The best Stephen Sondheim’s documentary movies
We present our ranking of the best Stephen Sondheim’s movies. Do you love cinema? Or are you looking for a movie of your favorite actor to watch tonight? Surely you have some to see or that you did not know yet about Stephen Sondheim.
Six by Sondheim
7.9/10
This intimate documentary explores the life and career of the stage legend Stephen Sondheim through six of his best-known songs.
Original Cast Album: Company
8/10
Stephen Sondheim's musical "Company" opened on Broadway in the Spring of 1970, and tradition dictates that the cast recording is done on the first Sunday after opening night. D.A. Pennebaker, the now-legendary documentarian, filmed the production of the original cast recording, the back and forth between Sondheim and the performers, and the dynamic of trying to record live performance. The film climaxes with Elaine Stritch's performance of "The Ladies Who Lunch". The show won 6 Tony Awards including "Best Musical" and ran for two years on Broadway. A plan to make a series of "Original Cast Album" films never materialized.
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.
Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened...
7.6/10
This film from acclaimed theater director Lonny Price charts the journey of the original cast of Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along" in the 30-plus years since the musical debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre in 1981.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Burton + Carter + Depp = Todd
A general making-of piece featuring principal members of the cast and crew. A brief history of the demon barber is provided, as well as the actors' preparation for their singing roles and glimpses of the set design and general production.
Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh
8.7/10
'Hey, Mr Producer!' features selected scenes from the productions of the world's most successful musical producer, Cameron Mackintosh - classic songs from classic musicals performed by the ultimate cast.
Follies: In Concert
8.1/10
A backstage documentary film including footage from the legendary 1985 concert performance of Stephen Sondheim's classic musical at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. The plot of the musical centers around a reunion of showgirls who appeared in an annual Follies extravaganza when it was staged between the wars.
West Side Stories: The Making of a Classic
8.6/10
As the world prepares to celebrate the 60th anniversary of West Side Story in 2017, dancer Bruno Tonioli and broadcaster Suzy Klein go in search of the true stories behind the inception of this classic show. For the first time on television, they hear first-hand from those involved in the show when it opened on Broadway in September 1957, including Sondheim himself, producer Hal Prince and original cast members from both show and movie, including Chita Rivera Carol Lawrence and Rita Moreno. With the BBC Symphony Orchestra and specially cast singers, we re-live some of the wonderful music and, in the company of Suzy and Bruno, we discover how West Side Story placed the 1950s phenomena of racial tension and teenage gangs centre stage to create a hit that changed musical theatre forever.
Harold Prince: The Director's Life
8.3/10
Featuring archival clips from his many groundbreaking productions, the performance-documentary includes interviews with many of Prince's collaborators, including Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Mandy Patinkin, John Kander, Susan Stroman, and Angela Lansbury, all sharing their firsthand insights into his pioneering achievements in the theatre.
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.
Into the Woods: A Conversationpiece
Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine discuss their stage musical Into the Woods
Sweeney Todd: Scenes from the Making of a Musical
Opening with the first day of rehearsals of the London production of "Sweeney Todd", this ninety-minute documentary focuses on the rehearsal process with the musical's director, composer and actors.
Assassins: A Conversationpiece
Stephen Sondheim and librettist John Weidman discuss their stage musical Assassins, and offer advice for future productions. Sondheim, seated at a piano, focuses on the arrangement of his score, singing excerpts from the show's songs as examples. Weidman focuses on his text and the meaning of individual sequences. Scenic designer Loren Sherman, who designed the set for the 1990 Off-Broadway production of the show at Playwrights Horizons, displays his model for the set and offers advice on dealing with the scenic design challenges presented by the show. Each man appears separately and addresses the camera directly, with no interviewer present.
