Brian De Palma

Directing

Brian De Palma

Born 1940-09-11 · Newark, New Jersey, USA

Brian Russell De Palma is an American film director and writer. In a career spanning over forty years, he is probably best known for his suspense and crime thriller films. De Palma was a leading member of the New Hollywood generation of film directors. His direction often makes use of quotations from other films or cinematic styles, and bears the influence of filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock, Jean-Luc Godard, and Michelangelo Antonioni. His work has been criticized for its violence and sexual content, but has also been championed by American critics such as Roger Ebert and Pauline Kael.

Acting credits

Spielberg poster
7.5

A documentary on the life and career of one of the most influential film directors of all time, Steven Spielberg.

Spielberg

2017

Ennio poster
8.3

A portrait of Ennio Morricone, the most popular and prolific film composer of the 20th century, the one most loved by the international public, a two-time Oscar winner and the author of over five hundred unforgettable scores.

Ennio

2022

The Black Dahlia poster
5.6

In 1940s Los Angeles, two former boxers-turned-cops must grapple with corruption, narcissism, stag films and family madness as they pursue the killer of an aspiring young actress.

The Black Dahlia

2006

Visualizing 'Carrie' poster
6.5

The making of "Carrie" (1976) is presented on the film's 25th anniversary with interviews with director Brian De Palma, editor Paul Hirsch, art director Jack Fisk and writer Laurence D. Cohen. The special talks about the book transition to film and the editorial process during filming.

Visualizing 'Carrie'

2001

Quentin Tarantino: Hollywood's Boy Wonder poster
6.0

A documentary profile on Quentin Tarantino broadcast by the BBC's "Omnibus" strand in 1994 to coincide with "Pulp Fiction" hitting UK cinemas.

Quentin Tarantino: Hollywood's Boy Wonder

1994

Godard Made in USA poster
NR

Documentary by Luc Lagier exploring Godard's career as a filmmaker, the production of Breathless and his influence and his relationship with American cinema.

Godard Made in USA

2010

Acting 'Carrie' poster
7.5

In this documentary, director Brian De Palma and the stars from his film "Carrie" (such as Sissy Spacek, Amy Irving, Piper Laurie, William Katt, Nancy Allen and others) share stories about the making of the classic horror film 25 years after its release.

Acting 'Carrie'

2001

The Making of 'Scarface' poster
8.0

A 52-minute documentary on "Scarface," both the making of the film and its reception.

The Making of 'Scarface'

1998

The Making of 'Carlito's Way' poster
6.0

A behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of Brian De Palma’s "Carlito’s Way," featuring interviews with the filmmakers and key creative figures behind the 1993 crime drama.

The Making of 'Carlito's Way'

2003

The 'Scarface' Phenomenon poster
7.0

This documentary presents "Scarface" as a unique phenomenon in cinema history. It explores how a film plagued by controversy leading up to its release has become a Hollywood classic, influencing a whole new generation of filmmakers and leaving a lasting imprint on popular culture.

The 'Scarface' Phenomenon

2011

Hitchcock: Shadow of a Genius poster
8.5

This documentary is a fascinating look at the cinematic genius of Alfred Hitchcock. Briefly covering much of his early British works, the film primarily focuses on his American classics, such as "Shadow of a Doubt", "Notorious", "Rear Window", "Vertigo", "Psycho" and "The Birds". The movie also covers his television years and neatly examines the Hitchcock signature touches, from his inevitable brief cameo to his famous MacGuffin.

Hitchcock: Shadow of a Genius

1999

No artwork available
NR

A short documentary tracing Mission: Impossible from TV series to film franchise, featuring clips and interviews with producer Paula Wagner, Tom Cruise, screenwriter Robert Towne, directors Brian De Palma, John Woo, and J.J. Abrams, and actor Jon Voight. It covers the TV show's influence on the first film, the plot and production challenges, casting and locations, the sequel's development, and beyond.

Mission: Remarkable - 40 Years of Creating the Impossible

2010

Brian De Palma par Brian De Palma Leçon de cinéma poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Brian De Palma par Brian De Palma Leçon de cinéma

2022

Black Dahlia Confidential poster
8.0

The murder of a young Hollywood actress Elizabeth Short in 1947 is the oldest unsolved murder case in Los Angeles. New information and clues may help solve this case. "48 Hours Mystery" correspondent Erin Moriarty reports.

Black Dahlia Confidential

2004

De Palma poster
7.0

An intimate conversation between filmmakers, chronicling De Palma’s 55-year career, his life, and his filmmaking process, with revealing anecdotes and, of course, a wealth of film clips.

De Palma

2016

No artwork available
5.0

Business tycoon Rotwang has been murdered. In a series of intertwined, loosely connected flashbacks, the film recounts the ludicrous events leading up to the bloody deed, while also pursuing some bizarre side plots. There are many possible perpetrators because everyone agreed on one thing: Rotwang had to go! Whether it was his wife Clarissa, the former RAF terrorist and current fashion guru Arthur Eigenrauch, or the rustic snack bar owner Udo Ringeltaub—they all had a personal or professional reason to eliminate Rotwang.

