Every year, when the Academy Awards grace the television and computer screens around the world, audiences and critics alike joke that Hollywood tends to reward films about the industry in which the awards operate. While movies have repeatedly tackled the subject of Hollywood each year, documentaries remind audiences of the origins and history of the entertainment industry in the United States. These documentaries not only provide insight into the actors who work in them, but also into the social impact of films as a whole. It’s impossible to deny the impact of movies on the lives of everyday people, whether it be the time with Marvel, or Nickelodeons in the early 1900s.
Whether it was the legendary comedian Charlie Chaplin, actress Anna May Wong or even the great Audrey Hepburn, many of Hollywood’s biggest stars from the Golden Age and before made their impact on American society. Hepburn became a fashion icon that can still be seen on the walls of many young women today; Chaplin developed certain characters and archetypes in cinema that are still used even today; and the filmography of Anna May Wong, although this is an unfortunate fact, has caused certain perceptions about Asian Americans. Through documentaries, their impact and legacies are honored, preserved and shed light on characteristics that have never been considered until now. These are the best documentaries about Hollywood icons.
6/6 Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin
Film critic Richard Schickel was the mastermind behind the documentary Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin. The documentary traces aspects of Chaplin’s personal and private life, interweaving how he was as a person in public versus how he was with his friends and family. Narrated by Sydney Pollack, first- and second-hand sources are interviewed to get the holistic story of who Chaplin was as a person. Not only were Chaplin’s children interviewed, but also Martin Scorsese, notable biographers of the likes of Chaplin, Robert Downey Jr. and Woody Allen.
5/6 Lucy and Desi
Lucy and Desi came out in 2022 and was directed by comedian Amy Poehler. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were a power couple when they were active in Hollywood, making the trajectory of American television as they collaborated on one of the most pivotal shows of their time: I love Lucy. However, their road to fame was not an easy one. Desi was an exiled Cuban immigrant who came to the country with nothing, while Lucille essentially came out of nowhere and worked his way to the top. This documentary follows their relationship and career and provides more insight into them as individuals and as a couple.
4/6 Bombshell: The Story of Hedy Lamarr
Hedy Lamarr may be one of the greatest actresses of her time, but she was also brilliant. She invented a radio guidance system that prevented interference during World War II, which is now used for technology such as Bluetooth. Bombshell: The Story of Hedy Lamarr shows her early life in Austria and how she had to leave her homeland because she was Jewish during World War II. Bomb does an excellent job of synthesizing not only her early life and career, but also her later life and work as an inventor.
3/6 val
Actor Val Kilmer is best known for his performances in Very secret!, real genius, The doorsand Top Gunand in 2021, Leo Scott and Ting Poo released a documentary about him. val uses footage Kilmer created during his career and uses archival footage in the form of home movies. Kilmer had over eight hundred hours of footage by the time the documentary was made, so there were quite a few first-hand accounts of pivotal events in his life. val is intimate, a rare account in which the famous subject actively contributes to the process.
2/6 Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds
Only a few weeks before bright lights came out to the public, both subjects of the documentary died tragically. It was the final appearance in the film for Debbie Reynolds, one of Hollywood’s most notable actresses of her generation, but it seems fitting that it was with her daughter: Carrie Fisher. bright lights shows the couple’s close relationship over the years. Through the use of interviews, archive footage and home movies, it personalizes who they were personally through the lens of their relationship as mother and daughter. It’s a love story at its core, and a fittingly close to both of their careers.
1/6 Audrey
As seen in the documentary Audreydespite the huge fame that Hepburn found as an actress and model, her personal life was very happy. Audrey follows her life from the beginning of her life, when her father left the family, and through the Second World War in the Netherlands, where food and resources were scarce. Hepburn was never able to fulfill her dream of becoming a dancer due to the war, but found a new opportunity: acting. Throughout the documentary, she does effective, emotional work with family members and friends to reveal Hepburn’s loneliness and inner struggles later in life, much of which stemmed from the loss of her father in childhood.