To aid in the selection of videos for your class and research needs, we've created a large number of filmographies on many subject areas.
If you'd like help linking streaming videos to your Canvas Course Reserves or reserving DVDs for you or your students, please contact
mediaservices@american.edu
This is a selective list of video holdings in the American University Library. Filmographies are created by doing multiple keyword searches in the catalog to capture as many titles on a topic as possible.
For complete, up-to-date holdings please search the library catalog search box on the Media Services homepage. (http://www.american.edu/library/mediaservices/) Finding Aids on the same page includes other subject oriented content.
For more information take a look at the Streaming Video Guides and Browsing Collections.
American cinema. 1995. 6 videodiscs (542 min.). An epic analysis of the American motion picture industry that combines rare archival film, key scenes from immortal movies, interviews with leading filmmakers and commentary from noted film scholars and critics. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 8231-8236.
The American nightmare. 2003. 1 videodisc (71 min.). Knife-wielding murderers, buxom teens fleeing for their lives, the undead limping across streets. These images are synonymous with horror movies. Go behind-the-scenes with filmmaker greats as they reveal their inspirations for some of the most disturbingly gruesome films that have emerged on screen. HOME USE COLLECTION DVE 998.
Baadasssss! 2004. 1 videodisc (109 min.). A candid portrait of Melvin Van Peeble's struggles as a young, black director during the society-shifting 70's. Determined to make a film that matters, Melvin deals with two-faced backers, a rag-tag crew, threatening creditors, and various shades of Hollywood hypocrisy. With everything on the line, his only choice is to stick to his guns and do whatever it takes to get his neo-blaxploitation epic to the audience for which it was envisioned. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 2941.
Becoming John Ford. 2007. Ford at Fox collection. 1 videodisc (93 min.). "Becoming John Ford takes a look at the enduring impression Ford made on film and filmmaking"--Container. DVD 391.
Before Hollywood there was Fort Lee, N.J . 2003. 1 videodisc (146 min.). Describes the formative years of the silent screen in Fort Lee, New Jersey film production using actual silent films made in Fort Lee. Includes still photographs, film productions from 1907-1917, and footage from 1935 of the studios in ruins to show the rise and fall of silent filmmaking in Fort Lee. DVD 3776.
The bronze screen 100 years of the Latino image in Hollywood. 2002. Questar DVD collection. 1 videodisc (120 min.). The Bronze screen honors the past, illuminates the present, and opens a window to the future of Latinos in motion pictures. From silent movies to urban gang films, stereotypes of the Greaser, the Lazy Mexican, the Latin lover and the Dark lady are examined. Rare and extensive footage traces the progression of this distorted screen image to the increased prominence of today's Latino actors, writers and directors. DVD 1499.
The brothers Warner. 2010. 1 videodisc (94 min.). Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack, the Warner brothers, turned a storefront into a dream factory. Filmmaker (and Harry's granddaughter) Cass Warner Sperling tells a story of sibling rivalry, social conscience, and the silver screen. It's a story told from the inside by those who lived it and from the outside by film historians. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 9199.
Cinematographer style. 2008. 1 videodisc (86 min.). Pays homage to the artists who transform ideas into images. A visually striking film that creates a collective narrative about the process and progress of filmmaking. Includes interviews with award-winning filmmakers Vittorio Storaro and Gordon Willis. DVD 5233.
Directed by John Ford. 2009. 1 videodisc (110 min.). Reviews the achievements of director John Ford in a series of reminiscences by Ford's actors. DVD 7705.
Easy riders, raging bulls : How the sex-drugs-and-rock 'n' roll generation saved Hollywood. 2004. 2 videodiscs (118 min.). A documentary of Peter Biskind's controversial, best-selling book, which chronicles edgy, impressionistic pictures made by maverick, now-legendary directors such as Scorsese, Coppola, Lucas, Altman, Polanski and Peckinpah. Includes interviews with many directors, writers, actors, etc. Bonus disc (ca. 102 min.) includes more interviews including one with Peter Biskind. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 9308.
