Behind the scenes: The top five documentaries about film

Documentaries can give some extra facts on some of our favorite subjects, and who doesn’t like learning something new about their favorite films! They can build bigger pictures, show what goes on behind the camera lens and dive deep into the minds of the filmmakers, showing their thought process and how they visualize their crazy ideas. So, from producers to critics, all the way to unreleased films, this is what I believe are the quintessential documentaries about film.

5. The Kid Stays in The Picture

This documentary, based on the book with the same name, is about the famed producer Robert Evans. It follows him through his life as a producer, from being discovered by Norma Shearer to him being banished from Paramount Pictures and then his return. This is a must watch for people wanting to know more about what goes into making great pictures like The Godfather and Chinatown.

4. De Palma

As the name suggests, this documentary is all about the wonderful director, Brian De Palma. Known for such films as Blow Out, Scarface, Mission Impossible and The Untouchables; this goes into detail about his personal life and childhood and tells us how events in his life inspired his filmmaking. It also features many well-known actors such as Al Pacino, John Lithgow and Tom Cruise.

3. Jodorowsky's Dune

Documentary about film director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s attempt to make an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune. The film talks about the many setbacks the film faced, and the outrageous demands both the director and actors had for the picture, with Jodorowsky wanting the film to be 14 hours long and Salvador Dali wanting $100,000 per hour. This film is a must watch to find out about the biggest film that was never made.

2. Life Itself

Roger Ebert is widely renowned as the greatest film critic to ever live, and this documentary is all about him. It follows his life and career intercut with footage of his friends and family talking about his work. It also shows footage of him in his final months as his health deteriorated due to thyroid cancer. This is a powerful, moving piece that celebrates one of the greatest men in cinema.

1. Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse

A documentary about Apocalypse Now, the production from hell, Hearts of Darkness is a must watch for film fans. Using archived footage by Eleanor Coppola this shows the awful conditions and the mental toll the crew and actors went through while making the film. As the footage is coming straight from Eleanor Coppola, we get to see how Francis Ford Coppola took to making such a monumental film and we get to hear his thoughts, away from the actors and away from the producers. We see him raw and unfiltered. Straight from the source, we see him create his passion project, and how the emotional toll it took almost drove him to take his own life. This is as raw and genuine as a film documentary is ever going to get, and that is why it deserves to hold the title of the greatest film documentary ever made.