George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey

George Stevens, Jr. Produced and narrates this look at his father's life and work. It includes interviews with Katharine Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Hermes Pan, Joel McCrea, Warren Beatty, and Mrs. Stevens, all of which are very interesting.

The most fascinating parts of this documentary are the ones which show footage from Stevens' own camera. There is on the set material from various films and his amazing World War II films of the liberation of Paris, Dachau, and the Normandy invasion. Staggering and stunning.

This perhaps deserved its own documentary, and I believe that later on, the footage was released separately.

Film clips include parts of: Alice Adams, The More the Merrier, Shane, Diary of Anne Frank, Giant, A Place in the Sun, The Greatest Story Ever Told.

Shelley Winters, not interviewed here, sadly, tells the story in her autobiography of Stevens having them rehearse without dialogue. It's perhaps the secret of the intimacy that is often captured in his films. "The More the Merrier" clip is that of an improvised love scene between McCrea and Arthur.

Someone commented here that it's not for Stevens Jr. To canonize his father. Being in the field of classic film, I disagree. This may not be a perfect documentary, and it may not dwell on his father's failures, such as the overblown The Greatest Story Ever Told.

The common problem faced by many of these great filmmakers is that as the studio system collapsed and Hollywood changed, it was difficult for them to adjust.

The point is this: yes, the legacy speaks for itself - but who is there to hear it speak if the families don't honor their famous relative? A son's insight may be biased, but it's also more enlightened in many respects.

If anyone believes there is some huge movement afoot to see that these wonderful contributors to film history are remembered, they're wrong. Even the theaters once devoted to classic film hesitate to show them now because they can't make any money.

I say bravo to anyone willing to make a documentary on any aspect of classic film.

I think George Jr. is using his position at the American Film Institute to "manage" his father's legacy---which is wrong. The impact of George Stevens' work should be judged on its own merits. His films speak for themselves, and it's embarrassing to see a son canonize his father so publicly.

I'm proud of my dad too, but I wouldn't erect a monument to him for being one of America's all-time great little league coaches.

If George Stevens' films are important (they are) and stand the test of time (they do), then let others praise this unique American artist. For a son to create documentaries about (and name AFI awards after) his father is a tacky cry for attention. "Hey, don't forget my dad! He was a great American filmmaker!" Usually, TV producers will see the potential of (or a market for) a documentary about a great American filmmaker and ask the artist's family to participate by donating old photos and agreeing to be interviewed on-camera. George Jr. apparently grew impatient waiting for such an offer. Possibly he feared no offer would ever come...so he produced his own documentary. And all to build up his father's legacy.

Written, directed, and narrated by his son. Dad had worked with just all the HUGE big stars. One of the earliest full length films that George senior had directed was Alice Adams, starring Katherine Hepburn. They would make three films together. We watch a whole lot of a couple films by Stevens. Good to see comments from Frank Capra and various other producers and directors. Junior also says Dad was greatly influenced by Triumph of the Will, Hitler's propaganda film, for its style, sharpness, and uniformity. Stevens was also part of the group that recorded color film portions of WW II milestones. Including the D day landing, even at Dachau. Rare-stuff. Some of the scenes from his early films in the 1930s went on for quite a while. Longer than they probably needed to. It's quite interesting, over-all.

"George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey" is a testimonial of Steven's son to his father. Stevens was a most talented director, whose work spanned many years and whose films embraced many genres. He was a fine comedy director and also directed musicals with class. His action films were spirited and his romantic dramas moving. Many critics have tended to first overrate, then upon re-evaluation underrate Steven's work. My feeling is that Stevens chalked up a remarkable record of high quality films throughout his career, and this bio provides a wide range of his work, through film clips, interviews by actors, producers and directors, and through a loving narration by George Stevens, Jr. This is a must for Stevens fans and an enjoyable film for others.

Having watched this on Disc Two of Woman of the Year after many years of only knowing of it, I find George Stevens Jr.'s loving tribute to his father quite touching in the way he shows various clips of his dad's most classic movies, his interviews of many of those films' stars as well as many of his father's fellow directors, and of his dad's experiences in life especially what he went through during World War II when he went to Europe to film some military docs. In summary, George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey is a fine tribute.