mdblist.com logo The Best Tony Palmer Directed Movies


Ratings
Between
and
Between
and
Between
and
With at least
votes
Between
and
With at least
votes
Between
and
With at least
votes
Between
and
With at least
votes
Between
and
With at least
votes
Between
and
With at least
votes
Between
and
With at least
votes
Between
and
With at least
votes
Additional filters
m
Lists, Streaming Services, Cast and more
Create List (46 items)

Login to create a dynamic list


poster
70
7.6
/229/
63
/8/
52
/8/
3.9
/995/
79
/4/

Leonard Cohen: Bird on a Wire (2010)
Celebrated filmmaker Tony Palmer follows Leonard Cohen on his 1972 European tour. The film, after extensive re-editing from its initial version, opened in London in 1974. It was shown on German television, but it disappeared for decades and was considered a lost film. Its original version, restored by the director, was released on DVD in 2010 and had its first theatrical release in 2017.
poster
MGM Plus
61
5.6
/2524/
61
/74/
52
/44/
3.2
/2709/
50
/8/
67
/141/

200 Motels (1971)
"Touring makes you crazy," Frank Zappa says, explaining that the idea for this film came to him while the Mothers of Invention were touring. The story, interspersed with performances by the Mothers and the Royal Symphony Orchestra, is a tale of life on the road. The band members' main concerns are the search for groupies and the desire to get paid.
poster
?
7.4
/74/
10
/1/

Will the Real Mr Sellers.....? (1969)
Banned by the BBC in 1971, director Tony Palmer's profile of the late Peter Sellers was, in the words of the film's subject himself, "the only portrait which really understood me." Sellers was an icon of comedy and a true innovator, but a look inside reveals a tragic figure. How could one of the world's most beloved comic talents have such a morbidly distorted opinion of himself? In this documentary, interviews with such friends, fans, and colleagues as Raquel Welch, Yul Brenner, Spike Milligan, Laurence Harvey, and others reveal the true personality behind the man who was loved by everyone, but still viewed himself as entirely alone.
poster
Amazon Prime Video
?
50
/1/

Leonard Cohen: The Bird on a Wire Concerts (2024)
Yet more archive film has been found from the famous 1972 tour, which formed the basis of the best-selling 2010 DVD Bird on a Wire. Concert material from the shows in Stockholm, Paris and the Albert Hall, with Cohen at the height of his powers performing Marianne, Susanne, Joan of Arc, The Story of Isaac, The Dealer and many other songs, has now been edited together by Tony Palmer, who shot the original material. This is interspersed with more backstage film of the band on tour, and even some fresh interviews with Cohen himself, together with some previously unreleased sound recordings of his early masterpieces.
poster
?
10
/1/
100
/1/

Rope Ladder to the Moon (2010)
Tony Palmer directs this 1970 documentary about Scottish bass player and former Cream member Jack Bruce. The film tracks Bruce's life from his childhood in the Gorbals to the height of his fame with Cream and beyond.
poster
?
10
/1/

Benjamin Britten and His Festival (1967)
A behind-the-scenes look at the Aldeburgh Festival and the opening by The Queen of the new concert hall at Snape.
poster
?
10
/1/

The World of Hugh Hefner (1973)
This 1973 documentary by the award-winning director Tony Palmer shone a light on the multi-millionaire Hugh Hefner and his Playboy empire. It gave Hefner the opportunity to tell his story and, of course, it offended the usual suspects - Mary Whitehouse, the Daily Express and many more.
poster
?
5.0
/7/
20
/1/

The Fantastic World of Michael Crawford (1996)
Though perhaps best known for his star turn in Broadway's "The Phantom of the Opera," Michael Crawford has more than 30 years' worth of credits to his name. He also has plenty of stories to tell, as Tony Palmer's witty documentary reveals. Clips from rehearsals, performances, films and home movies illuminate Crawford's reflections on "Phantom," the Vegas spectacle "EFX," "Barnum," his work with Benjamin Britten, international success and more.
poster
?
7.7
/10/
20
/1/
80
/2/

Hero: The Bobby Moore Story (2002)
A celebratory look at the life of football legend Bobby Moore.
poster
?
10
/1/

