Woody Allen talks about his life and work as a writer, dramatist and film-maker and discusses his creative sources, theoretical approaches and working methods. Shows scenes from some of his major films including “Annie Hall”, “Love and Death”, “Sleep”, “The Night Club Years” and “Take the Money and Run”.
Tag: USA
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., discusses his development as a writer, including reference to some of his major novels, his themes and their meaning, his relationship to other writers, problems in sustaining his special vision of American life, and his future. Accompanied by photographs which chronicle the author’s life and selections from home movies taken during his youth.
Hollywood producer Duncan DeGrasse is preparing for the debut of his anti-Nazi motion picture, ‘The Earth is in Flames.’ To generate hype, his press agents create elaborate events for the premiere. One of these stunts involves hiring phony spies to make the audience think they’re in real danger. However, among the fake spies are German and Italian operatives.
Rags to riches to rags comedy loosely based on the director Steve Burrows’ actual experiences while writing screenplays in Los Angeles. Burrows (aka “Milwaukee Steve”) finally makes it big as “The Crotch Fresh” commercial guy, but then can’t catch another break — not even when he auditions for a new Crotch Fresh commercial! He decides the only way to make a comeback as an actor is to fake his own death, then make a glorious return.
A cine-poem. Presents the sights, sounds, beauty, and rhythm of rain as it comes to living things on a farm and to people in the city. Explains that rain is a source of the water which we use, and that it affects plants and other living things as well as people working in the community.
The creation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Commission would soon render anachronistic such crime melodramas as One Way Ticket. Upon discovering that a prominent banker has absconded with his customers’ funds, Jerry, one of the unlucky depositors, reacts by turning thief. He steals exactly the amount that he’d deposited, whereupon the cops close in and arrest him. Still feeling that he was merely getting back what was due him, Jerry bitterly stews in a jail cell until he’s swept up in a prison breakout. The other escapees are killed, but Jerry manages to get away, though from this moment forward he’s forced to live the toad-like life of a fugitive.
A young Pennsylvania man moves to Los Angeles to begin work for an ambulance service. There he is teamed with a supremely confident vet who seemingly has gone through a large number of partners. Initially the novice is awed by the more experienced man’s capabilities to deal with the high pressure situations they encounter. However, gradually he discovers that all is not as it seems. While the vet is ice on the surface, he actually gets through the ordeals by heavy drug use and avoids commitments. Soon the younger man finds himself pulled into the same world and has to decide what direction he wants to take.
An old man is outraged at the city when a teenage boy is beaten to death after being denied refuge in the old man’s home. A young teacher is determined to learn the truth about the murder of one of his students, a Hispanic teenager, who is beaten to death in a racial attack. He was denied refuge in the home of an old man and his wife.