portrait of an artist

tick, tick... BOOM! | United States of America
Genre
IMDB
7.5 (106677 votes)
On the cusp of his 30th birthday, Jonathon Larson, a promising young theater composer, navigates love, friendship, and the pressures of life as an artist in New York City.

Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation | United States of America
Genre
IMDB
7.1 (132 votes)
The parallel lives of writer Truman Capote (1924-84) and playwright Tennessee Williams (1911-83): two friends, two geniuses who, while creating sublime works, were haunted by the ghosts of the past, the shadow of constant doubt, the demon of addictions and the blinding, deceptive glare of success.

The Happy Prince | Germany| United Kingdom| Italy| Belgium
Genre
IMDB
6.2 (4001 votes)
In 1895, Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was the most famous writer in London, and Bosie Douglas, son of the notorious Marquess of Queensberry, was his lover. Accused and convicted of gross indecency, he was imprisoned for two years and subjected to hard labor. Once free, he abandons England to live in France, where he will spend his last years, haunted by memories of the past, poverty and immense sadness.

Edmond | France| Belgium
Genre
IMDB
7.4 (1641 votes)
Paris, France, December 1897. The young playwright Edmond Rostand feels like a failure. Inspiration has abandoned him. Married and father of two children, desperate and penniless, he persuades the great actor Constant Coquelin to perform the main role in his new play. But there is a problem: Coquelin wants to premiere it at Christmas and Edmond has not written a single word.

Billy Wilder Speaks | Germany
Genre
IMDB
7.6 (442 votes)
Recut of the miniseries "Billy, How Did You Do It?": In 1988, Oscar-winning German filmmaker Volker Schlondorff ("The Tin Drum") sat down with legendary director Billy Wilder at his office in Beverly Hills, California and turned on his camera for a series of filmed interviews. The conversation went on for two weeks. The results were aired on German TV in 1992 and debuted on U.S. television when it was shown on Turner Classic Movies in 2006. We are presented with a generous smattering of film clips, rare photographs and artwork, but mostly Wilder just sits in his office and talks with the off screen Schlondorff, moving easily between English and German.

Trespassing Bergman | Sweden
Genre
IMDB
7.2 (918 votes)
In the sixties, Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) built a house on the remote island of Fårö, located in the Baltic Sea, eighty nautical miles off the east coast of Sweden. He left Stockholm and went to live there. When he died, the house was preserved. A group of very special cinephiles, came from all over the world, have traveled to Fårö in search of the genius and his legacy. (An edited version of the Swedish mini-series “Bergmans video,” 2012.)

Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel | United States of America
Genre
IMDB
7.5 (2583 votes)
Chronicles the six-decade career of the U.S. film industry's most diverse, dogged and resourceful low-budget producer-director-entrepeneur, painting the soft-spoken Roger Corman as an indie cinema trailbrazer as well as an extraordinary conduit for new talent.

Madonna: Truth or Dare | United States of America
Genre
IMDB
6.4 (9718 votes)
From the rain of Japan, through threats of arrest for 'public indecency' in Canada, and a birthday tribute to her father in Detroit, this documentary follows Madonna on her 1990 'Blond Ambition' concert tour. Filmed in black and white, with the concert pieces in glittering MTV color, it is an intimate look at the work of the music performer, from a prayer circle with the dancers before each performance to bed games with the dance troupe afterwards.

The Life and Death of Peter Sellers | United States of America| United Kingdom
Genre
IMDB
6.9 (15028 votes)
The turbulent personal and professional life of actor Peter Sellers (1925-1980), from his beginnings as a comic performer on BBC Radio to his huge success as one of the greatest film comedians of all time; an obsessive artist so dedicated to his work that neglected his loved ones and sacrificed part of his own personality to convincingly create that of his many memorable characters.

Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens | United States of America
Genre
IMDB
7.4 (558 votes)
An account of the professional and personal life of renowned American photographer Annie Leibovitz, from her early artistic endeavors to her international success as a photojournalist, war reporter, and pop culture chronicler.

21 Years: Richard Linklater | United States of America
Genre
IMDB
6.5 (764 votes)
Documentary that takes a behind the scenes tour of groundbreaking director Richard Linklater's last 21 years creating his iconic legacy of films from the unconventional breakout 'Slacker' to the innovative 'Boyhood'. Features candid conversations with actors Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Matthew McConaughey and others.

Mifune: The Last Samurai | United States of America| Japan
Genre
IMDB
7.2 (1270 votes)
Nearly 20 years after his death and in the run-up to his centenary, Toshiro Mifune remains a true giant of Japanese cinema.