My latest recommendation is a documentary movie about the Hollywood scene during the 70's: it is the 2002 documentary "The Kid Stays In The Picture".
I saw it when it first played in an art-house theater, and again just recently on DVD. It is a fascinating and highly entertaining story of the amazing movie career of Robert Evans, a former b-list movie actor from the 50's, who later ran Paramount Studios in the late 60's and saved it from near bankruptcy, and brought it to #1 by the mid-70's.
The film also covers his career as an independent movie producer during the late 70's, and his stunning downfall during the 80's. And then, his slow rise back in Hollywood in the early 90's.
Evans is seen only through images in a collage form, with optical effects, like that of a kaleidoscope. Evans narrates his life story (based on his autobiography) and shares juicy tidbits, stories, recollections, his love affairs, etc. He doesn't even hold back any of the bad stuff about himself either.
Some might think this movie is like a Hollywood version of the "Behind The Music" series on VH-1, but it is not. But this movie is based upon Evans' own book, which came out in 1994, which was way before the VH-1 series started.
This is a must-see for anyone who loves the movies of the 60's and 70's, and those who like learning about some of the major Hollywood players behind them.
