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Post by kims on Aug 6, 2024 17:03:08 GMT
I'm going to be a fuss-budget.
After seeing a TCM filler about Audrey Hepburn, I was interested in her years under Nazi rule. This morning I watched the Harlow doc on TCM.
It seems to me that these docs are becoming more about the narrator than the subject matter. In the Harlow doc, we are treated to artistic shots of Sharon Stone. The camera faces a mirror, she faces the mirror and speaks to us through her reflection and more such moments with her. In the Audrey doc, the narrator is seen posing in front of Tiffany's imitating Hepburn, she tries on replicas of sunglasses Hepburn wore, etc. I'd be surprised if even half of that doc was about Hepburn.
I admit being an old fuss-budget, but geez, if you're doing a doc about someone, why do I need moments with the narrator, who often I could care less about.
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Post by jamesjazzguitar on Aug 6, 2024 19:10:44 GMT
I'm going to be a fuss-budget. After seeing a TCM filler about Audrey Hepburn, I was interested in her years under Nazi rule. This morning I watched the Harlow doc on TCM. It seems to me that these docs are becoming more about the narrator than the subject matter. In the Harlow doc, we are treated to artistic shots of Sharon Stone. The camera faces a mirror, she faces the mirror and speaks to us through her reflection and more such moments with her. In the Audrey doc, the narrator is seen posing in front of Tiffany's imitating Hepburn, she tries on replicas of sunglasses Hepburn wore, etc. I'd be surprised if even half of that doc was about Hepburn. I admit being an old fuss-budget, but geez, if you're doing a doc about someone, why do I need moments with the narrator, who often I could care less about. I assume more living American folks know Sharon Stone than Harlow. Thus, it is a logical assumption that these "moments with the narrator" in these TCM filler promos, are to bring in viewers. I would hope that in both docs the narrator is keep under the radar; I.e. the vast majority of the actual documentary is about the person the doc is about. |
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Post by kims on Aug 6, 2024 23:14:39 GMT
Harlow BLOND BOMSHELL was a doc by Turner Pictures for TCM. I would think TCM fans would be acquainted with Harlow films and not need Sharon Stone to sell her.
But you have an interesting idea. I wouldn't watch a doc on a topic I don't care about because someone like George Clooney narrated. That would be a great survey for someone in the industry to create-Would you watch a doc on a subject you don't like because you like the narrator? That would be useful info for doc makers.
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Post by jamesjazzguitar on Aug 6, 2024 23:47:51 GMT
Harlow BLOND BOMSHELL was a doc by Turner Pictures for TCM. I would think TCM fans would be acquainted with Harlow films and not need Sharon Stone to sell her. But you have an interesting idea. I wouldn't watch a doc on a topic I don't care about because someone like George Clooney narrated. That would be a great survey for someone in the industry to create-Would you watch a doc on a subject you don't like because you like the narrator? That would be useful info for doc makers. I'm sure such surveys have been done for decades about all type of subjects. E.g. sport stars. When such docs are created, they tend to feature a current sports host\narrator that is well respected by current, living sports fans, especially if most people living today, were NOT born when that star was in their prime (and thus never saw them perform live). I.e. the younger host\narrator is a link between the generations and that helps promotion. But I do understand your overall point that the host\narrator should be like a referee or umpire of a sporting event: the less one notices them the better! |
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Post by kims on Aug 7, 2024 13:14:44 GMT
I've been out of the biz for 25 years, so I don't speak for the past 25 years. There has been plenty of research available, and several good firms to provide that research. To discount and suspect research which does not agree with a person's opinion is common. I witnessed frequently decisions overruling what research showed. There was that "gut-feeling" decision making and woe be tide anyone who reminded the power that be about that research after disaster struck. We lesser beings perfected our act of astonishment of how could this happen.
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Post by I Love Melvin on Aug 9, 2024 18:55:31 GMT
I'm not sure how relevant this is to the questions you're asking, but these narrator-forward documentaries were done for Turner Network Television (TNT), before Turner Classic Movies (TCM) was created. You can see where the commercial breaks would have been. TNT was in the position of competing with other commercial networks and they probably figured that stars like Sharon Stone were a "get" which would help attract an audience. The docs had to satisfy the requirements of commercial television in a competitive market, which is different from the more purist approach TCM can take when creating programming. But, yes, it bugs me too that the docs didn't get a more serious presentation and wasted valuable time on cutesy banter by the "hosts".
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Post by I Love Melvin on Aug 10, 2024 21:56:37 GMT
I liked the new HBO documentary "Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes", which is grounded by tapes of interviews she did over the years, primarily with journalist Richard Meryman, supplemented by comments from friends and co-workers like Roddy McDowell and lots of contemporary footage. The Meryman tapes seem to be from the mid-1960's, but the story being told begins well before that, so it's not simply a rehash of the Taylor-Burton stuff, with which we're probably overly familiar at this point. The use of interview tapes can be an effective tool for contemporary documentarians with no access to historical subjects or their contemporaries. Meryman also interviewed Marilyn Monroe for Life Magazine just before her death (It was on the stands when she died.) and those tapes have also been used as the basis for a documentary. The recent documentary series about Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward was based on transcripts of interview tapes which had been destroyed and there's also a recent Capote doc based on audio tapes.