The films of David Cronenberg. 2000. 1 videodisc (ca. 60 min.). David Cronenberg talks about his films and the making of them, provides a brief autobiographical introduction of how he got started in his career and follows with film reminiscences giving insights about the production, the casting process, studios, the industry and experiences with collaborators. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 577.
The films of John Frankenheimer.19 99. 1 videodisc (ca. 60 min.). Through in-depth interviews, behind the scenes footage and clips from his films, John Frankenheimer talks about the ideas, influences, motivations, struggles and successes behind his work. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 571.
The films of Martin Scorsese. 2000. 1 videodisc (ca. 60 min.). Martin Scorsese talks about his films and the making of them, provides a brief autobiographical introduction of how he got started in his career, and follows with film reminiscences giving insights about the production, the casting process, studios, the industry and experiences with collaborators. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 580.
The films of Milos Forman. 2000. 1 videodisc (ca. 60 min.). Milos Forman talks about his films and the making of them, provides a brief autobiographical introduction of how he got started in his career, and follows with film reminiscences giving insights about the production, the casting process, studios, the industry and experiences with collaborators. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 578.
The films of Norman Jewison.1999. 1 videodisc (ca. 60 min.). Through in-depth interviews, behind the scenes footage and clips from his films, Norman Jewison talks about the ideas, influences, motivations, struggles and successes behind his work. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 573.
The films of Robert Altman. 2000. 1 videodisc (59 min.). "After six decades in the motion picture industry, Robert Altman remains one of Hollywood's most prolific directors. Famous for using large ensemble casts, Altman practices an improvisational style of filmmaking that give his actors the rare luxury to freely interpret their roles."--Container. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 579.
The films of Spike Lee. 2000. 1 videodisc (60 min.). Through in-depth interviews, behind the scenes footage and clips from his films, Spike Lee talks about the ideas, influences, motivations, struggles and successes behind his work. "I have been blessed with the opportunity to express the views of black people who otherwise don't have access to power and the media. I have to take advantage of that while I am still bankable.". HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 575.
The films of Steven Spielberg. 2000. 1 videodisc (ca. 60 min.). Steven Spielberg talks about his films and the making of them, provides a brief autobiographical introduction of how he got started in his career, and follows with film reminiscences giving insights about the production, the casting process, studios, the industry and experiences with collaborators. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 576.
The films of Sydney Pollack. 1999. 1 videodisc (ca. 60 min.). Through in-depth interviews, behind the scenes footage and clips from his films, Sydney Pollack talks about the ideas, influences, motivations, struggles and successes behind his work. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 572.
The films of William Friedkin. 2000. 1 videodisc (60 min.). Through in-depth interviews, behind the scenes footage and clips from his films, William Friedkin talks about the ideas, influences, motivations, struggles and successes behind his work. Includes filmography and weblink. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 574.
Forbidden Hollywood collection. 2009. 1 videodisc (152 min.). Wild Bill: Hollywood maverick: Documentary exploring the career of noted film directer William A. Wellman. The men who made the movies: William A. Wellman: A documentary from 1973 that describes the life and films of William A. Wellman. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5794.
Great directors. 2011. 2 videodiscs (87 min.). Ten acclaimed filmmakers discuss their careers and their craft. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 10529.
Hearts of darkness : A filmmaker's apocalypse. 2007. 1 videodisc (96 min.). Made by the director's wife, Eleanor Coppola, film is a documentary about the filming of the motion picture, Apocalypse Now. It is the history of a film beset by physical and personal troubles, such as the destruction of the sets by a hurricane and the heart attack that almost cost the life of one of the stars, Martin Sheen. Includes recent interviews with cast and crew. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 2427.
His way; A portrait of Hollywood legend Jerry Weintraub. 2011. 1 videodisc (86 min.). A profile of the legendary entertainment entrepreneur, concert promoter, personal manager, and Hollywood jack-of-all-trades, show business insider Jerry Weintraub's industry endurance makes him a rare bird in the Hollywood Hills. Weintraub recounts his long and winding road for the camera, with one-on-one interviews set in different rooms throughout his home, in front of a gas fireplace, around a poker table, and overlooking his expansive pool. DVD 9532.
