Kent Jones
2021Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows
Kent Jones
Martin Scorsese, Elias Koteas
Martin Scorsese narrates this tribute to Val Lewton, the producer of a series of memorable low-budget horror films for RKO Studios. Raised by his mother and his aunt, his films often included strong female characters who find themselves in difficult situations and who have to grow up quickly. He is best remembered for the horror films he made at RKO starting in 1940. Starting with only a title - his first was The Cat People - he would meticulously oversee every aspect of the film's completion. Although categorized as horror films, his films never showed a monster, leaving it all to the viewers imagination, assisted by music, mood and lighting.
Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows
A Letter to Elia
Kent Jones, Martin Scorsese
Elia Kazan, Martin Scorsese
Director Martin Scorsese speaks candidly and passionately about one of his formative filmmaking influences: the late Elia Kazan. Utilizing precisely chosen clips from Kazan's signature films including "On the Waterfront," "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Gentleman's Agreement," "Baby Doll," "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," "A Face in the Crowd," "America, America," and "The Last Tycoon," and interview footage of the director himself, co-directors Scorsese and Kent Jones recount the director's tumultuous journey from the Group Theatre to the Hollywood A-list to the thicket of the blacklist. But most of all, they make a powerful case for Kazan as a profoundly personal artist working in a famously impersonal industry.
A Letter to Elia
Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny
Karen Bernstein, Louis Black
Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke
Highlighting one of the most innovative American directors, this film reveals the path traveled by the auteur from his small-town Texas roots to his warm reception on the awards circuit. Long before he directed Boyhood, Richard Linklater’s intense desire to create fueled his work outside the Hollywood system. Rather than leave Texas, he chose to collaborate with like-minded artists crafting modest, low-budget films in a DIY style. His ability to showcase realistic characters and tell honest stories was evident from his films, and others soon took notice of his raw talent.
Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny
Lady by the Sea: The Statue of Liberty
Kent Jones, Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Film-maker Martin Scorsese looks back over the impact of The Statue of Liberty on the twentieth century, her evolution and what she meant to people of the past and what she continues to mean after September eleventh, 2001.
Lady by the Sea: The Statue of Liberty
Johnny Guitar: A Film Like No Other
Gillian Wallace Horvat
Miriam Bale, Kent Jones
Critics Kent Jones, B. Ruby Rich, Joe McElhaney and Miriam Bale discuss the unique qualities of "Johnny Guitar," its lasting appeal and the influence the film had on some prominent directors during the years.
Johnny Guitar: A Western Like No Other