Hindemith: A Pilgrim's Progress (1990)
Tony Palmer’s study of the German composer Paul Hindemith.
poster
?
10
/1/

Henryk Górecki: The Symphony of Sorrowful Songs (1993)
This emotional film by the award-winning director Tony Palmer includes a performance of the “Third Symphony” by The London Sinfonietta alongside powerful footage of Górecki at Auschwitz and Birkenau.
poster
The Roku Channel
?
7.8
/9/

Falls the Shadow: The Life and Times of Athol Fugard (2012)
Director Tony Palmer tells the incredible life story of Athol Fugard, the prolific playwright, novelist, and director who exposed the horrors of South Africa's apartheid system for the entire world to see. Interviews with Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Yvonne Bryceland and others help to illuminate Fugard's remarkable legacy.
poster
?
10
/1/

At the Haunted End of the Day (1981)
A documentary by Tony Palmer on English composer Sir William Walton (1902–1983), made shortly before his death. The film includes the only full-length interview ever recorded with Walton. Filmed at his home on Ischia and in Oxford, London & Oldham, it includes contributions from Laurence Olivier, Sacheverell Sitwell and Lady Susana Walton. Specially performed extracts of his music are conducted by Simon Rattle in his first substantial contribution to television when he was in his early 20s, with Simon Preston, Julian Bream, Yvonne Kenny, Yehudi Menuhin, Iona Brown, John Shirley-Quirk, Elgar Howarth & Ralph Kirshbaum, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford & Los Paraguayos.
poster
?
7.4
/8/

Holst: In the Bleak Midwinter (2011)
The great composer of The Planets, Gustav Holst also taught himself Sanskrit, lived in a street of brothels in Algiers, cycled into the Sahara Desert, and allied himself during the First World War with a ‘red priest' who pinned on the door of his church "prayers at noon for the victims of Imperial Aggression". He hated the words used to his most famous tune "I Vow to Thee My Country" because it was the opposite of what he believed, and died before the age of 60 - broken and disillusioned.
poster
Amazon Prime Video
?
7.6
/63/
70
/1/
60
/1/

Callas: A Documentary (1978)
Narrated by cinema legend Franco Zeffirelli, this intimate made-for-television documentary traces the life and times of the mercurial Maria Callas, one of the most renowned and respected operatic divas of the mid-20th century. Rare authentic footage, candid interviews and breathtaking performances help paint a portrait of an artist remembered as much for her quick and explosive temper as she is for her immeasurable talent.
poster
?
10
/1/
90
/1/

The Burning Fiery Furnace (1967)
Tony Palmer's documentary about the staging of Britten's choral work.
poster
Kanopy
?
5.2
/62/
30
/2/
10
/2/

Puccini (1984)
In Torre del Lago, by Lake Massaciuccoli, Puccini is writing "The Girl of the Golden West" when his wife Elvira accuses him of a dalliance with their maid, Doria Manfredi, a young women from town. Although the maestro is frequently unfaithful, he denies the affair; Elvira insists she's right and publicly hounds Doria. Between scenes in this domestic drama that turns tragic, we watch a Scottish company rehearse and stage "Turandot," Puccini's last opera. The film finds parallels between the two stories and suggests that in the opera, Puccini expresses love for his wife and guilt in Doria's fate. Three local gentlemen provide a spoken chorus as Puccini's score plays throughout.
poster
Hoopla
?
6.6
/54/
26
/3/
70
/1/

The World of Liberace (1973)
In 1976 the pianist, entertainer and one of the biggest stars of the day, published a coffee table book about his collection of homes, jewellery and costumes called The Things I Love. This DVD is nothing more-nor-less than precisely that, as told to the acclaimed film-maker Tony Palmer. Liberace himself takes us on a guided tour of his Hollywood and Palm Springs homes and his treasured possessions.
poster
?
6.2
/78/
10
/1/
10
/1/

Death in Venice (1981)
Gustav Von Aschenbach, a passionate composer, arrives in Venice as a result of wanderlust and there meets a young man by whose beauty he becomes obsessed.
poster
?
8.2
/14/

O Thou Transcendent: The Life of Ralph Vaughan Williams (2007)
Award-winning filmmaker Tony Palmer directs this riveting documentary on the life and times of influential English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. With archived performances by conductor Sir Adrian Boult and stirring musical passages from "The Tallis Fantasia" and "The Lark Ascending," among others, Palmer's film also features interviews with Vaughan and his beloved wife, Ursula.
poster
?
10
/1/

