Earlier, we covered the best documentaries about filmmaking, discovering that there’s something “meta” about pointing the camera at the people who use it and, therefore, reveal the people-behind-the-curtain, so to speak. And there is nothing more thrilling than observing what seems to be a depiction of truth as far as film production is concerned. But some of the more interesting films on filmmaking are not necessarily documentaries alone. In fact, there are plenty of fictional narrative flicks that are just as revealing (not to mention entertaining) as the movie that stood to benefit from a cinema verite approach. So without further ado, here are the greatest movies about making a movie ever made.
Best Movies About Making a Movie
Day for Night (1973)
![Day for Night (1973) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GmSpeM5Hj2A/0.jpg)
In 1973 French director François Truffaut made the ultimate love letter to film production. Titled La Nuit Américaine in its native tongue, Day For Night centers on the making of a film-within-the-film and the challenges, heartbreaks, and curve balls life throws you while trying to finish the show.
Truffaut himself plays the film’s director Ferrand as he attempts to navigate the fragile egos and basic needs of his cast and crew. Day For Night is without a doubt the inspiration for at least a few of the movies mentioned on this list. Ironically, it also ended the friendship between Truffaut and Jean-Luc Goddard. Goddard claimed Day For Night was nothing but lies. And this was coming from a director who made another great French film on filmmaking. But more on that later.
Living in Oblivion (1995)
Owing as much to the aforementioned Truffaut title as it does the 1990s indie movement it seeks to mock, Tom DiCillo’s Living in Oblivion is the comedic antidote for those who thought Day For Night took its subject too seriously. Presented in three acts, Oblivion depicts the frustrating process of making a low budget film. While Day For Night’s Ferrand had unstable personalities and a left field tragedy to deal with, Oblivion’s Nick Reeve (Steve Buscemi) has to contend with disgruntled and underpaid craft service employees, the hubristic lead actor who threatens to take over his shoot and, most amusingly, a cranky actor (hilariously played by Game of Throne’s Peter Dinklage in his debut role).
Upon its release, Oblivion gained some notoriety as critics suspected James LeGros’ egomaniacal character was a veiled dig at actor Brad Pitt (the director had worked with him on 1991’s Johnny Suede). However, DiCillo has since disavowed that rumor.
Contempt (1963)
A decade before Truffaut unveiled his statement on the process of filmmaking, fellow cahiers du cinema colleague Jean-Luc Godard gave his. Contempt is about a screenwriter hired to “commercialize” what has become an overly artsy take on Homer’s The Odyssey. Featuring an international cast made up of Michel Piccoli, Brigitte Bardot, Jack Palance, and iconic German director Fritz Lang (playing himself), Contempt is as much about the psychology of its characters as it is about the business of filmmaking.
Godard draws parallels to his own life; Jack Palance’s character is supposedly based on American distributor Joseph E. Levine, the very man who produced Contempt and wanted Bardot cast instead of Godard’s wife and muse Anna Karina (at one point Bardot wears a Karina-like wig). Ostensibly about the breakup of a marriage, Contempt is actually Godard’s expression of, well, contempt for mainstream cinema.
Berberian Sound Studio (2012)
An introverted audio engineer arrives at a sound stage in Italy not really knowing what he’s been hired for or whether he’ll actually get reimbursed for his flight from England. As it turns out, he has been tasked to oversee the Foley work on a Euro horror movie titled The Equestrian Vortex. And then things get really weird.
Director Peter Strickland messes with the viewer’s head while paying homage to the Italian Giallo thrillers of the 1970s. In fact, Berberian Sound Studio could be viewed as the audio-horror version of The Stunt Man, another film that straddles the fine line between artifice and reality. Toby Jones is the timid Gilderoy, a lost soul who has a gift for creating unsettling sound effects.
Although he appears to be revered by the film’s pretentious director, he feels disrespected by everyone else. Or is it all just in his mind? Berberian Sound Studio is an interesting peek into the audio post-production process by way of David Lynch. And is just as unsettling.
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
When critics and movie fans bring up Singin’ in the Rain, usually they wax nostalgic over Gene Kelly’s legendary song and dance number or proclaim how it is the greatest musical ever made. However, the film (co-directed by Kelly and Stanley Donen) turns out to be a clever satire on how Hollywood navigated the rocky transition from silent to sound during the 1920s.
Indeed, most of the film’s musical numbers take place on sets and sound stages. Kelly/Donen never miss a beat in how they accurately (and hilariously) capture the limitations of early recording technology and the insecurities overwhelming those personalities whose voices will now be heard for the first time.