Hollywood : An empire of their own. 2005. 1 videodisc (100 min.). Tells several stories, including the rise of American film, the personal sagas of the people who shaped it, and the origins of so-called Hollywood values. Using never-before seen home movies, extensive clips, and interviews, this film presents a groundbreaking portrait of Hollywood. DVD 7330.
Hollywood harems. 1999. 1 videodisc (24 min.). Examines Hollywood stereotypes of the East, with particular attention paid to the Middle East and the depiction of women. DVD 4210.
Hollywood on trial. 2006. 2 videodiscs (100 min.). A courageous and true recording of the story of "The Hollywood Ten", who, in 1947, would not cooperate when accused by the United States government of possible communist loyalties. DVD 7881.
Imaginary witness : Hollywood and the Holocaust. 2009. 1 videodisc (92 min.). This documentary examines the American film and television industry's response to the rise of Adolph Hitler and the Nazi persecution of the Jews before, during, and after World War II. Uses film clips, newsreel footage and interviews of filmmakers and Holocaust survivors. DVD 8070.
Independent's day. 2004. 1 videodisc (54 min.). Critically acclaimed documentary that goes behind the scenes of the Sundance Film Festival and into the lives of the maverick filmmakers who launched their careers there. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 873.
Kid stays in the picture. 2003. 1 videodisc (94 min.). Legendary Hollywood producer Robert Evans, the man behind such films as Rosemary's baby, Love story, Chinatown, and The Godfather - tells it like it is and was in Hollywood. Includes his appeal to the Board of Directors short film that saved Paramount Pictures in 1970. Also, includes archival interviews about Evans with stars and filmmakers. Includes an Evans gag reel. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 714.
The last mogul : The life and times of Lew Wasserman. 2006. 1 videodisc (103 min.). A biography of the Hollywood power broker who spent over 60 years at MCA and Universal Studios. Includes interviews with Jimmy Carter, Robert Evans, Larry King, and Michael Ovitz among others. DVD 3460.
Lightning over water. 2003. The Wim Wenders collection. 1 videodisc (90 min.). In 1979, Wim Wenders traveled to New York City to make a film with legendary director Nicholas Ray. As Ray lays dying of cancer, he reflects on his life and career. The resulting film tells a moving story both about friendship and a life in cinema. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 3651.
Lost in La Mancha. 2003. 2 videodiscs (91 min.). Tracks maverick filmmaker Terry Gilliam's madcap mission to film "The man who killed Don Quixote". He struggles to complete his masterpiece, all the while beset by obstacles of such epic proportions that not even Hollywood could have concocted them. Capturing the mayhem on camera, filmmakers Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe are granted unlimited, behind-the-scenes access to Gilliam's frantic but inspired creation. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 234.
Lynch (One). 2007. New York Times Critics' Pick: New York Times Critics' Pick. 1 videodisc (82 mins). Lynch is a rare glimpse into the fascinating mind of one of cinema's greatest directors. Footage was gathered over a two year period and documents David Lynch's many creative interests as well as his passion for filmmaking.--Container. DVD 5128.
Mickey Mouse monopoly Disney : Childhood and corporate power. 2002. 1 videodisc (52 min.). This program takes a close and critical look at the world Disney films create and reaches disturbing conclusions about the values propagated under the guise of innocence and fun. DVD 2242.
Moguls & movie stars a history of Hollywood. 2011. 3 videodiscs (419 min.). The American movie business started as peepshows and grew into a near-mythical art form that used an exciting new technology to create drama, laughter and adventure literally bigger than life. Here is the whole story -- the glamour and the sweat, the collaborations and the conflicts, the careers that skyrocketed and the dreams that crashed -- in the biggest production ever from Turner Classic Movies, the leading authority on classic movies and film history. Seven enthralling hours of movie clips, rare footage, interviews and keen insight from Hollywood insiders and historians trace moviemaking from its humble beginnings through the Golden Age to the New Hollywood of the '60s. It's a saga as exciting as any that ever appeared on the silver screen.--Container. DVD 8381-8383.