Rotwang Must Go!

1994

Femme Fatale: Dream Within a Dream poster
8.7

A documentary about Brian de Palma's "Femme Fatale."

Femme Fatale: Dream Within a Dream

2003

The Untouchables: Production Stories poster
7.3

Cast and crew from "The Untouchables" share production stories.

The Untouchables: Production Stories

2004

Paradise Regained: Brian de Palma's 'Phantom of the Paradise' poster
5.5

A 50-minute documentary on the making of the film featuring director Brian De Palma, producer Edward R. Pressman, the late star William Finley, star and composer Paul Williams, co-stars Jessica Harper and Gerrit Graham and more!

Paradise Regained: Brian de Palma's 'Phantom of the Paradise'

2006

Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy poster
5.0

This is not a documentary about the making of Midnight Cowboy. It is about a humane and groundbreaking masterpiece and the flawed but gifted people who made it. It is about a troubled era of cultural ferment, social and political change, about broken dreams and strivers, then and now. It is about an era that made a movie and a movie that made an era.

Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy

2023

The Untouchables: The Script, the Cast poster
7.3

Brian DePalma and Art Linson discuss how the 1987 film "The Untouchables" came together.

The Untouchables: The Script, the Cast

2004

Movies Are My Life poster
6.8

The very first full-length documentary on Scorsese offers an invaluable look at how he was perceived by his colleagues, and himself, in 1977. Catching Scorsese while he was in post-production on New York, New York and editing The Last Waltz, British filmmaker Peter Hayden gets the manically hyper Scorsese to comment on his youth, his relation to his lead characters, the making of Mean Streets and most importantly, his approach to direction. The doc doesn’t quite move at the pace of Scorsese’s revved-up speed-talking, but it does offer some real insight into his productivity in the 1970s, thanks to an impressive array of talking heads. Included are Scorsese’s collaborators Jay Cocks, Mardik Martin, Brian De Palma, Steven Prince (who co-produced this doc), and his mentor John Cassavetes. Also the performers, who discuss his working methods in detail — Jodie Foster, Liza Minnelli, and, of course, Robert De Niro.

Movies Are My Life

1988

The Untouchables: Re-Inventing the Genre poster
7.5

Cast and crew members from The Untouchables recall the production.

The Untouchables: Re-Inventing the Genre

2004

Gangland: Bullets over Hollywood poster
7.4

"Bullets Over Hollywood" delves into America's fascination with gangsters and features historical perspective, analysis, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and details about the connection between real-life hoods and their cinematic alter egos. The documentary chronicles films such as the _American Mutoscope & Biograph [us]_ film _Musketeers of Pig Alley, The (1912)_ (the 1912 film directed by D.W. Griffith that began it all), 1930's and '40s classics including "Little Caesar," "The Public Enemy," "The Roaring Twenties," "The Petrified Forest" and "High Sierra," to such modern tales as "The Godfather," "Scarface," "Goodfellas," "Donnie Brasco," "Casino," "A Bronx Tale," "Carlito's Way," "Once Upon a Time in America" and many more. The special takes a look at television with shows such as "The Sopranos" and "Growing Up Gotti," all part of America's parallel fascination with fictional and real-life gangsters.

Gangland: Bullets over Hollywood

2005

Behind the camera

Scarface poster
8.2

After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia serve to fuel the flames of his eventual downfall.

Scarface

1983

Mission: Impossible poster
7.0

When Ethan Hunt, the leader of a crack espionage team whose perilous operation has gone awry with no explanation, discovers that a mole has penetrated the CIA, he's surprised to learn that he's the prime suspect. To clear his name, Hunt now must ferret out the real double agent and, in the process, even the score.

Mission: Impossible

1996

The Untouchables poster
7.8

Elliot Ness, an ambitious prohibition agent, is determined to take down Al Capone. In order to achieve this goal, he forms a group given the nickname “The Untouchables”.

The Untouchables

1987

Carrie poster
7.3

Withdrawn and sensitive teenager Carrie White faces bullying from her classmates and abuse from her fanatically pious mother. When she begins to suspect that she has supernatural powers, things take a dark and violent turn.

Carrie

1976

Snake Eyes poster
6.2

All bets are off when shady homicide cop Rick Santoro witnesses a murder during a boxing match. Determined to solve the crime, he quickly learns that his search for answers will only uncover yet more questions in an ever-widening web of conspiracy, intrigue, and danger.

Snake Eyes

1998

Snake Eyes poster
6.2

All bets are off when shady homicide cop Rick Santoro witnesses a murder during a boxing match. Determined to solve the crime, he quickly learns that his search for answers will only uncover yet more questions in an ever-widening web of conspiracy, intrigue, and danger.

