CORMAN’S WORLD: EXPLOITS OF A HOLLYWOOD REBEL (2011)

Available to buy or rent on Amazon Prime!
Directed by Alex Stapleton
Written by Alex Stapleton
Starring Roger Corman, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda, Peter Bogdonavich, Paul Bartel, Paul W.S. Anderson, David Carradine, Julie Corman, Allan Arkush, Joe Dante, Jonathan Demme, Robert De Niro, Bruce Dern, Pam Grier, Ron Howard, Gale Anne Hurd, Dick Miller, Irvin Kershner, Eli Roth, John Sayles, William Shatner, Mary Woronov

One can’t help but marvel at Roger Corman’s achievements. Having made hundreds of films through the years, Corman should at least be praised for the amount of energy he possesses, despite the fact that quite a few of those films were on the low end of the quality scale. I’m a fan of the man’s work myself, celebrating the filmmaker’s ingenuity and willingness to get a movie made no matter what the obstacle. In many ways, Corman was horror’s first and best indie filmmaker, and being a supporter of all things indie, I can’t help but give the guy props.

CORMAN’S WORLD is a sort of love letter to Corman, his films, and his millions of fans. Director/writer Alex Stapleton does a fantastic job of documenting the filmmaker’s early years, plotting out the back-story of a very likable, albeit stubborn and driven man. My favorite bits of this film were these scenes documenting the early years through hundreds of stills, clips from some of his most schlockiest of works, and interviews with people who were there (including Corman himself). Somehow Stapleton even got Jack Nicholson to appear in the film (Nicholson even offers an extremely poignant ode to the director who gave him his first shot; I was surprised how moved I was when Jack breaks down and cries about the man).

Testimonies and interviews with actors, directors, friends, and family offer a who’s who for fans of the genre. Everyone from Ron Howard to Mary Woronov to Pam Grier offer interesting stories about working with the man. It’s a testament to Corman’s character that so many people would show up for this documentary to talk about the man.

Unfortunately, Corman continues to make films, most of them direct to video or direct to ScyFy schlockers. The difference between these new films and Corman’s classics mainly is that these days Corman’s films know they are not very good and even wink at the audience acknowledging how bad they are, while back then, they were actually trying to be good films. For some reason, despite the low budget, that genuine quality made them all the more watchable and the lack of that aspect makes the newer ones all the less.

That said, CORMAN’S WORLD smartly focuses mainly on the Corman classics. It’s a fine documentary that will bring a smile to the face of any fan of genre films. Filled with stars and stories, I don’t think there’s a better way to honor this man’s contribution to cinema than this film.

Check out the trailer here!!