For some, they are idols and creators, for others – parents, former lovers, abusers, or victims…
It is not without reason that life is said to be the best scriptwriter. Here in are assembled seven documentaries and miniseries about global stars which will offer an informal perspective: through the stories of their closest kin and acquaintances, their interviews, confessions of former partners and even the revelations of sworn enemies.
Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind (2020)
The captivating narrative of the life of the legendary actress with Russian roots, as told by her close ones. This documentary unveils previously unreleased materials related to the star of the movie “West Side Story”, Natalie Wood (real name – Natalia Zakharenko, as told by zoomboola.com): home movies, photographs, diaries, letters, and other valuable time witnesses.
The chief instigator of the film’s creation was Wood’s daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, who was only 11 years old when Wood tragically died under quite strange and not fully elucidated circumstances – allegedly she accidentally drowned while yachting in California. The actress was only 43 years old. Natasha discusses this tragedy in the context of her mother’s memory, noting that society’s speculations have overshadowed her roles in films and her personality altogether. Natalie Wood was indeed a superstar of the 50s-70s, and received three Oscar nominations before she even turned 25.
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Personal and professional victories, bitter falls, and small joys – all the important milestones of the Hollywood icon’s biography are also reflected in very intimate interviews with her friends and colleagues, among whom were Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, and George Hamilton.
Very Ralph (2019)
The first film dedicated to the creator of one of the most successful brands in fashion history – Ralph Lauren. The film was directed and produced by renowned documentarian Susan Lacy, whose portfolio includes films such as “Jane Fonda in Five Acts” and “Spielberg”.
For the first time, Ralph Lauren speaks so sincerely and in detail about his childhood, wife, and their marriage of more than 50 years, the birth of the brand, reaction to criticism, his inventive advertising campaigns, and ahead-of-their-time ideas. In the film, the couturier admits that he created a whole life, not fashion – it is the latter that he despises and tries to distance himself from anything too elaborate and pretentious. No wonder he was one of the first among designers to start making furniture and interior items, and to invite real families to participate in advertising campaigns, not just extras.
The film is adorned with rare archives from the half-century history of the fashion brand, as well as candid interviews with relatives, long-time colleagues, and celebrities. Among them are Anna Wintour, Karl Lagerfeld, Hillary Clinton, Naomi Campbell, Martha Stewart, Calvin Klein, Diane von Furstenberg, Jessica Chastain, and many others. From the film, you will learn why cinema is so important for the designer and how he managed to turn his own life into a work of art.
Allen v. Farrow (2021)
A documentary miniseries about the confrontation between two iconic figures for Hollywood – director Woody Allen (“Annie Hall”, “Match Point”, “Midnight in Paris”) and actress Mia Farrow (“Rosemary’s Baby”, “The Purple Rose of Cairo”, “Zelig”). For many years, their marital and creative union seemed to be the ideal that everyone aspires to, until something terrible happened…
Allen and Farrow made 13 films together, but completely stopped communicating and divorced when Mia accused the director of sexually abusing her daughter Dylan. The authors of the series interviewed the grown-up girl and her mother to try to understand what happened and to find out why the man managed to avoid criminal punishment.
Ali Lorraine, a reviewer for the Los Angeles Times, called the series a “comprehensive, compelling and ultimately destructive” film that “threatens to obliterate what remains of Allen’s career and legacy to the ground”. The director himself refused to give any comments for the film and continues to remain silent after its release.
Jane Fonda in Five Acts (2018)
Another project to which renowned documentarian Susan Lacy contributed. This time, her subject of study was Hollywood actress Jane Fonda, whom the older generation remembers from the fantasy film with an erotic slant “Barbarella” and aerobics exercise videotapes, and for the younger audience she is associated with the monstrous mother-in-law in the film with Jennifer Lopez or the authoritative grandmother from “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen” with Lindsay Lohan.
Hollywood diva, Oscar owner, sex symbol, style icon, queen of wellness, political activist, and philanthropist – all about Jane Fonda. The film is based on an interview that Susan took from her with breaks of more than 20 hours. In it, the heroine talks about her fascinating, and in fact very difficult fate: endless pain after her mother’s suicide, emotional alienation from her father, eating disorders for 30 years, three marriages, and three divorces.
The picture includes interviews with Fonda’s family and close friends. Among them are Robert Redford, Lily Tomlin, as well as ex-husbands Tom Hayden and Ted Turner. Rare footage, videos from the home archive, and a minute-by-minute present of Jane Fonda, which she herself calls “the beginning of my last act”, complement the story.
Tiger (2021)
A two-part documentary about the golf legend Tiger Woods. Candid about the main: “Tiger” paints an honest picture of the life and career of the famous athlete. The film includes exclusive footage, as well as interviews with Woods’ close ones and colleagues, including his former field assistant, Steve Williams.
From the film, you will learn how golf star Tiger Woods became his own rival – both in sports and in life. About his complex relationship with his father and the sex scandal with Rachel Uchitel, a TV host and nightclub manager, who accused him of violence.
The hero of the film refused to participate in the shooting of the film. Executive producer of the project was Alex Gibney, a leading American documentarian, Oscar winner for the film “Taxi to the Dark Side”.
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind (2018)
A touching and profound documentary portrait of one of the world’s most beloved comedians. The film about Robin Williams was also produced by Oscar laureate Alex Gibney. Using a rich archive that has never been published before, the creators of the film tell about the extraordinary life and career of Williams.
The viewer will see the path of the comedian: performances in clubs, the success of the sitcom “Mork & Mindy”, problems with alcohol and drugs, the death of a close friend, worldwide fame, an Oscar award, and severe depression. Only Robin’s close ones knew what kind of pain was hidden behind the mask that Williams put on during performances or on the shooting site.
The film is built on contrasts, where in one scene Williams can very vulgarly joke on topics below the belt, and in the next lead a philosophical monologue about the meaning of life. He was not only a brilliant comic but also an excellent dramatic actor. The film shows him not just as a person with all his virtues and vices, but as a concentration of positive energy.
Arthur Miller: Writer (2017)
A powerful and touching documentary about the outstanding American playwright Arthur Miller, a Pulitzer Prize laureate. The plays he composed, “Death of a Salesman”, “The Crucible”, and “A View from the Bridge”, have become classics of world theatre, and films like “The Misfits”, for which he wrote the scripts, have entered Hollywood’s golden collection.
Miller’s life was turbulent: poverty and his parents’ bankruptcy, working as a journalist at a military shipyard, and an unfortunate marriage to Marilyn Monroe, which lasted 5 years. The personality of the writer is shown in the film through the eyes of his daughter, actress Rebecca Miller, who appeared in his last, third marriage.
Rebecca crafted a touching cinematic portrait of her dad, consisting of interviews she took from him over decades and unique materials from the family archive, many of which are demonstrated for the first time. The film provides a fresh perspective on Miller’s life as a creator and explores his character in all its complexity and contradictions.
