13. Ed Wood (1994)
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp portray the true story of Edward J. Wood Jr., widely hailed as the worst film director of all time. His passion for the craft, bordering on delusional, was sorely unmatched by his expertise. But thankfully that didn’t stop him. Otherwise how would we have got such masterpieces as Plan 9 from Outer Space, Bride of the Monster and Glen or Glenda?
Watch a trailer for the movie here.
14. Enter Laughing (1967)
Your utter hopelessness in acting should not come in the way of your love for acting is the moral of this story. A nice young man works at a machine repair shop and dreams of becoming a great actor some day. His parents of course will have none of it and want him to be a pharmacist. Yet somehow he lands up in the cast of a lowbrow production. But more than the stage fright, the sourcing of a tuxedo for costume is what’s bothering him.
Watch a trailer for the movie here.
15. Frances (1982)
Love for acting stands no chance against hate for the status quo in this memorable film. Jessica Lange gives the performance of her lifetime as Frances Farmer, the vulnerable Hollywood icon of the thirties. Her refusal to play by the rules of the industry and the media led to her ostracization, institutionalization and finally forced lobotomy. A Kurt Cobainesque tale of fighting the system and losing.
Watch a trailer for the movie here.
16. Get Shorty (1995)
A secret passion for producing movies can blossom in anybody’s heart, even a Miami loan shark’s. He was happily going on his mundane routine of scaring people, recovering debts and getting rich till he bumps into a B-grade Horror Movie producer, neck-deep into debt. He is pleasantly surprised when he finds out that his skill set as a thug comes very handy as a film producer. Dreams do come true in tinsel town.
Watch a trailer for the movie here.
17. Goodbye Dragon Inn! (Bu San) (2003)
Love for movies has a lot to do with the love for the movie going experience. In this ode to the old world way of watching movies, Director Tsai Ming-liang takes us to the last screening of a rundown Chinese movie theatre that used to be the talk of the town in its heydays.
Today, in this screening of a vintage martial arts classic – there are no flowers, no media and no speeches. Only a ragtag bunch of people who are hiding from the rain, quickie seekers and a few old-timers. A tawdry funeral for a grand old dame.
Watch a trailer for the movie here.
18. Harishchandrachi Factory (2009)
The madness for watching and making movies is as frequent as common cold today. But in the 1910’s it was as alien as AIDS. Yet Dhundhiraj Govinda Phalke of Bombay managed to come down with it and didn’t come round till he made the very first feature film of India - Raja Harishchandra. This Marathi film is based on that uphill journey that a made a pioneer out of a madman, narrated with a masterly light touch and playful irreverence rarely found in biopics.
Watch a trailer for the movie here.
19. I Knew It was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (2009)
Here’s documenting a man whose consuming passion for acting was only stoked by cancer eating away at his life. John Cazale acted only in five films in his entire career: as Fredo Corleone in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), as Stan in The Conversation (1974), as Sal in Dog Day Afternoon (1975) and as Stan in The Deer Hunter (1978). The fact that all five were nominated for Best Picture Academy Awards was neither sheer luck, nor pure coincidence. And John Cazale’s performance was one of the many reasons, without any doubt. In this documentary, the doyens of Hollywood reminisce, analyze and express their awe at what could have happened if cancer didn’t take him away.
Watch a trailer for the movie here.
20. Innocence Unprotected (Nevinost bez Zastite) (1968)
Synopsis: Love for good-old-fashioned movie melodrama is a surprisingly powerful emotion. In this Serbo-Croatian documentary about a documentary of the same name made in 1942 Nazi occupied Belagrade, we meet Dragoljub Aleksic, a master acrobat and passionate filmmaker. His film, which mostly consisted of his performances and his accounts of fascination for a certain lady, was full of such cheerful naivete and B-grade showmanship that it stood up against the Nazi oppression stood for without the least bit of politics or sloganeering.
Watch a trailer for the movie here.
21. Living in Oblivion (1995)
Love for making films your way is a path littered with Murphy’s Law booby traps. Nobody understands that better than an Indie film director in this hilariously bitter film. During the nightmarish shoot he longs only for three things – espresso, aspirin and a miracle. But the third one seems to be in a short supply when the floor is full of an inept crew, arrogant actors and a dwarf with major ego problems.
Watch a trailer for the movie here.
22. Man of Marble (Czlowiek z Marmuru) (1977)
Too much love for your first film can bring in a lot of hate your way. In this Polish hidden gem of a film, a young film student pours her heart and soul in her diploma film about the 1950’s son-of-the-soil icon bricklayer, Birkut. He was a man so honest and dedicated to his proletarian ideals, he made a lot of powerful enemies. History repeats itself when the filmmaker, inspired by the same virtues, strives to create the real portrait of Birkut in the film. Her unnerved Supervisor starts doing everything in his power to kill the project.
Watch a trailer for the movie here.
23. Man with a Movie Camera (Chelovek's Kino-apparatom) (1929)
This heartwarming silent oldie celebrates every aspect of filmmaking with the wide-eyed enthusiasm of a child. A cameraman roams the streets to chronicle a day in the life of Soviet Union with dazzling inventiveness. Then he edits and screens his labour of love to an eager audience. What results is pure magic.
Watch a trailer for the movie here.
24. Milky Way Liberation Front (Eunha-haebang-jeonseon) (2007)
A rookie young Korean filmmaker is torn between his love for a girl and love for the craft and neither of those does him any good. The girl leaves, leaving him so devastated that he develops a speech disorder. The writing process of the movie leaves him feeling blocked and inadequate. As soon as he secures an actor for his film, his producer starts eyeing another director. Thankfully, things take an absurd turn from here, if not for the better.
Watch a trailer for the movie here.
Part 3: Even more shades of Cinephilia: Starstruck, Over-the-top, Mellow, Paranormal
