De Palma

R

Released Jun 10, 2016

1 hr. 48 min.

Documentary

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List

95%

114 Reviews

Tomatometer

86%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmaker Brian De Palma discusses his body of work, including "Sisters," "Obsession," "Carrie," "Dressed to Kill," "Blow Out," "Scarface," "The Untouchables," "Carlito's Way" and "Mission: Impossible."

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Critics Consensus

De Palma may not make believers out of the director's detractors, but they'll likely share longtime fans' fascination with his career's worth of entertaining stories.

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J M

If you enjoy watching filmmakers discuss their thoughts, influences and inspirations behind the movies they make, you will most likely find something to appreciate in this candid discussion with Brian De Palma, a director who has reached the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. De Palma is very frank and candid, which is refreshing compared to many of the "politically correct" interviews attributed to these types of documentaries. It's fun to see brief audition reels from CARRIE and George Lucas' STAR WARS which occurred simultaneously. It's interesting to hear him talk about a difficult actor with whom he worked on one of his films during the mid-70s. And I loved hearing about the relationships he enjoyed with fellow directors Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Francis Coppola as they were all coming into power around the same time. It's fascinating to see the influence Hitchcock had on his films - and the comparisons made are certainly striking. If you like behind the scenes stuff like this, I definitely give this a recommendation, particularly if you are a fan of De Palma's work. - Jeff Marshall, Movie Blogger (Facebook)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/24

Full Review

Alec B

Brian De Palma is refreshingly frank here, completely unafraid to speak his mind on his career and those he's worked with. The result is a documentary that never feels like a puff piece.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/14/23

Full Review

allen h

He's more entertaining than his movies. Probably need to be a ciniphile to appreciate. Doubles as a history of the rise of the new talent of American film making. Should be required at every film school

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

If you're into career retrospective storytelling with the occasional film clip, this is the documentary for you. De Palma sits in a chair and talks shop for almost 2 hours. That's it. And it's awesome too. Listen to him talk about Body Double alone. Riveting.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/27/21

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Audience Member

Really the best documentary of all time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/17/20

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susan j

I don't love this director's films, but I loved this film. He's so unguarded, honest, and intelligent in his assessment and analysis of his own work. I found it riveting -- and I rarely say that about anything. It's certainly not for everyone, but I think if you're a "student" of film or interested in filmmaking this won't disappoint. To me---a rare and precious treat. Not generally much a fan of Noah Baumbach but if I ever met him it's this film I'd thank him for.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Noah Baumbach

Director

Jake Paltrow

Director

Brian De Palma

Self

Noah Baumbach

Producer

Jake Paltrow

Producer

Matt Mayer

Film Editing

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De Palma: Trailer 1

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Nigel Andrews

Financial Times

Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow are the co-directors of De Palma, a scrumptious documentary about the creator of Carrie and Scarface.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 27, 2016

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

De Palma's work is explored in his own words, and his words only, uncluttered by talking heads and critical evaluations. And frankly, De Palma is such an entertaining and open raconteur, his words are all you need.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 25, 2016

Full Review

Geoffrey Macnab

Independent (UK)

The documentary convinces us of De Palma's logistical and visual flair -- his ability to choreograph astonishingly elaborate sequences and his pioneering use of Steadicam.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 22, 2016

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

For any De Palma fan or anyone interested in learning more, this doc is essential viewing.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 11, 2022

Full Review

Victoria Luxford

City AM

Its the famous directors regrets that are most fascinatingly explored in this honest and tell-all documentary. Anyone interested in the philosophies of artistic endeavour will find this educational, but fans of De Palma's films will be in heaven.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 18, 2022

Full Review

Kip Mooney

College Movie Review

Part appreciation, part retrospective, part off-the-cuff film school, this is a consistently engaging documentary about one of America's great directors.

Rated: A-

Aug 28, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Brian De Palma discusses his body of work, including "Sisters," "Obsession," "Carrie," "Dressed to Kill," "Blow Out," "Scarface," "The Untouchables," "Carlito's Way" and "Mission: Impossible."

Director: Noah Baumbach, Jake Paltrow
Distributor: A24
Production Co: Empire Ward
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Graphic Nudity|Some Language|Violent Images)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 10, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 23, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $163.4K

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