CORMAN'S WORLD: EXPLOITS OF A HOLLYWOOD REBEL — NYFF 2011

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One of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema gets his due in this comprehensive love-letter documentary.

"Corman's World" celebrates director Roger Corman's illustrious career from top to bottom and inside-out. The inspirations, ideologies, and methodologies of Corman’s "one-man-band" of independent filmmaking come through exhaustive clips from his more than 200 films and a plethora of interview segments.

Aside from outspoken interview sequences with Corman himself, documentarian Alex Stapleton interviews everyone from the filmmaker's wife and business partner Julie Corman to Jack Nicholson, Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, Jonathan Demme, Ron Howard, John Sayles, Peter Fonda, William Shatner, and Pam Grier. The effect is a raucous celebration of Roger Corman's polite demeanor, colorful films, and a stripped-down approach to movie-making that gave many directors and actors their start.

"Monster From the Ocean Floor," "Apache Woman," The Little Shop of Horrors," "Bucket of Blood," "The Fast and the Furious," "Death Race 2000," "The Intruder," and his psychedelic exploration of LSD "The Trip" are just a handful of the films examined with more insight than seem possible for such a fast-paced documentary.

It would be a daunting task for any filmmaker to attempt a documentary about such a prolific and influential figure as Corman yet Alex Stapleton lovingly manages to craft a 95 minute filmic encyclopedia that touches all the bases.

"Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel" fills an essential chapter of cinematic history. It is destined to become an integral addition to the curriculum of more than a few college film courses.

Not Rated. 95 mins.