The Big Picture (1989)
Christopher Guest, he of Waiting for Guffman” and sometime Spinal Tap lead guitarist, made his directing debut with The Big Picture. Kevin Bacon is fresh out of film school and is immediately tapped to helm a high profile movie. But the process results in disillusionment: after he concedes to having his dream project get chipped away then changed by the powers that be, Bacon finally finds himself out of a job. And lacking friends thanks to all the bridges he burned when he flew too close to the sun.
But The Big Picture ain’t no melodrama. It’s a fun comedy about this strange place called Hollywood and how business constantly gets in the way of the creative process. Supported by a great cast including Martin Short, Jennifer Jason Leigh, the late J.T. Walsh, frequent Guest collaborator Michael McKean and a cameo from John Cleese (among others), The Big Picture also parodies film genres by way of dream sequences. No wonder why it has developed a well deserved cult following over the years.
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
The next item on the list is quite possibly the loopiest, most left-field entry into a popular film franchise, like, ever. New Nightmare was the sixth sequel to the popular “Nightmare on Elm Street” and only the second film in the series to be directed by Wes Craven.
And… wow. Describing this flick as “meta” would be an understatement. For one thing, the original cast and director return by playing themselves. Not as the characters they created for the first film but literally as themselves. Heather Langenkamp plays “Heather Langenkamp,” the star of the first Nightmare on Elm Street. Wes Craven plays “Wes Craven,” director of the first Nightmare on Elm Street. And now for some reason, the main villain of the popular “Elm Street” franchise is haunting the cast and crew of that first film. Heck, Robert Englund plays both himself and his famous creation Freddie Kruger. And all of this is going on while Langenkamp considers returning to her role in a new take on Elm Street.
New Nightmare is often considered a precursor to Craven’s Scream, what with its postmodern approach to the horror genre.
Argo (2012)
The movie-production-within-a-movie (Argo) is based on the true story of CIA operative Tony Mendez, played by Ben Affleck who is the lead, and the director of this thrilling tale. The story is how the CIA invented a fake sci-fi movie to help Americans in Tehran, Iran get out during the 1979–1981 Iran hostage crisis. A tense thriller that won multiple awards including the Golden Globe for best motion picture. This shows that people can get star struck and amazed when they see a movie set or think that they could be dealing with Hollywood big wigs.
Hail, Ceaser! (2016)
From the powerhouse directing brothers Ethan and Joel Cohen is a movie about 50’s Hollywood. We follow fixer Eddie Mannix who works for Capitol Pictures, played impeccably by Josh Brolin. He is the person who cleans up after the messes of big Hollywood names. When one of the biggest names of the day disappears, Baird Whitlock (played by George Clooney), he finds himself doing more than just fixing. With a star studded-cast also including Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Channing Tatum Hail, Caesar! uses current day Hollywood legends to tell its story.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
This is Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to Hollywood of the late 60’s, referred to by some as the end of Hollywood’s golden age. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has a stellar cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie. It follows the story of two friends, a fading actor, DiCaprio, and his stunt double, Brad Pitt. The two have a deep bond having worked together for some time. Tarantino weaves several story threads together including the Mansons and Sharon Tate, Bruce Lee’s role in The Green Hornet, and Rick Dalton’s realization that his time has passed and that there is a new Hollywood underway.
Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
Eddie Murphy plays filmmaker Rudy Ray Moore in this comedy based on his real life events of playing Dolomite in both his standup comedy as well as in his films in the mid 70’s. Dolemite Is My Name is a true story of a scrappy filmmaker struggling against all odds to make his movie and make it his way. You get to see the old school guerilla filmmaking on full display. When the film does finally get finished and Rudy is on his way to the theater for his premiere, he hears that the critics have panned his movie. However, when he get there he sees a crowd of people waiting for him. The people speak louder than the critics.
Day for Night (1973)
In 1973 French director François Truffaut made the ultimate love letter to film production. Titled La Nuit Américaine in its native tongue, Day For Night centers on the making of a film-within-the-film and the challenges, heartbreaks, and curve balls life throws you while trying to finish the show.
Truffaut himself plays the film’s director Ferrand as he attempts to navigate the fragile egos and basic needs of his cast and crew. Day For Night is without a doubt the inspiration for at least a few of the movies mentioned on this list. Ironically, it also ended the friendship between Truffaut and Jean-Luc Goddard. Goddard claimed Day For Night was nothing but lies. And this was coming from a director who made another great French film on filmmaking. But more on that later.
Living in Oblivion (1995)
Owing as much to the aforementioned Truffaut title as it does the 1990s indie movement it seeks to mock, Tom DiCillo’s Living in Oblivion is the comedic antidote for those who thought Day For Night took its subject too seriously. Presented in three acts, Oblivion depicts the frustrating process of making a low budget film. While Day For Night’s Ferrand had unstable personalities and a left field tragedy to deal with, Oblivion’s Nick Reeve (Steve Buscemi) has to contend with disgruntled and underpaid craft service employees, the hubristic lead actor who threatens to take over his shoot and, most amusingly, a cranky actor (hilariously played by Game of Throne’s Peter Dinklage in his debut role).
