Documentary made by Alan Ladd Jr's daughter Amanda, looking to find out what her father was doing as producer, studio head etc at possibly the expense of being an ever present father.
I am wary of these documentaries, of which this is one of many, which wallow in the genius of studio heads that green light successful award winning films, labelling them as legends, ignoring all the rubbish they've churned out. This though is a fascinating insight into how and why films get made and is a must for any film fan. It does seem to highlight the difference between single artistic vision from someone who loved and understood movies ie it was Ladd Jr's sole decision on everything and today where it is decided largely by committees looking to make the most money - like having a film directed by a dozen bank executives. As a result he made huge numbers of acclaimed, original and money spinning films, but the film here crucially does not shy away from highlighting misguided projects and numerous flops. It also makes clear that he was not exclusively driven by the need for 'art for art's sake' and understood that films were a business and needed to make money as noted in his annoyance in the making of 'The Right Stuff'. An interesting documentary then with the usual array of famous talking heads - it is one of the better ones and after seeing it, you do realise how film making is not what it was.
I am wary of these documentaries, of which this is one of many, which wallow in the genius of studio heads that green light successful award winning films, labelling them as legends, ignoring all the rubbish they've churned out. This though is a fascinating insight into how and why films get made and is a must for any film fan. It does seem to highlight the difference between single artistic vision from someone who loved and understood movies ie it was Ladd Jr's sole decision on everything and today where it is decided largely by committees looking to make the most money - like having a film directed by a dozen bank executives. As a result he made huge numbers of acclaimed, original and money spinning films, but the film here crucially does not shy away from highlighting misguided projects and numerous flops. It also makes clear that he was not exclusively driven by the need for 'art for art's sake' and understood that films were a business and needed to make money as noted in his annoyance in the making of 'The Right Stuff'. An interesting documentary then with the usual array of famous talking heads - it is one of the better ones and after seeing it, you do realise how film making is not what it was.