The art of making films is incredibly difficult. From the creation of a story to the very act of filming, there is a massive team of people who often don’t get the credit they should. The end product can be great or it can be absolute disaster. Yet many films are becoming iconic, whether good or bad.
It’s always interesting to discover the stories behind the movies, especially the ones where you wonder what exactly happened behind the scenes. Well, some filmmakers have taken the liberty of pulling the curtain back to show you what the development process of many iconic films has been like. These films also manage to be captivating, telling interesting stories about the real people who brought their visions to life. Here are seven great movies about making great movies.
Baadasssss!
Baadasssss! is the story behind the making of Sweet Sweetback song Baadasssss, a movie of Melvin Van Peebles which strongly influenced the creation of the Blaxploitation genre. Baadasssss! is led by Mario van peebles who also plays Melvin, his real father. Mario also played a role in the controversial original film as he participated in a graphic sex scene at the age of 11.
This film is treated largely as a dramatic comedy and portrays many of the controversial decisions Melvin made in the making of this film. Sweet Sweetback song Baadasssss is a shameless movie and it’s interesting to see how Melvin brought this movie to life. Melvin did not give in to corporate pressure because he wanted to create a film that portrayed what he called “ghetto realism”. There is a level of authenticity to Baadasssss! also since Mario was present during the filming and knows how to accurately represent his father. Sweet Sweetback song Baadasssss may not be a movie that everyone is familiar with, but its creation is fascinating and Baadasssss! may cause you to verify the original.
Hitchcock
For a story about the legendary director Alfred hitchcock, it makes sense that an actor like Anthony hopkins depicted him. Hitchcock mainly focuses on the development of Hitchcock psychopath. It shows Hitchcock going through the many corporate hoops he had to go through with such a provocative film at the time, given that the film had some violence and killed the main character in the first act.
It also shows Hitchcock in his element with the behind-the-scenes shower scene from psychopath. However, Hitchcock Still remains a great character as he focuses a lot on the drama and the tension between Hitchcock and his wife, Alma (Helene Mirren). Hitchcock succeeds in showing Hitchcock’s difficulty in doing psychopath but it’s still an intriguing character piece that shows an aging director trying to create his most ambitious work to date.
Dolemite is my name
Rudy ray moore was an African-American comic who made his name under the stage name Dolemite, a raw and wise personality. Moore wanted to bring this character to the big screen in a movie directed and written by him simply called Dolemite. Dolemite is my name recreates many of the moments from that film while showing the extreme dedication Moore put into making it successful.
Eddie murphy came back after a long hiatus from acting for this role and delivers. He epitomizes who Moore was and what he strived to bring to life. Murphy is joined by a cast that includes Craig robinson, Mike Epps, Keegan-Michael Key, and Wesley snipes. Dolemite is my name is a hilarious film itself, but it also manages to honor Moore and the impact he had in bringing an under-represented group to the big screen, even though the film itself might have required some work.
Ed Bois
Ed Bois was an incredibly unique director whose bizarre choices led to what some consider to be one of the worst films of all time. So a Tim burton film about his life seems to be the ideal solution. Burton brings here his unique direction to create an atmosphere that makes Ed Bois the impression of being in the head of the current director. Everything is perfectly awkward and weird here, including Johnny Deppfantastic performance as a director.
For Wood fans, the film shows Wood filming some of his best-known works, including the cult classic Plan 9 of outer space. In addition, there are also a few appearances by classic Hollywood actors, including the legend of horror. Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau). Burton’s biopic feels like a movie that Wood would not only be proud of, but could also create on his own (thankfully, he didn’t).
man
man tells the story of Herman Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), co-author of Citizen Kane who fought with the director and the star Orson Welles (Tom burke) to receive credit for their work. While man does not contain any scenes with characters filming Citizen Kane, it mainly focuses on Mank’s writer block, his drinking issues, and the actual inspiration he got to Citizen Kane.
However, the director David Fincher still paid homage to Citizen Kane by its direction. man is shot in black and white and features a similar storytelling where it continually switches between the present and the past. The film also has a dazzling nostalgic score of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross that takes you back to that era of Hollywood. Citizen Kane is considered one of the greatest films ever to be made and it is fascinating to see what inspired its creation.
The artist of disaster
Fans of Bedroom I know this is one of the worst movies of all time, but that’s what makes it amazing. What could be more fascinating than the creation of Bedroom is the man behind it all, Tommy wiseau. Wiseau directed, performed, produced and wrote Bedroom after struggling to be successful in Hollywood.
James franco, who also directed this film, makes a big impression and while there is a lot of fun at Wiseau’s expense, he understands that Wiseau is someone who was fed up with being laughed at and wanted respect. The artist of disaster manages to be a hilarious comedy but it also tells a charming story about the friendship between Wiseau and Greg Sestero (David Franco), who played in Bedroom and wrote the book that The artist of disaster is based on. Fans of Bedroom will love seeing plenty of behind-the-scenes looks at stages from the cult classic, including the rooftop stage.
Save Mr. Banks
Mary poppins is an absolute Disney classic. What many may not know is that making the film was not an easy task as it took a while for Disney to even secure the rights to film it. Save Mr. Banks looks back on this battle between Mary poppins author PL Travers (Emma thompson) and Walt disney (Tom hanks). Travers is a stubborn and pragmatic woman who doesn’t want to see her creation turn into a Disney plush toy. As the movie progresses, we see flashbacks that show Travers’ childhood and how his relationship with his father (Colin Farrell) became an inspiration for the book.
We do not see the filming of Mary poppins, but we take a look inside the creative process as Travers is working with Disney creatives to create this film, turning down most of their requests. We even see the Sherman Brothers (Jason schhwatzman and BJ Novak) by imagining the songs from the movie. Thompson is electric as Travers and it’s fascinating to see her in a battle of wits with Disney as the two desperately want to do whatever they want.
What is also impressive Save Mr. Banks is that it gives you a new perspective on Mary poppins. The magical nanny didn’t come to save the kids, she came to save Mr. Banks. It’s interesting to review Mary poppins with this view as you can see at different times. Save Mr. Banks is an emotional take on a Disney classic that ends up having its own brand of Disney magic.
Read more
About the Author
