Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy

Jun 23, 2023

1h 42m

★ 5.8

Overview

This is not a documentary about the making of Midnight Cowboy. It is about a humane and groundbreaking masterpiece and the flawed but gifted people who made it. It is about a troubled era of cultural ferment, social and political change, about broken dreams and strivers, then and now. It is about an era that made a movie and a movie that made an era.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Augusta Films

Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy Trailers

Cast

Self

Bob Balaban

Self

Ian Buruma

Self

Michael Childers

Self

Brian De Palma

Self

James Hoberman

Self

Adam Holender

Self

Charles Kaiser

Self

Jennifer Salt

Self

Lucy Sante

Self

Brenda Vaccaro

Self

Jon Voight

Self

Edmund White

A detailed history of documentary filmmaking in the US and the UK from 1929 to 1945. The first part, Working for Change, focuses on 1929-1941 and the social movements of the times, The Great Depression, The New Deal, and the awakening of the Leftwing in the UK. The second part, The Strategy of Truth, focuses on 1933-1946 and explores the role of film as propaganda during World War II, and the different forms it took in the US, the UK, and Germany.

0.0

Cinematographer

Dec 4, 2020

The life of Donald M. Morgan, one of Hollywood’s most prolific artists, is a unique, rags-to-riches story about a man who’s had a life-changing effect on the people around him, both personally and professionally. By sharing stories of his lengthy career, working with filmmakers like Robert Zemeckis, John Carpenter and Joseph Sargent, Morgan recounts pivotal moments in the art of filmmaking for over four decades, through interviews with fellow greats Owen Roizman (The Exorcist) and Jack N. Green (Unforgiven). But at the heart of the film is an emotional journey along the road to recovery in an industry that is ripe with dysfunction and addiction. Inspiring, heartbreaking, and funny, “Cinematographer” shares the story of one of the film industry's finest human beings.

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10.0

Femme Fatales with Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly

Aug 18, 2014

Retrospective interview with Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly included with the 2014 Blu-ray by Arrow Video.

7.4

Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story

Jun 20, 2025

The authorized documentary celebrating the film that redefined Hollywood, 50 years after its premiere. Featuring rare archival footage and interviews with acclaimed Hollywood directors alongside Steven Spielberg, top shark scientists, and conservationists, the film uncovers the behind-the-scenes chaos and how the film launched the summer blockbuster, inspired a new wave of filmmakers, and paved the way for shark conservation that continues today.

7.7

The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster

Jan 1, 1999

The history of Frankenstein's journey from novel to stage to screen to icon.

10.0

Un día por Málaga

Jun 26, 2024

Emilio Pascual, a historical figure of Andalusian cinema from the early 1900s, appears in today's Malaga with the mission of bringing the first documentary filmed in Andalusia to its first screening.

7.1

Score: A Film Music Documentary

Mar 16, 2017

Music is an integral part of most films, adding emotion and nuance while often remaining invisible to audiences. Matt Schrader shines a spotlight on the overlooked craft of film composing, gathering many of the art form’s most influential practitioners, from Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman to Quincy Jones and Randy Newman, to uncover their creative process. Tracing key developments in the evolution of music in film, and exploring some of cinema’s most iconic soundtracks, 'Score' is an aural valentine for film lovers.

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7.7

Cabin Fever: Beneath the Skin

Jan 20, 2004

No overview available.

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6.0

Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever - Behind the Scenes

Feb 16, 2010

No overview available.

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0.0

Take 2

Invalid Date

Short film by Sandi Mitchell showing footage of the ruins of the NFB's Halifax office after it was destroyed in a fire in 1991.

7.0

The Omen Legacy

Oct 30, 2001

The true stories that spawned the serie tale of Damien, a small boy with an angelic face, whose very name still conjures up thoughts of Satan. This documentary shares spine-tingling information about the the all-too-memorable flick that has terrorized film audiences since 1976.

8.0

The Unknown Peter Sellers

Apr 25, 2000

Documentary about the life and career of a comic genius, Peter Sellers.

7.6

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

Nov 16, 2013

Follows the behind-the-scenes work of Studio Ghibli, focusing on the notable figures Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki.

0.0

Linda Joy

Oct 15, 1985

A beautiful and vital film that tells the story of a young woman's fight with death.

7.0

That Guy Dick Miller

Mar 7, 2014

Documentary about veteran character actor Dick Miller, whose career in and outside of Hollywood has spanned almost 200 films across six decades, featuring a diverse range of interviews with directors, co-stars, and contemporaries.

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0.0

Modern Noir: The Sights & Sounds of 'Bound'

Aug 18, 2014

Retrospective featurette included with the 2014 Blu-ray by Arrow Video.

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0.0

Hail Ceasar with Joe Pantoliano

Aug 18, 2014

Retrospective interview with Joe Pantoliano included with the 2014 Blu-ray by Arrow Video.

7.0

Andrey Zvyagintsev. The Director

Dec 8, 2017

Portrait of director Andrey Zvyagintsev against the background of the filming of his film "Loveless".

7.0

Un film (autoportrait)

May 23, 1984

The shooting diary of a film shot in France and in the United States. Using photos of Paris and of New York City, excerpts of his former films, statements by friends of his and shooting sequences of the film itself, tormented filmmaker Marcel Hanoun has made a heterogeneous and unclassifiable film about the difficulty of filming.

8.0

Bernard Blier, façon puzzle

Dec 23, 2020

In a career spanning more than half a century, Bernard Blier has shot more than 180 films. He alone represents a history of French cinema without having spent his time cultivating its legend. He crossed his century as an actor with the modesty of a craftsman. He believed in learning, know-how and transmission. He considered himself, like the butcher or the cabinetmaker, as a man useful to his fellow men. Bernard Blier found in Louis Jouvet, who was his teacher at the Conservatory, a master at playing, a mentor and even a spiritual father. Jouvet taught Blier the love of acting, theater and Molière. And if he knew how to take hold of Michel Audiard's best tirades like no one else, notably those of the "Tontons Flingueurs", it is to this apprenticeship that he owes it.