The best Charlie Chaplin’s documentary movies
Charles “Charlie” Chaplin (16 April 1889 – 25 December 1977) was an English comic actor, film director and composer best-known for his work during the silent film era. He used mime, slapstick and other visual comedy routines, and continued well into the era of the talkies, though his films decreased in frequency by the end of the 1920s. His most famous role was that of The Tramp, which he first played in Kid Auto Races (1914). From 1914 onwards he was writing and directing most of his films, by 1916 he was producing them, and by 1918 he was also composing the music for them. In 1919 he co-founded United Artists. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Chaplin the 10th greatest male screen legend of all time.
And the Oscar Goes To...
7.1/10
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.
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
7.8/10
Out-takes (mostly from Warner Bros.), promotional shorts, movie premieres, public service pleas, wardrobe tests, documentary material, and archival footage make up this star-studded voyeuristic look at the Golden age of Hollywood during the 30s, 40, and 50.
Propaganda: Engineering Consent
8/10
How can the masses be controlled? Apparently, the American publicist Edward L. Bernays (1891-1995), a pioneer in the field of propaganda and public relations, knew the answer to such a key question. The amazing story of the master of manipulation and the creation of the engineering of consent; a frightening true story about advertising, lies and charlatans.
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
7.1/10
Period music, film clips and newsreel footage combined into a visual exploration of the American entertainment industry during the Great Depression.
Hollywood’s Children
7.2/10
A documentary about child actors in Hollywood, exploring their history from the early days of film.
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
8.5/10
This documentary revisits the making of Gone with the Wind via archival footage, screen tests, insightful interviews and rare film footage.
Cinecittà Babylon
6.1/10
The story of Italian cinema under Fascism, a sophisticated film industry built around the founding of the Cinecittà studios and the successful birth of a domestic star system, populated by very peculiar artists among whom stood out several beautiful, magnetic, special actresses; a dark story of war, drugs, sex, censorship and tragedy.
The Eternal Jew
4.5/10
Third Reich documentary about the Jews intent on world domination and their role in cultural decay. Street scenes are shown, along with clips from Jewish cinema of the day and photos of Jewish celebrities, while the narrator explains the Jewish problem. The climax and resolution of the film is Hitler's 1939 announcement that the Jewish race will be forced off European ground should they achive their goal of turning the European people against one another again in the form of a second world war.
The Big Parade of Comedy
5.8/10
Film clips highlight the funniest scenes and brightest comic stars in MGM's history.
Seeing Stars
5.1/10
First National gala celebrity banquet with stars.
Hollywood : la vie rêvée de Lana Turner
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
6.3/10
Before the G, PG and R ratings system there was the Production Code, and before that there was, well, nothing. This eye-opening documentary examines the rampant sexuality of early Hollywood through movie clips and reminiscences by stars of the era. Gloria Swanson, Mary Pickford, Marlene Dietrich and others relate tales of the artistic freedom that led to the draconian Production Code, which governed content from 1934 to 1968. Diane Lane narrates.
It's Showtime
6.2/10
A collection of film clips profiling animal actors.
The Golden Twenties
6.6/10
Feature-length compilation of 1920s newsreel footage, with commentary about news, sports, lifestyles, and historical figures.
The Hollywood Clowns
8.9/10
Glenn Ford narrates this hilarious look back at the greatest comedians in movie history.
When Comedy Was King
7.4/10
A compilation featuring comedic stars of the silent era including Fatty Arbuckle, Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Charley Chase, and Laurel and Hardy.
Winston Churchill: A Giant in the Century
7.8/10
A new look at the public and private life of one of the most important statesmen in the history of Europe: Winston Churchill (1874-1965), soldier, politician, writer, painter, leader of his country in the darkest hours, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, a myth, a giant of the 20th century.
Charlie Chaplin, The Genius of Liberty
8.2/10
Documentary about Charlie Chaplin
Birth of the Tramp
7/10
A look back at Charlie Chaplin's early life and career, from his rough childhood and music hall success in England to his early Hollywood days and the development of his enormously popular character, the Little Tramp, also called Charlot.
Days of Thrills and Laughter
7.1/10
An appreciative, uncritical look at silent film comedies and thrillers from early in the century through the 1920s.