Upon its release, Oblivion gained some notoriety as critics suspected James LeGros’ egomaniacal character was a veiled dig at actor Brad Pitt (the director had worked with him on 1991’s Johnny Suede). However, DiCillo has since disavowed that rumor.
Contempt (1963)
A decade before Truffaut unveiled his statement on the process of filmmaking, fellow cahiers du cinema colleague Jean-Luc Godard gave his. Contempt is about a screenwriter hired to “commercialize” what has become an overly artsy take on Homer’s The Odyssey. Featuring an international cast made up of Michel Piccoli, Brigitte Bardot, Jack Palance, and iconic German director Fritz Lang (playing himself), Contempt is as much about the psychology of its characters as it is about the business of filmmaking.
Godard draws parallels to his own life; Jack Palance’s character is supposedly based on American distributor Joseph E. Levine, the very man who produced Contempt and wanted Bardot cast instead of Godard’s wife and muse Anna Karina (at one point Bardot wears a Karina-like wig). Ostensibly about the breakup of a marriage, Contempt is actually Godard’s expression of, well, contempt for mainstream cinema.
Berberian Sound Studio (2012)
An introverted audio engineer arrives at a sound stage in Italy not really knowing what he’s been hired for or whether he’ll actually get reimbursed for his flight from England. As it turns out, he has been tasked to oversee the Foley work on a Euro horror movie titled The Equestrian Vortex. And then things get really weird.
Director Peter Strickland messes with the viewer’s head while paying homage to the Italian Giallo thrillers of the 1970s. In fact, Berberian Sound Studio could be viewed as the audio-horror version of The Stunt Man, another film that straddles the fine line between artifice and reality. Toby Jones is the timid Gilderoy, a lost soul who has a gift for creating unsettling sound effects.
Although he appears to be revered by the film’s pretentious director, he feels disrespected by everyone else. Or is it all just in his mind? Berberian Sound Studio is an interesting peek into the audio post-production process by way of David Lynch. And is just as unsettling.
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
When critics and movie fans bring up Singin’ in the Rain, usually they wax nostalgic over Gene Kelly’s legendary song and dance number or proclaim how it is the greatest musical ever made. However, the film (co-directed by Kelly and Stanley Donen) turns out to be a clever satire on how Hollywood navigated the rocky transition from silent to sound during the 1920s.
Indeed, most of the film’s musical numbers take place on sets and sound stages. Kelly/Donen never miss a beat in how they accurately (and hilariously) capture the limitations of early recording technology and the insecurities overwhelming those personalities whose voices will now be heard for the first time.
The Big Picture (1989)
Christopher Guest, he of Waiting for Guffman” and sometime Spinal Tap lead guitarist, made his directing debut with The Big Picture. Kevin Bacon is fresh out of film school and is immediately tapped to helm a high profile movie. But the process results in disillusionment: after he concedes to having his dream project get chipped away then changed by the powers that be, Bacon finally finds himself out of a job. And lacking friends thanks to all the bridges he burned when he flew too close to the sun.
But The Big Picture ain’t no melodrama. It’s a fun comedy about this strange place called Hollywood and how business constantly gets in the way of the creative process. Supported by a great cast including Martin Short, Jennifer Jason Leigh, the late J.T. Walsh, frequent Guest collaborator Michael McKean and a cameo from John Cleese (among others), The Big Picture also parodies film genres by way of dream sequences. No wonder why it has developed a well deserved cult following over the years.
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
The next item on the list is quite possibly the loopiest, most left-field entry into a popular film franchise, like, ever. New Nightmare was the sixth sequel to the popular “Nightmare on Elm Street” and only the second film in the series to be directed by Wes Craven.
And… wow. Describing this flick as “meta” would be an understatement. For one thing, the original cast and director return by playing themselves. Not as the characters they created for the first film but literally as themselves. Heather Langenkamp plays “Heather Langenkamp,” the star of the first Nightmare on Elm Street. Wes Craven plays “Wes Craven,” director of the first Nightmare on Elm Street. And now for some reason, the main villain of the popular “Elm Street” franchise is haunting the cast and crew of that first film. Heck, Robert Englund plays both himself and his famous creation Freddie Kruger. And all of this is going on while Langenkamp considers returning to her role in a new take on Elm Street.
New Nightmare is often considered a precursor to Craven’s Scream, what with its postmodern approach to the horror genre.
