New Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 247

Edith Head

1981

Edith Head

1981
A light-hearted, toe-tapping portrait of the well-known 8 Oscar winning Hollywood costume designer filmed in her opulent house and garden. Edith Head presents some of her famous designs using glamorous models to impersonate Mae West, Barbara Stanwyck, Dorothy Lamour, Ginger Rogers, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly. They move to the music of the films for which she was the designer as Head recalls the times and places that served as inspiration for the famed looks.
Stations of the Elevated

1981

Stations of the Elevated

1981
7.4
Stations of the Elevated exposes viewers to an underground art scene- that is, one found exclusively on the sides of subways and train cars. A moving portrait of late-70's NYC, the film boasts a soundtrack by jazz legends Charles Mingus & Aretha Franklin.
The Animals Film

1981

The Animals Film

1981
9
The film offers a comprehensive examination of the exploitation of animals in modern society.
Model

1981

Model

1981
5.8
MODEL shows male and female models at work on TV commercials, fashion shows, magazine covers, and advertising for a variety of products, including designer collections, fur coats, sports clothes and automobiles. The models are seen at work with photographers whose techniques illustrate different styles of fashion and product photography. The business aspect of running an agency is also shown: interviewing prospective models, career counseling, arranging portfolios, talking with clients, and planning trips. The film presents a view of the intersections of fashion, business, advertising, photography, television and fantasy.
Imagine the Sound

1981

Imagine the Sound

1981
6.6
An examination, shown through both interviews and performances, of the avant-garde free jazz movement which reigned during the 1960s.
The New Deal for Artists

1981

The New Deal for Artists

1981
The Arts Project of the Work Projects Administration (1935-1942) was a USA government agency established to support writers, theater people, painters, sculptors, and photographers.
The Decline of Western Civilization

1981

The Decline of Western Civilization

1981
7.2
The Los Angeles punk music scene circa 1980 is the focus of this film. With Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline, Circle Jerks, Fear, Germs, and X.
Backs to the Blast: An Australian Nuclear Story

1981

Backs to the Blast: An Australian Nuclear Story

1981
A document of Australia's nuclear industrial history, from uranium mining and its toxic legacy to the nuclear weapons tests conducted at Maralinga in South Australia.
The Willmar 8

1981

The Willmar 8

1981
6
Risking jobs, friends, family and the opposition of church and community, eight unassuming women begin the longest bank strike in American history.
There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace: Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues

1981

There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace: Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues

1981
Chronicles the history of Negro Leagues baseball by using rare historical footage and interviews with black baseball greats.
From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China

1981

From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China

1981
5.6
A beautiful expression of two differing cultures brought together by the warmth and dedication of a great musician and humanitarian. In 1979, as China re-opened its doors to the West, virtuoso Isaac Stern received an unprecedented government invitation to tour the country. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2000.
A Sizwe Bansi Workshop

1981

A Sizwe Bansi Workshop

1981
The play, Sizwe Bansi is Dead, follows the main character, Sizwe, as he writes to his wife after an unsuccessful search for a new job and better life for his family. This film places the viewer in the discussions between the writers of the play: Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona as they attempt to explain and re-write the play.
It's A Long Road Back

1981

It's A Long Road Back

1981
Made by Oomera (Coral) Edwards on Super 8mm film as a training exercise at the (then) Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies in Canberra. The film surveys the New South Wales policy of taking Aboriginal children from their families and putting them in institutions run by the Aborigines Welfare Board. From 1883 to 1969, this policy deprived generations of children of their Aboriginal identity. Oomera was one of these children, and she discusses her own struggle to regain her Aboriginality.
You Have Struck a Rock!

1981

You Have Struck a Rock!

1981
You Have Struck A Rock! commemorates the special contribution of South African women to the success of the anti-apartheid struggle. It recovers the remarkable "women's campaigns" of the 1950s against the hated pass system. This massive, non-violent civil disobedience movement was only finally crushed by the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre and the banning of anti-apartheid organizations. Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Dora Tamana and other leaders recall this struggle and their imprisonment and banning. Yet they remain undaunted, demonstrating the South African proverb: "When you have touched a woman, you have struck a rock."
Jean Genet: An Interview with Antoine Bourseiller

1981

Jean Genet: An Interview with Antoine Bourseiller

1981
An interview with artist, playwright, and political activist Jean Genet.
Pablo Picasso: The Legacy of a Genius

1981

Pablo Picasso: The Legacy of a Genius

1981
An assessment of the 20th century's best known artist and his vast achievements through the insights and speculations of over a dozen participants. Filmed on the 100th anniversary of Picasso's birth at MoMA, Musée Picasso, Walker Art Center, Museu Picasso Barcelona. Featuring Henry Moore, Anthony Caro, David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rosenblum, Clement Greenberg, Roland Penrose and others.
A Balinese Trance Seance

1981

A Balinese Trance Seance

1981
Bringing offerings of rice, flowers, and woven coconut leaves, clients visit Jero in her household shrine to determine the cause of their son's death. Jero lights an incense brazier, sprinkles holy water, and recites mantras as preliminaries to trance. Several ancestors and finally the young son speak through her voice, revealing the nature of his premature death (witchcraft) and his wishes for cremation. In contrast to other films about Balinese trance which focus on spectacular, community performances, this film provides an intimate view of a fascinating process of communication between Jero, the spirits, and her clients who are at one point moved to tears. (der.org)
Mark Rappaport: The TV Spin-Off

1980

Mark Rappaport: The TV Spin-Off

1980
4
In Mark Rappaport: The TV Spin-off, the filmmaker conducts a guided tour of his work that explains everything... and nothing. Rappaport shows himself to be the cinematic equivalent of Penn and Teller.
Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe

1980

Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe

1980
7
Directors Werner Herzog and Errol Morris make a bet which results in Herzog living up to his promise that he would eat his shoe if Errol Morris ever completed the film Gates of Heaven.
Making Dances: Seven Post-Modern Choreographers

1980

Making Dances: Seven Post-Modern Choreographers

1980
Made in 1980, this film explores the contemporary dance scene through the work of seven New York-based choreographers. They discuss the nature of dance and the evolution of their own work. Filmed at rehearsals, performances, and during interviews, the film is a unique primary source. The artistic roots of these seven artists can be found in Martha Graham's concern with modern life as a subject for dance and in Merce Cunningham's emphasis on the nature of movement. In the 1960s, the interaction of art forms generated choreographic innovations. Especially influential was John Cage, whose radical ideas served as a point of departure for much of the new choreography. Each of the choreographers in Making Dances draws inspiration from the Graham/Cunningham tradition, yet each makes a highly distinctive statement. Structure, movement in non-fictive time and space, and the nature of movement itself are recurring themes.