Harriet At Butlins (1974)
Documentary about Butlins
poster
?
7.3
/14/
10
/1/

Fairport Convention and Matthews Southern Comfort (1972)
Directed by renowned British film director Tony Palmer, this film captures the band at the Maidstone Fiesta during the summer of 1970 as they run through their set of the time. This included various jigs and reels, and the songs Sir Patrick Spens and Now Be Thankful. The film also features two songs from Matthews Southern Comfort, the band led by former Fairport Convention member, Ian Matthews.
poster
?
8.0
/11/

The Wigan Casino (1977)
Documentary covering the famous Wigan Casino northern soul venue and the working class kids who spend all their money not on alcohol but on records and dancing all night.
poster
?
5.3
/27/
20
/1/

The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka (1999)
In 1945, the new Polish government asked for the heart of Chopin previously buried in Paris. A woman called Paulina Czernika approached the government claiming to have some love letters from the composer to her great-grandmother, the Countess Delfina Potocka.
poster
?
5.5
/10/
10
/1/

The World of Miss World (1974)
Director Tony Palmer exposes the harsh underbelly of the famed Miss World beauty contest, going beneath the glamour to reveal a hotbed of bullying, and sexism. At once tragic, funny, and deeply moving, this document of gender power dynamics remains as relevant today as it was upon its release in 1974.
poster
Hoopla
?
7.2
/51/
50
/4/
40
/1/

God Rot Tunbridge Wells! (1985)
The story of the last years of Handel.
poster
?
7.3
/53/

Margot (2005)
A biographical look at the career of the acclaimed Margot Fonteyn. As a little girl called Peggy Hookham growing up in Shanghai, she told her mother she would one day become the greatest dancer in the world. Still performing at the age of 67 despite being almost unable to walk, hers is a story of courage and tenacity, of unbelievable devotion to her art and to those whom she loved. Those who ultimately left her penniless and alone, to be buried in a pauper’s grave.
poster
?
20
/1/

The Kindness of Strangers (1998)
The life of composer, conductor, pianist and Oscar-winner Andre Previn, filmed during a year which culminated in the world premiere of his first opera, A Streetcar Named Desire, in San Francisco. Wherever he went, the camera followed. To Tokyo for a concert with Kiri Te Kanawa. To Philadelphia for a teaching session in the Curtis Institute. To Tanglewood for an incredible jazz improvisation recording of Gershwin Variations. To New York to play with the Ray Brown Trio at the Blue Note Club. To Vienna with the Vienna Philharmonic. To Washington DC for a concert with the Emerson Quartet. To Boston for a conductor's masterclass with, among others, Daniel Harding. And, of course, the rehearsals and first performance of Streetcar with the incomparable Renee Fleming and director Colin Graham.
poster
51
?
7.1
/201/
10
/1/
50
/1/
75
/1/

England, My England (1995)
The story of Henry Purcell.
poster
?
80
/1/
100

Tangerine Dream at Coventry Cathedral (2006)
A short concert film for television which blends edited footage from a 1975 Tangerine Dream concert with music from the group's "Ricochet" album released that same year.
poster
?
70
/1/

Bernstein Mahler Rehearsal (1976)
"Four Ways to Say Farewell" is a personal introduction to Mahler and his Ninth Symphony, during which Leonard Bernstein is seen and heard rehearsing the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Filmed in 1971, this rehearsal was directed by Humphrey Burton,
poster
Hoopla
51
?
7.3
/111/
43
/3/
38
/2/

The Space Movie (1980)
1969's Apollo 11 mission to the moon is highlighted in this tribute to the history of the United States' space program.
poster
?
20
/1/

Brahms and the Little Singing Girls (1996)
This is Palmer's highly controversial portrait of Brahms - a film that exploded the familiar image of 'stodgy old bearded Brahms' - a man whose first musical experience had been playing an upright piano in the brothels of Hamburg where he had grown up, and who at the end of his life lived a bachelor in Vienna having his every need satisfied by the prostitutes of the city whom he always affectionately described as his ‘little singing girls'. It is a celebration - of Brahms' unabashed, life-enhancing, sexually explosive music. Warren Mitchell portrays the composer
poster
37
?
6.4
/136/
10
/1/
38
/3/

