SHOWMAN
Q&A with director Albert Maysles
The name Maysles is almost synonymous with documentary film. Albert and his later brother David were pioneers of the modern form in classic films such as SALESMAN, GIMME SHELTER and GREY GARDENS. This special evening showcases two of Albert’s earliest works that have never been released on DVD and are rarely screened. Read the review in The New Yorker.
Film history books reference SHOWMAN as a crucial step forward in direct cinema, yet hardly anyone has a chance to see it. The film profiles film producer Joseph E. Levine, who had a reputation like Harvey Weinstein for mixing high-minded films with box office appeal. Levine was quoted saying, “You can fool all the people all of the time if the advertising is right and the budget is big enough.” He helped bring GODZILLA to America and orchestrated a marketing campaign for HERCULES that sold 25 millions tickets. Yet he also got behind films like Godard’s CONTEMPT and THE GRADUATE. In this behind the scenes look, we see him positioning Sophia Loren for an Academy Award for TWO WOMEN among other wheeling and dealing. The action moves from the beaches of the Cannes Film Festival to the Academy Awards to a revealing reunion in Levine’s hometown of Boston. It’s a treat for anyone interested in movies as a business, not to mention the breath-taking shots of young Sophia Loren.
As a bonus, STF will also screen PSYCHIATRY IN RUSSIA, the first film Al Maysles made after training as a psychologist himself. At the time, Russia was a mysterious world behind the Iron Curtain. Maysles tours its psychiatric hospitals comparing their Pavlovian theories to the west’s Freudianism. This early work demonstrates Maysles skill at capturing faces that have made him one of the most sought after cameramen to this day.
Visit the Maysles Films website: www.mayslesfilms.com/
Director: Albert MayslesScreened: SPRING 2008 June 03, 2008 8:00 pm
Tell a friend about this film
Join the STF Mailing List »
Upcoming Screenings
Sep 20: THE HOUSE OF STEINBRENNER
by Barbara KoppleSTF pre-season MONDAY SPECIAL (Season passes now on sale at early bird rate through Thurs. Sept. 16; Individual tickets go on sale Fri. Sept. 17, subject to availability) Love them or hate them, ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Sep 28: MARWENCOL
by Jeff MalmbergSTF Fall Season Opening Night (Season passes now on sale at early bird rate through Thurs. Sept. 16; Individual tickets go on sale later in Sept.) STF kicks off its fall season with MARWENCOL, ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Oct 5: AMERICAN SPLENDOR
by Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini(Season passes now on sale at early bird rate through Thurs. Sept. 16; Individual tickets go on sale later in Sept.) STF pays tribute to Harvey Pekar, who recently died, with this special screening ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Oct 12: ON COAL RIVER
by Francine Cavanaugh & Adams WoodON COAL RIVER takes viewers on a gripping emotional journey into the Coal River Valley of West Virginia, where longtime local residents begin to uncover the toxic effects of America’s increased ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Oct 19: THE CANAL STREET MADAM
by Cameron YatesUntil an FBI bust upended her life, Jeanette Maier was a successful New Orleans madam. Her discreet clientele included a number of powerful, high-ranking politicians. The ensuing very public trial - ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Oct 26: TAKING ON THE KENNEDYS
by Joshua Seftel“A film that would be mistaken for a Robert Altman political satire if it weren’t absolutely and horribly true.” —USA TODAY When Kevin Vigilante took on Patrick Kennedy for a seat in the U.S. House ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Nov 2: WO AI NI MOMMY (I LOVE YOU MOMMY)
by Stephanie Wang-BrealIn presenting WO AI NI MOMMY with the Sterling Award for Best US Feature this past June, the jury at Silverdocs noted: “The film dives so deeply into its story that the filmmaker’s hands disappear. ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Nov 9: WAR DON DON
by Rebecca Richman CohenProfiled in Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces in Independent Film as an “up-and-comer poised to shape the next generation of independent film”, Rebecca Richman Cohen won Special Jury at SXSW and the ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Nov 16: 12TH & DELAWARE
by Heidi Ewing & Rachel GradyHeidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, the filmmaking team behind the 2006 Oscar-nominated doc JESUS CAMP, take us on another controversial journey with 12TH & DELAWARE. Description from Sundance 2010 ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Nov 23: MARLENE
by Maximilian SchellDirector Maximilian Schell got the reclusive Marlene Dietrich to agree to appear in this documentary only on the stipulation that she not be photographed as she looked today. Instead, we only hear ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Nov 30: SURVIVING HITLER: A LOVE STORY
by John-Keith WassonWinner of the Inspiration Award at the 2010 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival As a teenager in Nazi Germany, Jutta is shocked to discover she is Jewish. She joins the German resistance and meets ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
