The best Shirley MacLaine’s documentary movies
If you love cinema, you will share this ranking of the best Shirley MacLaine’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 Shirley MacLaine.
Shirley Maclaine: Kicking Up Her Heels
7.3/10
Documentary about the life and work of actress Shirley MacLaine.
The Celluloid Closet
7.8/10
This documentary highlights the historical contexts that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals have occupied in cinema history, and shows the evolution of the entertainment industry's role in shaping perceptions of LGBT figures. The issues addressed include secrecy – which initially defined homosexuality – as well as the demonization of the homosexual community with the advent of AIDS, and finally the shift toward acceptance and positivity in the modern era.
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History
7.7/10
The history of Hollywood musical movies, from the very beginning until the 21st century, hosted by Shirley Jones.
Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There
8.3/10
Broadway: The Golden Age is the most important, ambitious and comprehensive film ever made about America's most celebrated indigenous art form. Award-winning filmmaker Rick McKay filmed over 100 of the greatest stars ever to work on Broadway or in Hollywood. He soon learned that great films can be restored, fine literature can be kept in print - but historic Broadway performances of the past are the most endangered. They leave only memories that, while more vivid, are more difficult to preserve. In their own words — and not a moment too soon — Broadway: The Golden Age tells the stories of our theatrical legends, how they came to New York, and how they created this legendary century in American theatre. This is the largest cast of legends ever in one film.
Get Bruce!
6.2/10
Affectionate tribute to Bruce Vilanch, who writes material for celebrities who make public appearances, from Oscar hosts and award recipients to Presidents. We meet his mom and see photos of his childhood; in Chicago, he writes for the Tribune and then heads West. Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, and Bette Midler talk with him and to the camera about working with Bruce, and we also watch Bruce help others prepare for Liz Taylor's 60th, Bill Clinton's 50th, and an AIDS awards banquet where the hirsute, rotund Vilanch lets his emotions show.
Best Sellers: Peter Sellers and Dr. Strangelove
6.4/10
Documentary about actor Peter Sellers and one of his most memorable film roles.
Vittorio D.
7.3/10
A documentary about Vittorio de Sica with clips of his films and testimonials from friends and family.
Be Pretty and Shut Up!
6.9/10
The film is a series of interviews with various well-known film actresses, including Jenny Agutter, Maria Schneider, and Jane Fonda. The title, which is borrowed from a 1958 film with the same name by Marc Allegret, refers to the sense the actresses have of what is expected of them by the film industry.
Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do
7.4/10
A retrospective of Chita Rivera's film, television and stage career, including interviews with Dick Van Dyke, Ben Vereen, Carol Lawrence and others. Originally aired as Episode 2 of Season 43 of the PBS series Great Performances.
Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age
8/10
Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age explores the world of Broadway from 1959 through the early 1980s as recounted by a diverse cast of Broadway stars who lived through it, creating a first-hand archive of personal backstage stories and memories. The new documentary is the long-awaited sequel to late filmmaker Rick McKay’s award-winning 2003 film Broadway: The Golden Age, continuing the saga into the '60s and '70s and spotlighting beloved classic Broadway shows including Once Upon a Mattress, Bye Bye Birdie, Barefoot in the Park, Pippin, A Chorus Line, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Chicago, and 42nd Street. Featuring a galaxy of stars including Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett, Glenn Close, André De Shields, Jane Fonda, Robert Goulet, Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera, Dick Van Dyke, Ben Vereen, and many more, the film also includes rare archival photos and never-before-seen footage both onstage and off.
Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists
8/10
Directors Jonathan Alter, John Block and Steve McCarthy bring New York columnists Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill’s courageous writing to life, celebrating the acclaimed journalists and the city they loved.
Jack Paar: Smart Television
7.4/10
PBS documentary examining the work of Jack Paar.
Palme
7.6/10
Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was openly shot to death on a February evening 1986 on the streets of Stockholm. In one night, the country of Sweden was transfigured. “Palme” is about his life, his time, and about the Sweden he had created. About a man who altered history.
That's Dancing!
7.2/10
A documentary film about dancing on the screen, from it's orgins after the invention of the movie camera, over the movie musical from the late 20s, 30s, 40s 50s and 60s up to the break dance and the music videos from the 80s.
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
8.1/10
A profile of writer-director Billy Wilder
Warren Beatty - Mister Hollywood
6.7/10
Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu
7.7/10
Documentary recounting the life story of Louise Brooks in 5 sections: "Lulu in Toe Shoes"; "Lulu in Hollywood"; "Lulu in Berlin"; "Lulu in Hell"; and "Resurrection". Narrated by Shirley MacLaine.
Hollywood and the Stars
NBC's pioneering documentary series, produced by the David L. Wolper Production Company, in association with United Artists Television. Each 30-minute show concentrated on a Hollywood genre, film or legendary star. This series ran from September 30, 1963 until May 18, 1964, and many of its individual episodes were released into the home gauge market in shortened form. Certain episodes would focus on films being made at the time, notably Preminger's The Cardinal and Huston's Night of the Iguana.
The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir
7.4/10
Documentary on mainland Chinese life. Directed, produced, written, and narrated by Shirley MacLaine, the film follows her First American Women’s Friendship Delegation to China. The delegation consisted of all women, including a four-woman film crew.
Inside 'The Apartment'
7.6/10
A 2007 documentary on the making of 'The Apartment'.
