The best Robert Wise’s movies
If you love cinema, you will share this ranking of the best Robert Wise’s movies, although you may have ordered them differently. In any case, we hope you love it and with a little luck discovering a movie that you still don’t know about Robert Wise.
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.
The Stupids
4.3/10
An incredibly dull-witted family unknowingly stumble upon an illegal weapons deal while on the trail of their "stolen" garbage.
Shirley Maclaine: Kicking Up Her Heels
7.3/10
Documentary about the life and work of actress Shirley MacLaine.
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
6.9/10
The extraordinary life of Orson Welles (1915-1985), 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.
The Battle Over Citizen Kane
7.7/10
Documentary about the battle between Orson Welles and William Randolph Hearst over Welles' Citizen Kane (1941). Features interviews with Welles' and Hearst's co-workers also as a relative complete bio of Hearst.
Visions of Light
7.7/10
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.
A Century of Science Fiction
5.6/10
American Documentary, narrated by Christopher Lee
20th Century Fox: The First 50 Years
7/10
If you love movies, you won't want to miss this fascinating and fact-filled chronicle of the first 50 years of Twentieth Century Fox.
The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal
7.3/10
Among the legends of Hollywood, George Pal takes his place as a true visionary, an innovator and a showman who profoundly shaped the art of motion pictures. A peer of Walt Disney, Pal pioneered stop motion animation and went on to virtually invent the modern science fiction and fantasy film genres. Pal's extraordinary genius molded a dazzling array of films, which earned an incredible total of eight Academy Awards and left a cinematic legacy that served as formative inspiration for the movies of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Gene Roddenberry.
Mae West and the Men Who Knew Her
7.2/10
As the first "blonde bombshell," Mae West reigned supreme and changed the nation's view of women, sex and race- on stage, in films, on radio and television. Including clips from Night After Night, She Done Him Wrong, I'm No Angel, Belle of the Nineties, and Klondike Annie. In addition to home movies and archival footage, Anthony Quinn, Rex Reed and Robert Wise provide interviews.
West Side Memories
7.7/10
Documentary attached to the 25th anniversary MGM collection. Details how this successful stage production was reared and molded into a beautiful cinematic one. Deep dives into how Robbins' choreography and Bernstein's score making processes.
Robert Wise: American Filmmaker
6.2/10
From Star Trek to The Sound of Music, award-winning director Robert Wise was dedicated, inventive, and ready to tackle any genre. He helmed everything from B movies to award-winning blockbusters, all while managing to live a quiet life amid the scandal of Tinsel Town.