The Children (1990)
Rose Sellars is a middle-aged woman who falls in love with a widower. However, his children believe that their father is too old to start a new relationship.
poster
60
?
7.1
/307/
65
/5/
45
/4/

Testimony (1987)
The story of the great Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) and his life and career during the rule of Stalin.
poster
?
8.1
/80/
42
/4/

Rachmaninoff: The Harvest of Sorrow (1998)
Tony Palmer tells the life story of Sergei Rachmaninoff through the use of home movies, concert footage, and interviews. John Gielgud reads from Rachmaninoff's diaries in a voiceover.
poster
?
8.5
/47/
60
/6/
88
/6/

Rory Gallagher - Irish Tour ’74 (1974)
Irish Tour '74 is a film which captures the artist, his music, the period and the place with perfection. Filmed in January 1974 at Belfast Ulster Hall, Dublin Carlton Cinema and Cork City Hall.
poster
?
7.7
/74/
56
/3/

Stravinsky: Once at a Border... (1982)
This autobiographical film about the most important and influential composer of the 20th century includes documents, photographs and film never seen publicly before. Stravinsky's three surviving children talk about their father and there are contributions from the late Madame Vera Stravinsky, his music associate Robert Craft, Marie Rambert, Balanchine, Nadia Boulanger and many friends. Included in the film are important performances: Les Noces has never before been heard in this, its original form, and the choreography of Petrushka was specially recreated for the film by the Bolshoi and was not seen in this form since 1911. Finally, there is priceless film of Stravinsky himself in this unique film.
poster
?

The Beatles And World War II (2017)
War footage meets the Bee Gees, Elton John, Tina Turner, Peter Gabriel, Bryan Ferry and others as they belt out new arrangements of Beatles songs. The result is a truly original anti-war musical.
poster
?

O, Fortuna! (2008)
Tony Palmer examines the life and legacy of the German composer, Carl Orff.
poster
?

The Wagner Family (2009)
There's no doubt that Richard Wagner who built it was the most influential composer in the whole of the 19th Century. But his family has survived a mixture of lies, deception, fraud and dangerous political alliances.
poster
?

Harriet at Play
70s Butlins documentary, part of a series of films directed by Tony Palmer, which was announced in The Stage [The Stage, 25 July 1974, p.14] "Tony Palmer is directing a new series with Harriet Crawley which will be seen in the HTV area. Tentatively titled Harriet, it will feature Miss Crawley in a number of roles each of which, as it were, puts her on the spot. For example, she will go up (and down) with a group of sky divers, work with an elephant trainer in a circus, become an operatic soprano (she will actually sing in a performance of Carmen), and for a time be a hell's angel's moll. Patrick Dromgoole is the executive producer of this one."
poster
?

Britten: Nocturne (2013)
Tony Palmer directs this documentary exploring the life and work of the celebrated English composer, conductor and pianist. Britten is particularly well known for his operas, which include 'Peter Grimes' and 'Death in Venice'. Palmer discusses the life experiences that influenced Britten's work, such as the turmoil of World War II, which horrified his pacifistic nature, and reflects on the role of an artist in such troubled times.
poster
?

Vangelis: The Interviews (2016)
A collection of unedited interviews with Vangelis recorded for the film Vangelis and The Journey To Ithaca in September 2008, which was subsequently finished without Tony Palmer.
poster
?

Toward the Unknown Region: Malcolm Arnold - A Story of Survival (2004)
A documentary portrait of composer Malcolm Arnold. Broadcast in two parts on The South Bank Show but premiered in its entirety at the Royal Festival Hall
poster
?

Hail Bop! A Portrait of John Adams (2006)
Shot over the course of a year, this intimate portrait of provocative composer John Adams presents scenes of the artist at work and at play against the backdrop of dramatic American landscapes that reflect the themes of his music. Though he has a number of credits to his name, Adams is best known for his unconventional opera "Nixon in China," which explores the former U.S. president's meeting with Mao Zedong in 1972.


mdblist.com © 2020 | Contact | Reddit | Discord | API | Privacy Policy