movies that talk about film making

[Abdul Rahman Jamous]

I have always had a soft spot about movies that talks about film making. I thought may be I should share my list with you guys and hopefully you may tell me some of your recommendations.

 

1- Hugo 2011

2- The other side of the wind 2018

3- The Fabelmans

4- The fall 2006 (it doesn't talk about film making but it features the power of story telling)

5- Stranger than fiction (This movie truly depicts how it feels like to be a writer)

[David Mullen ASC]

8 1/2

Day for Night

The Bad & The Beautiful

The Stunt Man

Living in Oblivion

Ed Wood

 

[Tyler Purcell]

Heart of Darkness is my favorite. 

It's about the making of Apocalypse now. 

I haven't seen very many movies about the "film industry" which come close to that, narrative or documentary. 

Edited August 4, 2023 by Tyler Purcell

[Malcolm Ian Vu]

The Wizard of Speed and Time

[Steve Switaj]

I remember "And God Spoke" from 1993

In theory a comic mocumentary about the making a big Biblical epic, but in practice actually a documentary of every real film I've ever worked on.

 

Edited August 7, 2023 by Steve Switaj

[Eric Eader]

 

Recently:   Babylon,   Mank

Older:   The Day of the Locust,    Contempt,     Sunset Blvd.  

[Stewart McLain]

Bowfinger

Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
American Movie

 

[Eric Eader]

The Maestro

Trumbo (2015)

Hitchcock

The Big Knife

[Eric Eader]

In a Lonely Place

 

[Uli Meyer]

'The Player' 1992 Robert Altman

[Brian Drysdale]

If you're including documentaries, "Burden of Dreams" about Werner Herzog making "Fitzcarraldo".

[Jon O'Brien]

'Super 8' 2011. About some young filmmakers with a camera, etc.

Not feature movies, but TV series from the 70s that I loved (as I saw them just as I was getting into filmmaking myself):

An episode each from 'The Brady Bunch' and 'Gilligan's Island', where the regular characters make a movie.

I remember 'Day for Night'. Haven't seen that film for years. I saw it on late-night TV as a teenager.

[Jon O'Brien]

King Kong, the original version (1933?), and the second re-make with Jack Black in it. The 70s version of King Kong which in my opinion was a great film and a ripping adventure yarn with a lot of unique qualities didn't feature the movie-making plot detail but instead went with having one of the main protagonists played by Jeff Bridges as a stills photographer complete with Nikon model F and motordrive, several lenses in his camera bag, etc. A good film from Dino De Laurentiis.

[Travis Shannon]

A contribution I haven’t seen on this list:

“Inserts” by John Byrum starring Richard Dreyfuss

Also I saw it a bit higher up but And God Spoke is excellent and like Steve said, almost every doc I’ve ever worked on

[Brian Drysdale]

"Berberian Sound Studio" is a psychological horror film set in a post production sound studio.

[Brian Drysdale]

There's also "Newsfront" about Australian newsreel cameramen in the late 1940s to mid 1950s

[charles pappas]

Does anyone remember the title of this film about filmmaking that I can't remember. I think it came out just before "Living in Oblivion," and had a very similar plot: the misadventures of a small group of low-budget indy filmmakers.

I remember the film being almost as funny as Living in Oblivion or maybe funnier, but it appeared to be truly low budget. Like 20 -25 400 ft. rolls of b & w neg plus lab costs and that's it low-budget.

Anyway, it did get a release and I saw it then and maybe someone else remembers it.

Edited August 18, 2023 by charles pappas
correction

[Brian Drysdale]

There's also "Adaptation", which is about script writing and the main character having writer's block.

[Eric Eader]

Jailhouse Rock  as Elvis Presley becomes a movie star.

The Girl:  about Tippi Hedren and Alfred Hitchcock  during filming of "The Birds"  and "Marnie."

[Eric Eader]

One can't forget the hilarious:      S.O.B.

with William Holden and July Andrews directed by her husband Blake Edwards.

[Eric Eader]

Also by Blake Edwards:      "10"

With Bo Derek and Julie Andrews, and Dudley Moore (a Hollywood composer).

Sorry for misspelling Julie's name in above post.

[Jeff Bernstein]

Show People (1928)

Man With a Movie Camera (Человек с киноаппаратом, 1929)

Make Me a Star (1932)

Movie Crazy (1932)

What Price Hollywood (1932)

Crashing Hollywood (1938)

Fassbinder, Warnung vor einer heiligen Nutte (1971)

Fedora (1978)

Swimming With Sharks (1994)

[Jeff Bernstein]

The Cameraman (1928)

The Oscar (1966)

Ivansxtc (2000)

[Jeff Bernstein]

Hollywood Story (1951)

The Making of The Shining (1980), by Kubrick's daughter Vivian

Full Tilt Boogie (1997)

[Jeff Bernstein]

Buster Keaton Rides Again (1965)

The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)

Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)