Murnau, Borzage and Fox. 2008. 1 videodisc (106 min.). "Think of three men... an obsessed Jewish businessman (William Fox), a visionary German artist (F.W. Murnau), and an idealistic American Catholic (Frank Borzage). For a few short years their fates were intertwined and together these three men, the mogul, the artist, and the romantic would change the face of cinema" (from film introduction). Includes commentary by film critics and historians with extensive archival film footage. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5332.
Official rejection. 2008. 1 videodisc (107 min.). This documentary takes a realistic look at the politics, pitfalls, and comic tragedies that independent movie producers encounter when struggling to find placement at a major film festival. DVD 8350.
Oliver Stone, inside out. 2007. 1 videodisc (74 min.). The program intersperses interviews, still photos and home movies of Stone's earlier years and scenes from his major motion pictures to show how Stone's fascination and personal involvement in the major events of the 1960s (including combat experience in Vietnam, experimentation with drugs, rock music and political activism) provided the passion and material for his films. DVD 8716.
Overnight. 2005. 1 videodisc (82 min.). Chronicles one man's extraordinary misadventures in making a Hollywood movie Alternately hilarious and horrifying, it starts out as a rags to riches story as Troy Duffy, a Boston-bred bartender, sells his first screenplay. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 9255.
Poliwood when Hollywood crashes the political party. 2010. 1 videodisc (91 min.). Academy Award-winning director Barry Levinson sets out to explore the collision and collusion at the intersection between politics and Hollywood. Gives the viewer a front row seat and backroom access to the most significant presidential campaign of the 21st century. Features interviews with high-profile celebrities and powerful political figures. Engaging and powerful, Poliwood gives insider access to the influence Hollywood has over today's political process. DVD 7966.
POM Wonderful presents the greatest movie ever sold. 2011. 1 videodisc (87 min.). Morgan Spurlock brings a comedic documentary about branding, advertising, and product placement that is financed and made possible by brands, advertising, and product placement. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 8963.
Project Greenlight. 2002. 4 videodiscs (453 min.). Documentary series about the making of a feature film. An Internet competition was held to determine which script would get produced. Out of more than 10,000 entries, former insurance salesman Pete Jones was selected as the winner for his script "Stolen Summer." Jones not only got to direct the film, but was also given a $1 million budget from Miramax Films and a guaranteed theatrical release. The series chronicled how Jones, a first-time director, had to manage the difficulties involved in making his movie. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5161-5164.
Reel bad Arabs : How Hollywood vilifies a people. 2006. 1 videodisc (50 min.). Throughout its history Hollywood has portrayed Arabs as buffoons or bandits. The video seeks to rectify this sterotyping by comparing it to other forms of racist imagery and by suggesting alternative narratives that treat the Arabs as human, not demons. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 2351 and Streaming Video
http://proxyau.wrlc.org/login?url=http://www.american.edu/customcf/catalog_video.cfm?callNum=8605464
Reel Injun : On the trail of the Hollywood Indian. 2010. 1 videodisc (88 min.). Hollywood has an impressive track record, one that spans more than 4,000 films, of blatantly misrepresenting Native people and their cultures. Featuring interviews with filmmakers and activists such as Clint Eastwood, Jim Jarmusch and Russell Means, Reel Injun delves into the fascinating history of the Hollywood Indian with razor-sharp insight and humor, tracing its checkered cinematic evolution from the silent film era to today. DVD 9681.
RKO 281: The battle over Citzen Kane. 2000. 1 videodisc (87 min.). The battle between Orson Welles and Wm. Randolf Hearst over Citizen Kane is the stuff of legend, rich with tales of sexual blackmail, money and threats behind closed doors . HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 3547.
Schlock! the secret history of American movies. 2003. 1 videodisc (89 min.). The wild no-holds barred independent American filmmakers of the '50s and '60s tell their own story in this critically acclaimed survey of exploitation and sexploitation filmmaking. DVD 3958.
The sci-fi boys. 2006. 1 videodisc (80 min.). Legendary sci-fi directors Peter Jackson, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and others started out as kids making amateur movies inspired by Famous Monsters magazine. They grew up to take Hollywood by storm, inventing the art and technology for filming anything the mind can dream. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 8637.
