Tom Tully Paramount widescreen color DVD [4/2003] out of prodn/used Paramount color VHS [6/94] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb

"The Carpetbaggers" [1961 novel] by 'international bestselling author' Harold Robbins A real potboiler, full of gratuitous sex scenes that were toned down in the movie. Forge/Doherty mass pb [5/2007] for $7.99 Pocket mass pb [6/93] out of print/used Buccaneer Books 9x6 hardcover [6/93] for $31.50

"The  Cat's  Meow"  [Lionsgate April 2002]

A version of events on Wm. Randolph Hearst's yacht Oneida, during a star-studded party off the coast of California in November 1924, and the possible connection to the death of studio head Thomas H. Ince; real-life passengers included Hearst, his girlfriend actress Marion Davies, Charlie Chaplin, Ince, actress Margaret Livingston, columnist Louella Parsons, author Elinor Glyn and others. Directed by Peter Bogdanovich; script by Steven Peros, based on his stage play; starring Cary Elwes, Kirsten Dunst, Edward Herrmann, Eddie Izzard, Joanna Lumley, Jennifer Tilly, Claudia Harrison, Victor Slezak & James Laurenson Lionsgate widescreen color DVD [9/2003] for $12.99 Vidmark/Trimark color VHS [8/2002] out of prodn/used R.C.A. soundtrack CD [4/2002] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb

"Chaplin"  [TriStar Dec 1992]

Lovingly made bio-film covering Charlie Chaplin's early life in England, his professional success and personal failures in Hollywood, and his exile in Switzerland. Produced & directed by Richard Attenborough; color cinematography by Sven Nykvist; starring Robert Downey Jr. {as Charlie}, Geraldine Chaplin, Paul Rhys, Moira Kelly, Anthony Hopkins, Penelope Ann Miller, Dan Aykroyd, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Kline, Maria Pitillo, Deborah Moore, Diane Lane & Nancy Travis; Oscar noms for Best Actor [RD], Best Original Score, Best Art Direction; won BAFTA for Best Actor [RD] Lions Gate letterbox-widescreen color DVD [5/98] for $10.99 Lions Gate widescreen color VHS [3/98] out of prodn/used Lions Gate color VHS [1/99] out of prodn/used Sony soundtrack CD by John Barry [12/92] for $9.98 full credits from IMDb • film entry at Wikipedia

Magic Lantern's Charlie Chaplin [1889-1977] Page
'Perfect Charlie' film fansite
SM's 'Chaplin' film fansite

"Contempt" { 'Le Mépris' }
[France Dec 1963, USA Oct 1964]

Godard's view of commercial Hollywood filmmaking and human relationships is mischievous, rebellious, subversive & contemptuous. A respected Italian screenwriter of an innovative production of "Homer's Odyssey" struggles to please the American producer, the German director (real-life director Fritz Lang - at age 72), and the writer's unhappy sexpot French wife. Adapted & directed by Jean-Luc Godard, from the 1954 novel by Alberto Moravia; cinematography in Franscope by Raoul Coutard; starring Michel Piccoli, Jack Palance, Brigitte Bardot, Giorgia Moll & Fritz Lang, with cameos by Godard & Coutard LionsGate widescreen color Blu-ray [2/2010] for $25.99 Criterion widescreen color DVD [12/2002] 2 disks for $30.49 The DVD set includes "The Dinosaur and The Baby" TV documentary [61 minutes 1967], a conversation between Jean-Luc Godard and Fritz Lang; two on-set interviews with Godard: "Bardot et Godard" [8 minutes 1964], and "Paparazzi" [22 minutes b&w 1964]; plus other extras Embassy/Nelson Ent. color VHS [3/91] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb • Rialto movie site • movie entry at Wikipedia

"Contempt" aka 'Il Disprezzo' [1954] by Alberto Moravia, translated by Angus Davidson New York Review of Books 7¾x4¾ pb [7/2004] for $10.17 New York Review of Books 8x5 pb [9/99] out of print/used

"Crashing Hollywood" sound short
[Educational Films April 1931]
Directed by Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle; starring Virginia Brooks, Rita Flynn, Phyllis Crane, Edward J. Nugent, Wilbur Mack,
Walter Merrill, Bryant Washburn, George Chandler & Betty Grable; DVD/Blu-ray not available • credits at IMDb

"Crashing Hollywood" feature film
[R.K.O. Radio Pictures Jan 1938]

A screenwriter meets an ex-con on the train to Hollywood, and agrees to collaborate on a gangster movie; the movie is a hit, but the real gangster portrayed in the film is not happy about it. Directed by Lew Landers; script based on a 1922 Broadway stageplay; starring Lee Tracy, Joan Woodbury, Paul Guilfoyle, Lee Patrick, Richard Lane & Bradley Page DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb

"Crazy  To  Act" [1927 silent]
starring Oliver Hardy /tt0246538/

"David  Holzman's  Diary" [1967]
Written & directed by Jim McBride; starring L.M. Kit Carson & Eileen Dietz /tt0062864/

Truffaut's  "Day  For  Night"

"The  Day  of  The  Locust"
[Paramount May 1975]

	Directed by John Schlesinger; starring Donald Sutherland, Karen Black, Burgess Meredith, William Atherton, Geraldine Page, Richard A. Dysart, Bo Hopkins, Pepe Serna, Lelia Goldoni & Billy Barty Paramount widescreen color DVD [6/2004] for $14.23 Paramount color VHS [6/93] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb
	"The Day of The Locust" [Jan 1939 classic] by Nathanael West listed on Time Magazine's All-TIME 100 Novels (10/2005) NAL pb [9/83] for $5.95 Amereon hardcover [12/97] for $19.95 DH Audio ABR [9/87] 2 tapes out of print/used

