Casting By

I was lucky enough to see this Film twice at the Miami International Film Festival this spring! I went with several friends and we all agreed it was a Superb Film. It illuminated a very interesting and often overlooked part of the creative process of film making. The film not only educated it's viewers about the the casting process but allowed the viewer to slowly see just how very vital the Casting Director has been in so many well known and groundbreaking films! Most importantly this film made its point with great humor, warmth and feeling. I have been a fan of the Director Tom Donahue for several decades (starting with his amazing first Documentary in Film School).

The editing of the interviews with the many wonderful actors, other Casting Directors, and the film's focus Marion Dougherty was perfect! Providing so many great old clips from the artists' body of work and other films was very entertaining and brought their words to life! I would recommend this film to anybody!

Very education and enlightening, this is the rare documentary that is as edifying as it is entertaining. Fun animations to keep it interesting when the real scene was not possible. Real star power was lassoed in to present their genuine compliments to an underappreciated legend. Original artifacts such as actor "report cards", newspaper clippings, awards ceremony speech recordings, typewritten letters- both personal and professional missives are shared aplenty. All resulting in more than enough insight into this underappreciated role in the film industry.

"Casting By" is as much an inspiring homage to the powerhouse pioneer of Casting as an art form, Marion Dougherty, as it is a historical lesson on the transformation from the practice of choosing stock actors from a laundry list to fit a film- to the far more powerful practice of matching the films that most harmoniously showcase an actor's talents.

The last segment was as tear-inducing as any cornball romantic comedy, hearing, seeing- actually feeling- all the heartfelt letters from the greats in old Hollywood writing to the Academy in support, imploring then to give Marion Dougherty her much deserved honorary Award. And then seeing the words, "Marion Dougherty did not receive the award." She passed away in 2001, without any official recognition by the Academy, and never having received a single title card credit @ 100% font. Because, yes, that is how petty they get. Truly devastating.

Well, 2024 update?

Praise be. Taylor Hackford be damned with your comments about how you are always in charge and casting directors will never be labeled as directors. You are not that great. And the Academy has finally realized the error in its ways, in the first new category established since 2001 over twenty years ago. As clearly shown in this exemplary documentary, it is about time!

2026, Best Achievement in Casting, here we come!

There was a time (mostly gone, now) when acting meant ACTING; when the right Actor could be given the Right Part and the grex would be a remarkable thing to see. Nowadays, of course, a lot of actors are little more than Stand-Ins, who PANTOMINE for cgi that aren't there- MIMES, to be more precise. I've always looked for the name of the Casting Director on movies that boasted particularly memorable performances by competent Actors. Two of the names that I recall seeing on a good many of the most memorable movies I ever saw were Dougherty and Lynn Stalmaster. (In fact, up until I saw this documentary, I thought that Lynn Stalmaster was a WOMAN.) Times have indeed changed (and not for the better), but we'll still have all those old movies with all those Great performances- and we'll always have Marion Dougherty and Lynn Stalmaster to thank for it.

Prior to seeing this exceptional documentary, directed by Tom Donahue, I don't recall ever having viewed a film devoted exclusively to the work and accomplishments of casting directors. This extremely well presented movie centers on one of the trailblazers of casting for movies and television Marion Dougherty, who passed away in 2011. We do hear from and see the work of other casting directors as well, such as Lynn Stalmaster, Juliet Taylor, and Ellen Lewis, among others. Taylor, who was hired by Dougherty has been casting Woody Allen movies for several decades now.

It's really great fun to see many of the superstars of today in film clips as they were beginning their careers, and how they were noticed and cast in some of the most famous movies and TV shows ever. You see that Dougherty possessed uncanny instincts to know what actors and actresses belonged in what roles, and her ability to convince the directors of such, and the results of all of this is truly amazing.

One aspect of the documentary that I never thought about but which surprised me when it was presented was the refusal of filmmakers to recognize and appropriately credit casting directors for their work on a movie. They had to fight to even get separate credits for their work on screen, and it remains the only separate line credit in movies that doesn't have an Oscar category (the Emmys have such a category now). You see some directors in the film especially Taylor Hackford, showing their arrogance and egos decrying that he the director is the final say so why should there be a category for casting. It's ridiculous, in my opinion, and needs to be changed now, if I may editorialize a bit here.

In summary this is a special movie that I truly believe anyone who likes films will enjoy.

CASTING BY is a surprisingly entertaining documentary. Its title is somewhat misleading as it's doesn't really explain the occupation of casting directors, rather it is a valentine to Marion Dougherty, the woman who coined the term as she carved out a unique role when she began working in the entertainment business. Ironically, she wanted to be an actress herself, but didn't pursue a career, believing it would be too difficult. Fortunately, an entry level position at NBC producing live plays sponsored by Kraft proved a better fit for her theatrical instincts. As she was living in New York City, she had ample opportunity and desire to go to the theater where she discovered the talent whom she cast. The film has a treasure trove of footage of the first roles given to future stars, the most entertaining one is a 22 year-old Warren Beatty imitating fellow Lee Stasberg graduate Marlon Brando. Fortunately, Ms Dougherty, who was not an acting teacher, remanded him that "The Method" did not mean "The Mumble."

The cavalcade of stars whose careers she launched is astonishing, but equally important is the serendipitous era in which she achieved prominence. The cinema of the 1970s was groundbreaking in that talent was allowed to trump looks, and the collapse of the studio movie-making machine allowed risqué movies like "Midnight Cowboy," "Panic in Needle Park," and "Taxi Driver" to be made.

Marion Dougherty's LA counterpart, Lynn Stalmaster, is profiled as another example of a casting director. But based in LA, the criteria and talent pool meant that his accomplishments are complementary to hers, but not comparable.

The movie is enjoyable, fast-paced and certain to be enjoyed by cinephiles, but should not be viewed as a representation of the profession of casting directors.

This writer has first-hand knowledge of the acting industry in Los Angeles. The majority of casting directors do not have anywhere near the authority of those interviewed in the movie. While it is a more difficult proposition for an LA-based casting director to go to the theater to discover talent, few make the effort nor have any appreciation for the actor's craft. Crassly, some actually teach acting classes and charge fees for aspiring actors to meet them.

Just as in the modeling world, there are the Victoria's Secret models at the top and an exploitative ugly underbelly that are not depicted together, so it is in the casting business. There's a documentary to be made there, but this movie is not it. It is about the cream that has justifiably risen to the top and gifted us with some of the greatest actors we may ever see.