"American Masters" Andy Warhol: A Documentary (2006)

Director:

Ric Burns

Writers:

Ric Burns
James Sanders

TV Series:

"American Masters" (1985)

Original Air Date:

1 September 2006 (Season 20, Episode 6)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography | History | Music | Romance

Plot:

Ric Burns unearths rarely seen footage and offers keen observations on the life and artistic influence of Andy Warhol. |

Plot Keywords:

Los Angeles California | Pittsburgh Pennsylvania | Art Gallery | Rags To Riches | 1970s

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Laurie Anderson	...	Herself - Narrator
Irving Blum	...	Himself
Salvador Dalí	...	Himself (archive footage)
Candy Darling	...	Himself (archive footage)
Donna De Salvo	...	Herself
Bob Dylan	...	Himself
Pat Hackett	...	Himself
Dave Hickey	...	Himself
Dennis Hopper	...	Himself
Jeff Koons	...	Himself
Paul Morrissey	...	Himself
George Plimpton	...	Himself (archive footage)
John Richardson	...	Himself
Edie Sedgwick	...	Herself (archive footage)
Andy Warhol	...	Himself (archive footage)
Holly Woodlawn	...	Himself

Directed by
Ric Burns

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ric Burns
James Sanders

Produced by
Peter Brant	....	executive producer
Ric Burns	....	producer
Robin Espinola	....	co-producer
Larry Gagosian	....	executive producer
Roger Kass	....	co-executive producer
Marilyn Ness	....	co-producer
Heather Parks	....	associate producer
Mary Recine	....	co-producer
Donald Rosenfeld	....	producer
Henry J. Simonds	....	co-producer: High Line Productions
Diane von Fürstenberg	....	executive producer
Daniel Wolf	....	producer
Alexis Zoullas	....	co-producer: High Line Productions

Original Music by
Brian Keane

Cinematography by
Buddy Squires

Film Editing by
Juliana Parroni
Li-Shin Yu

Production Management
Paulo Padilha	....	post-production supervisor

Sound Department
Carlos M. Cano	....	assistant sound editor
Mariusz Glabinski	....	sound effects editor
Marlena Grzaslewicz	....	dialogue editor
Dan Korintus	....	dialogue editor
Mark Mandler	....	sound recordist
Ira Spiegel	....	sound effects editor
John Zecca	....	sound recordist

Editorial Department
Jacob Steingroot	....	assistant editor
Bill Stokes	....	colorist
Daniel Vatsky	....	image post-production

Music Department
Keith Chirgwin	....	music editor

Other crew
Emma Dutton	....	intern
Chelsea Hoffman	....	production assistant
Nicole London	....	production coordinator
Ryan Marino	....	intern
Joshua Mueller	....	production coordinator
Emma Pildes	....	production assistant
Marin Tockman	....	production coordinator
Kristen Vaurio	....	senior researcher
Harlan Douglas Whatley	....	intern (as Harlan Whatley)

Thanks
Paul Docherty	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• High Line Productions
• Steeplechase Films
• Thirteen / WNET

Distributors

• PBS International (2012) (Non-USA) (all media)

Other Companies

• Celluloid Dreams  world sales

Also Known As:

Runtime:

240 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Company:

High Line Productions

Too much for the average viewer...this is for your PhD in Warhol-ology

If you are looking for a casual introduction to the life of Andy Warhol or if you even want an intermediate look, then I suggest you find another documentary. That's because this one clocks in at a whopping four hours in length!! And, frankly, it seemed like they only had material enough for two or three hours. So, instead of telling his life story, often the film consists of folks who knew him or collected his art saying what a genius he was. A few of these folks seemed a bit overzealous--such as the guy who tried to draw a simile between Warhol and Jesus!! This gushing love and analyses seems VERY repetitive and even self-serving after a while--less would have worked better. Plus, the film really does NOT go in great depth about Warhol's life (despite the length of the show). Some of this is because Warhol LIKED to be seen as superficial and some of it is because instead of talking about HIM, it talks a lot about his work.

It's also problematic because some parts of the film seem incomplete or take HUGE chunks of the film when they shouldn't have. Almost the entire third hour is about his films--art-house films which practically no one ever is exposed to--in great contrast to his art. Oddly, however, his commercial films aren't even mentioned (such as his versions of Dracula and Frankenstein)! I just didn't understand this. Overall, a film that I think should be edited into two or perhaps three hours. Unless you are a HUGE Warhol junkie, there is just too much to keep your interest.