"Don’t Shoot The Piano Player" [studio mo 2013?]  
Announced 1/2012: This remake based on the David Goodis novel “Down There” is not a remake of the
1960 film “Shoot the Piano Player” by François Truffaut that was also based on the Goodis novel. The new
film is about a Hollywood composer who loses everything; written & directed by Alexandre Nahon;
Vincent Gallo is signed to star • DVD/Blu-ray not yet available • not yet listed on IMDb

"Even The Rain (Tambien La Lluvia)"
[USA Oct 2010, Spain Jan 2011]

A Spanish film crew arrives in Bolivia to make a movie about Columbus in the New World, but their main local actor keeps wandering off to help Bolivians who are on strike over corporations who stole their water rights. Directed by Icíar Bollaín; screen-play by Paul Laverty; starring Gael García Bernal, Luis Tosar & Juan Carlos Aduviri; Spain's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar DVD/Blu-ray not yet available • credits at IMDb • official movie site

"The Evidence of The Film"
silent short [Thanhouser Jan 1913]

A dishonest stock broker finds a scapegoat wiiling to accept $20,000 to go to jail in his stead; but the setup occurs in the middle of an outdoor film shoot and his scam is caught on film! Directed by Lawrence Marston & Edwin Thanhouser; starring William Garwood, Marie Eline & Riley Chamberlin; listed on National Film Registry (2001) a print exists at the Library of Congress; DVD/Blu-ray not available • credits at IMDb

"The Father of My Children (Le Père de Mes Enfants)"
[France July 2009, IFC Films USA May 2010]

Loosely based on the life of French film producer Humbert Balsan; when a minor film producer realizes that his company is going bankrupt, he commits suicide; the second half of the film looks at the impact of that act. Written & directed by Mia Hansen-Løve; starring Chiara Caselli, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Alice de Lencquesaing, Alice Gautier, Manelle Driss, Eric Elmosnino, Sandrine Dumas & Dominique Frot; won Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, won Lumiere Award for Best Screenplay DVD/Blu-ray not yet available • full credits at IMDb • official movie site

"Finding  Bliss  [LightShow May 2010]

"Girl meets porn"; a romantic comedy following an aspiring female filmmaker who ends up working as an editor on a 'crossover' adult film; written & directed by Julie Davis; starring Leelee Sobieski, Matthew Davis, Denise Richards, Jamie Kennedy & Kristen Johnston Phase 4 Films widescreen color DVD [8/2010] for $23.49 full credits from IMDb • official movie site

"Finger  of  Guilt  [R.K.O. Radio Pictures 1956]

U.K. title "The Intimate Stranger"; the 84-minute US version makes less sense than the 95-minute U.K. version, both long unseen. An executive at a British movie studio gets a strange letter, and another is sent to his wife ... Directed by Alec C. Snowden & [blacklistee] Joseph Losey; screenplay by [blacklistee] Howard Koch; starring Richard Basehart, Mary Murphy, Constance Cummings, Roger Livesey, & Mervyn Johns DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

"Footprints"
[2009 festival circuit; Paladin April 2011 release]

Set entirely on Hollywood Boulevard; a woman wakes from a deep sleep to find herself lying face-down among the legendary handprints & footprints at the Chinese Theater; with no memory of who she is or how she got there, she spends the day trying to piece together her identity. Co-produced, written & directed by Steven Peros; starring Sybil Temtchine, H.M. Wynant, Pippa Scott, John Brickner, Catherine Bruhier & Charley Rossman DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb • official movie site

jump to page 2: selected films G thru L • M thru R • S thru Z

L i n k s
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
Hollywood Heritage Society & Museum
Hollywood Sign [est. 1923] official website
Hollywood Walk of Fame [est. 1958] official website

Visit Our Other Online Film Festival Pages
Afro-American Film Festival Pages at Magic Lantern
Atomic Film Festival Page at Spirit of America
Ayn Rand Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Beatnik Film Festival at Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore
'Biker Movies' Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Culver City, California Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Economics Film Festival at Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore
Education Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Existentialist Film Festival at Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore
Films Noir Festival at BlackHat Mystery Bookstore
Gangster Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Magic Lantern's Hollywood Film Festival «« you are here
Human Rights Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Labor Movement Film Festival at Spirit of America
Movie Musicals Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Muscle-Head Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Native American Film Festival at 'Readers of The Purple Sage'
Oscar-Winning Western Movies Page at 'Readers of the Purple Sage'
Philosophy Film Festival at Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore
Pirate Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Political Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Railroad Film Festival at Spirit of America
'Rat Race' Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Road Movies Film Festival at Magic Lantern
Samurai Films at Magic Lantern
'Shakespeare On Film' Festival at Magic Lantern
Sherlock Holmes Film Festival at BlackHat Mystery Bookstore
Sports Film Festival Pages at Magic Lantern
War [& Anti-War] Film Festival Pages at Magic Lantern
Western Movies Film Festival at 'Readers of the Purple Sage'

... and others on the Online Film Festivals Index Page

Magic Lantern's Hollywood Film Festival Pages

here on page 1: essay • books • documentary films • links
selected films, A to Z: A thru F

on page 2: selected films G thru L • M thru R • S thru Z

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