Movies and TvShows featuring "portrait-of-an-artist" theme.

Famed Canadian-American leftist documentary filmmaker Leonard Fife was one of sixty thousand draft evaders and deserters who fled to Canada to avoid serving in Vietnam. Now in his late seventies, Fife is dying of cancer in Montreal and has agreed to a final interview in which he is determined to bare all his secrets at last, to demythologize his mythologized life.

A portrait of celebrated filmmaker David Chase: his life, his career and his groundbreaking work on the HBO original series The Sopranos.

His unforgettable scores are an essential part of some of the most beloved movies of our time, over a career that spans decades. See and hear maestro John Williams' own story, with insights from filmmakers, musicians, and others he has inspired, complete with rare behind-the-scenes looks at the making of movie history.

On the brink of turning 30, a promising theater composer navigates love, friendship, and the pressure to create something great before time runs out. In 1992, Jonathan Larson performs his rock monologue Tick, Tick... Boom! in front of an audience at New York Theatre Workshop, accompanied by friends Roger and Karessa Johnson. He describes an incessant ticking noise he hears in his head, and begins telling about the week leading up to his 30th birthday and his desire to become a successful musical theater composer. Jonathan juggles work at the Moondance Diner in SoHo with preparing for a workshop at Playwrights Horizons of his musical Superbia. He has a party at home with friends, including his former roommate Michael, who left acting for advertising, his girlfriend Susan, a dancer-turned-teacher, and fellow waiters Freddy and Carolyn. While alone later, Susan tells Jonathan about a teaching job at Jacob's Pillow and asks him to come too. Jonathan visits Michael at his new Upper East Side apartment, celebrating his financial success and higher quality of life from their old apartment. Ira Weitzman, the Musical Theatre Program Director at Playwrights Horizons, asks Jonathan to write a new song for Superbia, as the story needs it. This troubles him, as his idol, Stephen Sondheim, told him the same at the ASCAP Workshop some years ago, but he can't come up with anything and he only has a week. Jonathan tries to get his agent, Rosa Stevens, to invite Sondheim to the workshop, but eventually just cold-calls Sondheim and others. He watches PBS's Sunday in the Park with George with Michael and Susan, and afterwards Michael asks him to join an advertising focus group to earn extra money. Susan also pressures him again to move with her, although he feels his career is just starting in New York. The next day he imagines the Diner full with Broadway stars. Carolyn tells him Freddy, who is HIV-positive, has been hospitalized, adding to Jonathan's anxieties as many of his friends have already died in the HIV/AIDS epidemic. He walks down Broadway to Playwrights Horizons for the start of rehearsals for Superbia. Susan, frustrated by Jonathan's indecisiveness, breaks up with him. To get money to hire a full band for the workshop, Jonathan attends the advertising focus group. Making a good first impression, he considers a corporate future, but realizes he would hate it and deliberately sabotages it. Michael criticizes him for being in a financially unstable theater career, while Jonathan claims with his impending 30th birthday that he is getting too old to be successful. After finally getting an encouraging call from Rosa about his industry invites, he plans to write the new song the night before the workshop, but his power gets cut off before starting. Heading to a swimming pool to cool off, he pictures sheet music lines on the pool floor and finally comes up with the new song, which he writes out by hand. At the workshop are friends, family, and industry professionals, including Sondheim. Karessa brings down the house with the new song, 'Come to Your Senses,' and Jonathan imagines Susan singing it. He receives praise but no offers to produce Superbia. Rosa tells him he must keep writing, hoping that something will succeed, but he will likely face more rejection. Discouraged, Jonathan runs to Michael begging for a corporate job and perceived stability, but Michael changes his mind after seeing the workshop, encouraging Jonathan to continue in musical theater. When Jonathan accuses him of not understanding what it's like to be running out of time, Michael reveals he is HIV-positive. Finally grasping his career obsession has cost him his relationship with Susan and jeopardized his friendship with Michael, Jonathan wanders through New York before finding himself at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Hopping a fence to a piano, he reflects on his friendship with Michael and the sacrifices he must make, affirming he will continue his musical theater career. He and Michael reconcile. On the morning of Jonathan's 30th birthday Sondheim calls, congratulating him on the workshop and wanting to talk more about Superbia, lifting his spirits. Holding his birthday party at the Moondance Diner, attended by his friends, he is relieved to hear Freddy is to be discharged from the hospital. Susan gifts him blank sheet music paper to help in his career, promising to see 'the next one.' She narrates that the 'next one' was Tick, Tick... Boom!, before he returned to working on a previous project, which became Rent. She reveals he died of an undiagnosed aortic aneurysm the night before Rent's premiere Off-Broadway. He never experienced the success he desired, but his work lives on. In 1992, Jonathan performs the final song from Tick, Tick... Boom!, watching his friends and family in the audience, including Susan in the back.