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Post by The OG on Aug 29, 2024 22:58:03 GMT
PBS: American Masters
Blake Edwards: A Love Story in 24 Frames
Premiere: 8/27/2024 | 01:23:35 | TV-14 |
Explore the story of director, screenwriter and producer Blake Edwards, known for cinema classics such as “Breakfast at Tiffany's,” “Days of Wine and Roses” and the “Pink Panther” series.
Streaming until: 10/27/2024
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Post by The OG on Aug 30, 2024 1:13:57 GMT
Just watched the Blake Edwards/ American Masters documentary. While I'm not a huge Edwards fan, I did find the show interesting. It's a loving tribute from Julie Andrews, his kids, and friends. Edwards and Andrews always seemed like such an odd match and this doc shows how much they loved each other and how hard they worked at their marriage. That's Life, for example, is autobiographical including being shot at their own home, improvised dialog and starring some of their kids.
There is mention of the cringey Mickey Rooney character in Breakfast at Tiffany's and more respectful, yet dated performance by Peter Sellers in The Party.
I know parts of Breakfast at Tiffany's is iconic but I think there's room for a more faithful adaptation, maybe even as a streaming service movie. (Who would be a good Holly Golightly now?)
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Post by I Love Melvin on Sept 4, 2024 23:27:45 GMT
Just watched the Blake Edwards/ American Masters documentary. While I'm not a huge Edwards fan, I did find the show interesting. It's a loving tribute from Julie Andrews, his kids, and friends. Edwards and Andrews always seemed like such an odd match and this doc shows how much they loved each other and how hard they worked at their marriage. That's Life, for example, is autobiographical including being shot at their own home, improvised dialog and starring some of their kids. There is mention of the cringey Mickey Rooney character in Breakfast at Tiffany's and more respectful, yet dated performance by Peter Sellers in The Party. I know parts of Breakfast at Tiffany's is iconic but I think there's room for a more faithful adaptation, maybe even as a streaming service movie. (Who would be a good Holly Golightly now?) Capote made no secret that he wanted Marilyn Monroe as Holly and considered that he had been "double-crossed" by Paramount. In his story "A Beautiful Child" from his collection Music for Chameleons (1980) he told the story of meeting up with Marilyn at the funeral in NYC in 1955 of Constance Collier, who had been one of Marilyn's acting coaches. Afterward, they spent the afternoon together, which seems to have directly inspired the adventure in the city Holly and Paul embark on (the five-and-dime, etc.) So I'd like to see someone like Marilyn in a new adaptation, not that such a person would be easy to come by, though I liked what Michelle Williams did with My Week with Marilyn (2011). I'm not sure why, but Aubrey Plaza came to mind when I first read your question, I guess based on what she did in the second season of The White Lotus, in which she kind of but not totally tamed that quirky streak of hers, which might work for Holly as well. Anyway, I have the American Masters episode recorded but haven't watched yet, so thanks for that heads-up. |
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Post by The OG on Sept 5, 2024 1:10:34 GMT
Just watched the Blake Edwards/ American Masters documentary. While I'm not a huge Edwards fan, I did find the show interesting. It's a loving tribute from Julie Andrews, his kids, and friends. Edwards and Andrews always seemed like such an odd match and this doc shows how much they loved each other and how hard they worked at their marriage. That's Life, for example, is autobiographical including being shot at their own home, improvised dialog and starring some of their kids. There is mention of the cringey Mickey Rooney character in Breakfast at Tiffany's and more respectful, yet dated performance by Peter Sellers in The Party. I know parts of Breakfast at Tiffany's is iconic but I think there's room for a more faithful adaptation, maybe even as a streaming service movie. (Who would be a good Holly Golightly now?) Capote made no secret that he wanted Marilyn Monroe as Holly and considered that he had been "double-crossed" by Paramount. In his story "A Beautiful Child" from his collection Music for Chameleons (1980) he told the story of meeting up with Marilyn at the funeral in NYC in 1955 of Constance Collier, who had been one of Marilyn's acting coaches. Afterward, they spent the afternoon together, which seems to have directly inspired the adventure in the city Holly and Paul embark on (the five-and-dime, etc.) So I'd like to see someone like Marilyn in a new adaptation, not that such a person would be easy to come by, though I liked what Michelle Williams did with My Week with Marilyn (2011). I'm not sure why, but Aubrey Plaza came to mind when I first read your question, I guess based on what she did in the second season of The White Lotus, in which she kind of but not totally tamed that quirky streak of hers, which might work for Holly as well. Anyway, I have the American Masters episode recorded but haven't watched yet, so thanks for that heads-vers Yes, I've read about Capote wanting Marilyn. Replace Blake Edwards while we're at it and you've got a completely different movie. I read that John Frankenheimer was originally set to direct! Capote later mentioned Tuesday Week and Jodie Foster as other possibilities. I agree, I'd cast a Marilyn type if a more faithful adaptation were done today. Some one more sexy, with a hint of sadness, someone less perfect than Audrey. I think that it really could be done and be its own separate adaptation not just a remake. Aubrey Plaza would be interesting. I know what you mean about her in White Lotus. I'd rather they pick someone like her, less obvious, than a bigger name like Emma Stone or Jennifer Lawrence who wouldn't work. How about Margaret Qualley? I thought of a young Naomi Watts. |
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