Sidney Lumet. 2002. The directors. 1 videodisc (60 min.). Profile of director Sidney Lumet, featuring extensive film clips and interviews with actors who have worked with him. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 570.
Spine tingle : The William Castle story. 2009. William Castle film collection: William Castle film collection. 1 videodisc (81 min.). An extensive biography of the American film producer and director William Castle, with a focus on his classic horror films. Castle was famous for directing films with many gimmicks which were ambitiously promoted, despite being reasonably low budget B-movies. Includes extensive film clips and commentary by his family, friends and actors, producers, directors and film historians . HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 8697.
Stanley Kubrick : A life in pictures. 2001. Stanley Kubrick collection. 1 videodisc (143 min.). Documentary about the career of director Stanley Kubrick, drawing on Kubrick archives and offering an intimate portrait of his life among family and friends. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 2787.
The story of film : An odyssey. 2011. 5 videodiscs (915 min.). The story of film: an odyssey, written and directed by award-winning film-maker Mark Cousins, is the story of international cinema told through the history of cinematic innovation. Five years in the making, The Story of Film: An Odyssey covers six continents and 12 decades, showing how film-makers are influenced both by the historical events of their times, and by each other. It provides worldwide guided tour of the greatest movies ever made; an epic tale that starts in nickelodeons and ends as a multi-billion dollar globalised digital industry. Described as a 'love letter' to the movies, Cousins visits the key sites in the history of cinemal from Hollywood to Mumbai; from Hitchcock's London to the village where Pather Panchali was shot, and features interviews with legendary filmmakers and actors including Stanley Donen, Kyoko Kagawa, Gus van Sant, Lars Von Trier, Claire Denis, Bernardo Bertolucci, Robert Towne, Jane Campion and Claudia Cardinale. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 10120.
Tales from the script. 2010. 1 videodisc (105 min.). Screenwriters ranging from newcomers to living legends share their triumphs and hardships in a probing, insightful, and often hilarious odyssey through the world of movie storytelling. Celebrated scribes reveal the fascinating creative adventures that gave birth to beloved classics (and notorious flops). By analyzing their triumphs and recalling their failures, the participants explain how successful writers develop the skills necessary for toughing out careers in Hollywood. DVD 7993.
This film is not yet rated. 2007. 1 videodisc (98 min.). Kirby Dick's provocative film investigates the secretive and inconsistent process by which the Motion Picture Association of America rates films. Kirby looks at some of the controversial rating decisions of the past four decades, hires a private eye to find out who these anonymous raters are and puts his own film through the rating process. DVD 2414.
Val Lewton : Tthe man in the shadows. 2008. 1 videodisc (87 min.). A portrait of Val Lewton, the Hollywood genius who fused light and dark, the bizarre and the everyday into hypnotic gems that transcended the horror genre. Features insightful analysis, on-screen interviews with Lewton collaborators and clips from his films. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 4596.
Who needs sleep? 2006. 1 videodisc (78 min.). Shows how sleep deprivation and the long work hours of film crews are deadly and hurting their quality of life. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 2577.
Without lying down : Frances Marion and the power of women in Hollywood. 2001. 1 videodisc (56 min.). This insightful documentary gives voice to Frances Marion's words taken from her letters, diaries and memoirs. Footage from more than twenty of Marion's movies align with commentary by pre-eminent silent film historian Kevin Brownlow, critic Leonard Maltin and Marion's celebrated biographer, Cari Beauchamp. DVD 686.
Working with Orson Welles. 1999. 1 videodisc (94 min.). The story of the Welle's project, the never finished "The other side of the wind," with clips of Welles and interviews with his friends and associates, including many technicians and actors who were eager to be in any project that was attached to Welles. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 71.
You must remember this: The Warner Bros. story. 2009. 2 videodiscs (289 min.). Follow Clint Eastwood as he guides you through the history of one of the greatest motion picture studios. From it's early days where it's major star was four-legged through the Depression and war until it emerges as a 21st century giant. DVD 6480.