Snake Eyes

1998

Carlito's Way poster
7.8

Free after years in prison, Carlito Brigante intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld.

Carlito's Way

1993

Body Double poster
6.7

After losing an acting role and his girlfriend, Jake Scully finally catches a break: he gets offered a gig house-sitting in the Hollywood Hills. While peering through the beautiful home's telescope one night, he spies a gorgeous woman dancing in her window. But when he witnesses the girl's murder, it leads Scully through the netherworld of the adult entertainment industry on a search for answers—with porn actress Holly Body as his guide.

Body Double

1984

Body Double poster
6.7

After losing an acting role and his girlfriend, Jake Scully finally catches a break: he gets offered a gig house-sitting in the Hollywood Hills. While peering through the beautiful home's telescope one night, he spies a gorgeous woman dancing in her window. But when he witnesses the girl's murder, it leads Scully through the netherworld of the adult entertainment industry on a search for answers—with porn actress Holly Body as his guide.

Body Double

1984

Body Double poster
6.7

After losing an acting role and his girlfriend, Jake Scully finally catches a break: he gets offered a gig house-sitting in the Hollywood Hills. While peering through the beautiful home's telescope one night, he spies a gorgeous woman dancing in her window. But when he witnesses the girl's murder, it leads Scully through the netherworld of the adult entertainment industry on a search for answers—with porn actress Holly Body as his guide.

Body Double

1984

The Black Dahlia poster
5.6

In 1940s Los Angeles, two former boxers-turned-cops must grapple with corruption, narcissism, stag films and family madness as they pursue the killer of an aspiring young actress.

The Black Dahlia

2006

Blow Out poster
7.4

While recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terry stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes out Sally from the car, but the other passenger is already dead — a governor intending to run for president. As Jack does some investigating of his tapes, and starts a perilous romance with Sally, he enters a tangled web of conspiracy that might leave him dead.

Blow Out

1981

Blow Out poster
7.4

While recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terry stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes out Sally from the car, but the other passenger is already dead — a governor intending to run for president. As Jack does some investigating of his tapes, and starts a perilous romance with Sally, he enters a tangled web of conspiracy that might leave him dead.

Blow Out

1981

Phantom of the Paradise poster
7.5

Singer-songwriter Winslow Leach seeks revenge on the nefarious music producer Swan, who steals both Winslow's music and his favorite singer for the grand opening of Swan's new rock palace, the Paradise.

Phantom of the Paradise

1974

Phantom of the Paradise poster
7.5

Singer-songwriter Winslow Leach seeks revenge on the nefarious music producer Swan, who steals both Winslow's music and his favorite singer for the grand opening of Swan's new rock palace, the Paradise.

Phantom of the Paradise

1974

Dressed to Kill poster
6.9

After witnessing a mysterious woman brutally slay a homemaker, prostitute Liz Blake finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation. While the police thinks she is the murderer, the real killer is intent on silencing her only witness.

Dressed to Kill

1980

Dressed to Kill poster
6.9

After witnessing a mysterious woman brutally slay a homemaker, prostitute Liz Blake finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation. While the police thinks she is the murderer, the real killer is intent on silencing her only witness.

Dressed to Kill

1980

The Bonfire of the Vanities poster
5.6

After his mistress runs over a black teen, a Wall Street hotshot sees his life unravel in the spotlight; A down-and-out reporter breaks the story and opportunists clamber to use it to their advantage.

The Bonfire of the Vanities

1990

The Bonfire of the Vanities poster
5.6

After his mistress runs over a black teen, a Wall Street hotshot sees his life unravel in the spotlight; A down-and-out reporter breaks the story and opportunists clamber to use it to their advantage.

The Bonfire of the Vanities

1990

Casualties of War poster
7.2

During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap a female villager.

Casualties of War

1989

Femme Fatale poster
6.2

A $10-million diamond rip-off, a stolen identity, a new life married to a diplomat. Laure Ash has risked big, won big. But then a tabloid shutterbug snaps her picture in Paris, and suddenly, enemies from Laure's secret past know who and where she is. And they all want their share of the diamond heist. Or her life. Or both.

Femme Fatale

2002

Femme Fatale poster
6.2

A $10-million diamond rip-off, a stolen identity, a new life married to a diplomat. Laure Ash has risked big, won big. But then a tabloid shutterbug snaps her picture in Paris, and suddenly, enemies from Laure's secret past know who and where she is. And they all want their share of the diamond heist. Or her life. Or both.

Femme Fatale

2002

Mission to Mars poster
6.0

When the first manned mission to Mars meets with a catastrophic and mysterious disaster after reporting an unidentified structure, a rescue mission is launched to investigate the tragedy and bring back any survivors.

Mission to Mars

2000

Passion poster
5.2

The rivalry between the manipulative boss of an advertising agency and her talented protégée escalates from stealing credit to public humiliation to murder.

Passion

2013