Sir Elton John looks back on his life and the astonishing early days of his 50-year career in this emotionally charged, full-circle journey. As he prepares for his final concert in North America at Dodger Stadium, Elton takes us back in time and recounts his struggles with adversity, abuse, and addiction, and how he overcame them to become the icon he is today.

The life of a Norwegian icon, a world-renowned artist and a dedicated humanitarian: actress Liv Ullmann.

Love, conflict, family - nobody's done it better. Acting legends reflect on the greatest writer who ever lived – and the dangerous, exciting world that ignited his creativity.

Love, conflict, family - nobody's done it better. Acting legends reflect on the greatest writer who ever lived – and the dangerous, exciting world that ignited his creativity.

Madonna: Truth or Dare is a documentary film that follows the life of pop star Madonna during her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour. The film captures both the backstage drama and the intimate moments of Madonna's life, offering viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the superstar. Through interviews, rehearsals, and performances, the film explores Madonna's ambition, sexuality, and artistic vision.

British surrealist Leonora Carrington was a key part of the surrealist movement during its heyday in Paris and yet, until recently, remained a virtual unknown in the country of her birth. This film explores her dramatic evolution from British debutante to artist in exile, living out her days in Mexico City, and takes us on a journey into her darkly strange and cinematic world.

Experience the life and career of Little Richard, the one-of-a-kind rock 'n' roll icon who left an indelible mark on the world of music.

The Happy Prince (2018) tells the tragic story of Oscar Wilde, a renowned writer and artist who faces social prejudices and personal struggles, including the death of his wife. Set in Victorian England and 19th-century Paris and Naples, the film portrays Wilde's life, his portrayal of an artist, and his gay theme and relationships. It captures his downfall, exile, and death, illustrating the irony of his fairy-tale-like rise and subsequent tragic fall.

A.K. is a documentary film that explores the life and work of A.K., a famous Japanese filmmaker. The film delves into his filmmaking process and the challenges he faced in his career. It also highlights his spiritual journey and his deep connection with Japanese culture.

This documentary delves into the life of artist Nan Goldin, highlighting her work and the profound impact of the Sackler family. It sheds light on the role of the pharmaceutical dynasty in the catastrophic death toll of the opioid epidemic.

A look at the life and work of the iconic US actor Charlton Heston (1923-2008); the embodiment of many mythic heroes who was both a staunch defender of the Civil Rights movement during the sixties and a spokesman for the National Rifle Association in his later years. The extraordinary and controversial public and personal career of one of the greatest film personalities of all time.

A biographical film that explores the life of Peter Sellers, a talented actor and comedian who faced emotional and physical abuse, struggled with failed marriages, and battled with his inner demons. Despite his success in the movie industry, his personal life was marred by his unstable relationships and mood swings. The film delves into the challenges Sellers faced as he tried to balance his career and family life, portraying the complexities of his personality and his impact on the people around him.

While at War is a historical drama set in Salamanca, Spain, during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. The film follows a college professor who is faced with moral dilemmas as he navigates the political repression and military uprising under the Franco regime. Based on a true story, the film explores themes of dictatorship, rebellion, and political repression.

Between dystopian visions and far-sighted social analysis, comic writer Alan Moore explains how his works are a swan song to our era. A journey through occultism, mysticism and anarchy.

Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles is a documentary that delves into the life and career of the legendary filmmaker and magician. It explores his early years as a prodigy painter and theater actor, his rise to fame in the movie business, and his impact on cinema history. The film also examines his personal life, including his estrangement from his half-sister and his controversial relationships. With interviews, archival footage, and insightful analysis, this documentary paints a portrait of an artist who defied conventions and left a lasting legacy.

Writer/director W. Kamau Bell's exploration of Bill Cosby's descent from 'America's Dad' to convicted sexual predator. Comedians, journalists and survivors have a candid, first of its kind conversation about the man, his career and crimes.