Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project

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Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project

Released Nov 15, 2019

1h 27m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

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40 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Marion Stokes tapes television 24 hours a day for over 30 years to create an archive.

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Critics Consensus

Recorder: The Marion Stokes Story uses one person's singular quest to illuminate the blurred line between brilliance and obsession.

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Simran Hans

Observer (UK)

Stokes is a fascinating, elusive protagonist - she was a recluse who enjoyed daily martinis and felt a kinship with Steve Jobs. Yet Wolf treats her archive with reverence, rather than writing her off as an eccentric.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 7, 2020

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Rogan Graham

Little White Lies

Dips in the second half but well worth your time.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 5, 2020

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Danny Leigh

Financial Times

Obsession, intellect, consumerism, conspiracy, all are here - and encompassing them is the white noise of the mass media, the bedlam hum of 24-hour television news.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 4, 2020

Full Review

Christopher Machell

CineVue

It is, of course, of immense archival value, but the effect of the sheer weight of such a vast store of media, layered upon itself like an enormous cake of pure information, is far more metaphysical than mere archival utility.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 9, 2020

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Carla Hay

Culture Mix

Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project, which is skillfully directed by Matt Wolf, is an example of the type of documentary that can be a true hidden gem.

Jul 12, 2020

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Rich Juzwiak

The Muse/Jezebel

The documentary is at its best when it contrasts how Stokes's recording was received at the time versus how the value of her work has appreciated.

Jun 17, 2020

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LeslieJean A

Marion Stokes was a remarkable human being that clearly and without a doubt,unstood her assignment while on this rock we kick around called Earth. I am changed by her endurance in preserving the truth, not Facts in the field of journalism and humbled by the opportunity to see myself in her.Thank you. Never,judge a book by its cover and you can not think for even a second,one could ever stop the spirit of truth.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/27/24

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Sarah W

Marion Stokes was a public intellectual and an activist who also tape recorded television new shows for 35 years. Starting with the Iran hostage crisis and ending with Sandy Hook, Stokes showed how new stories evolve over time. Her pre-Internet prescience is worth considering in today's information ecosystem, complete with curated news feeds for social media users. Stokes understood television news in ways most people have never even considered, with one possible exception: Donald Trump.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/08/23

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Audience Member

There's very little story here Don't expect any third act reveals or anything interesting about the character. The archive footage of historic events is interesting to watch.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

dave d

Marion Stokes was a complicated woman who in the last 30 years of her life taped at least one channel of television for 24 hours and usually many more than that. She accumulated tens of thousands of hours of television that are now archived on the internet. The story of how we got there is fascinating and the result was a satisfied hubby and wife date night documentary. Credit to Matt Wolf on another outstanding film. Hubby: 8.0/Wife: 7.0 Average: 7.5/10

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Matt Wolf

Director

Andrew Kortschak

Producer

Kyle Martin

Producer

Walter Kortschak

Executive Producer

Chris Dapkins

Cinematographer

Matt Mitchell

Cinematographer

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Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Marion Stokes tapes television 24 hours a day for over 30 years to create an archive.

Director: Matt Wolf
Producer: Andrew Kortschak, Kyle Martin
Distributor: Zeitgeist Films
Production Co: End Cue, C41 Media, Electric Chinoland
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 15, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 10, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $55.1K
Runtime: 1h 27m

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