Gore Vidal

Writing

Gore Vidal

Born 1925-10-03 · West Point, New York, USA

Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (born Eugene Louis Vidal; October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his epigrammatic wit. His novels and essays interrogated the social and cultural sexual norms he perceived as driving American life. Beyond literature, Vidal was heavily involved in politics. He unsuccessfully sought office twice as a Democratic Party candidate, first in 1960 to the U.S. House of Representatives (for New York), and later in 1982 to the U.S. Senate (for California). Description above from the Wikipedia article Gore Vidal, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Acting credits

Gattaca poster
7.6

Vincent is an all-too-human man who dares to defy a system obsessed with genetic perfection. He is an "In-Valid" who assumes the identity of a member of the genetic elite to pursue his goal of traveling into space with the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation.

Gattaca

1997

Inside Deep Throat poster
6.5

In 1972, a seemingly typical shoestring budget pornographic film was made in a Florida hotel: "Deep Throat," starring Linda Lovelace. This film would surpass the wildest expectation of everyone involved to become one of the most successful independent films of all time. It caught the public imagination which met the spirit of the times, even as the self-appointed guardians of public morality struggled to suppress it, and created, for a brief moment, a possible future where sexuality in film had a bold artistic potential. This film covers the story of the making of this controversial film, its stunning success, its hysterical opposition along with its dark side of mob influence and allegations of the on set mistreatment of the film's star.

Inside Deep Throat

2005

Igby Goes Down poster
6.6

Igby Slocumb, a rebellious and sarcastic 17-year-old boy, is at war with the stifling world of old money privilege he was born into. With a schizophrenic father, a self-absorbed, distant mother, and a shark-like young Republican big brother, Igby figures there must be a better life out there -- and sets about finding it.

Igby Goes Down

2002

Public Speaking poster
7.0

Martin Scorsese’s portrait of writer and social commentator Fran Lebowitz, celebrated for her sharp wit and observations on modern life. Filmed at New York’s Waverly Inn and intercut with archival footage and interviews, the documentary captures Lebowitz’s distinctive worldview through her spontaneous monologues and public appearances.

Public Speaking

2011

Shadow Conspiracy poster
4.9

Bobby Bishop is a special assistant to the President of the United States. Accidentally, he meets his friend professor Pochenko on the street. Pochenko has time to tell Bishop about some conspiracy in the White House but then immediately gets killed by an assassin. Now bad guys are after Bobby as the only man who knows about a plot. Bishop must now not only survive, but to stop the conspirators from achieving their goal. And he doesn't know whom to trust.

Shadow Conspiracy

1997

With Honors poster
6.7

Convinced he'll graduate with honors because of his thesis paper, a stuffy Harvard student finds his paper being held hostage by a homeless man, who might be the guy to school the young man in life.

With Honors

1994

Roma poster
7.3

A virtually plotless, gaudy, impressionistic portrait of Rome through the eyes of one of its most famous citizens.

Roma

1972

Thinking XXX poster
5.5

For a book project, photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders took photographs of 30 stars of adult movies, each pair of photographs in the same pose, clothed and nude. This film records the photo shoots and includes interviews with the performers and commentary from eight writers (and John Waters). The actors and writers discuss economics, nudity and exhibitionism, careers, and private lives.

Thinking XXX

2004

Suddenly, Last Summer poster
7.3

The only son of wealthy widow Violet Venable dies while on vacation with his cousin Catherine. What the girl saw was so horrible that she went insane; now Mrs. Venable wants Catherine lobotomized to cover up the truth.

Suddenly, Last Summer

1959

Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula poster
5.8

This is a short film based on the 1979 film of the same name. The film is stylized with the actors wearing modernized robes and Roman jewelry and females playing male characters and vice-versa.

Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula

2005

The Best Man poster
7.3

The other party is in disarray. Five men vie for the party nomination for president. No one has a majority as the first ballot closes and the front-runners begin to decide how badly they want the job.

The Best Man

1964

Bob Roberts poster
6.6

Millionaire conservative Bob Roberts launches an insurgent campaign against incumbent senator Brickley Paiste, firing up crowds at his rallies by singing '60s-style acoustic folk songs with lyrics espousing far-right conservative social and economic views.

Bob Roberts

1992

Shrink poster
6.2

Unable to cope with a recent personal tragedy, LA's top celebrity shrink turns into a pothead with no concern for his appearance and a creeping sense of his inability to help his patients.

Shrink

2009

The Celluloid Closet poster
7.2

Exuberant, eye-opening movie that serves up a dazzling hundred-year history of the role of gay men and lesbians have had on the silver screen. Film contains fabulous footage from 120 films showing the changing face of cinema sexuality, from cruel stereotypes to covert love to the activist triumphs of the 1990s.

The Celluloid Closet

1996

Salinger poster
6.4

An in-depth investigation into the private world of the American writer J. D. Salinger (1919-2010), who lived most of his life behind the impenetrable wall of a self-imposed seclusion: how his dramatic experiences during World War II influenced his life and work, his relationships with very young women, his obsessive writing methods, his many literary secrets.

Salinger

2013

Rescued from the Closet poster
6.5

Rescued from the Closet is a 2001 documentary consisting of interviews originally recorded for the 1995 film The Celluloid Closet. It explores the history and impact of LGBT representation in cinema, providing insights into the portrayal and evolution of LGBT characters and themes within the film industry.

Rescued from the Closet

2001

The Cockettes poster
6.9

Documentary about the gender-bending San Francisco performance group who became a pop culture phenomenon in the early 1970s.

The Cockettes

2002

Wilde Salomé poster
6.2

In documentary style, Al Pacino tells the story of how he came to stage a production of Oscar Wilde's Salomé. He travels to the Mojave Desert ("dessert?"), to Ireland and the United Kingdom to show who Wilde was as a private person and as a writer.

Wilde Salomé

2013

Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage poster
9.0

A study of Tennessee Williams's life and work as a whole, ranging from his youth in Mississippi and in St. Louis to success and acclaim, followed by the final difficult years. Includes some of the most celebrated scenes from film adaptations of Williams' work, among them extracts of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951),Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Night of the Iguana, The (1964), and Suddenly, Last Summer (1993) (TV). Contains footage of Williams being interviewed, including conversations with David Frost, 'Edward R. Murrow (I)', and Melvyn Bragg, as well as reminiscences from people who knew and worked with him, among them Edward Albee, Gore Vidal, and his lifelong friend, Lady Maria St. Just. Features readings from Elia Kazan's Notebook by Kim Hunter.

Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage

1994

Best of Enemies poster
7.2

A documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two great public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Intended as commentary on the issues of their day, these vitriolic and explosive encounters came to define the modern era of public discourse in the media, marking the big bang moment of our contemporary media landscape when spectacle trumped content and argument replaced substance. Best of Enemies delves into the entangled biographies of these two great thinkers, and luxuriates in the language and the theater of their debates, begging the question, "What has television done to the way we discuss politics in our democracy today?"

Best of Enemies

2015

The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell poster
5.9

The strange history of the now abandoned American 1993-bill, «Don't ask, don't tell» where sexual orientation was a "non-talk" policy in the American forces, leading to 13.368 getting kicked out before 2011.

The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell

2011

The U.S. vs. John Lennon poster
6.6

A documentary on the life of John Lennon, with a focus on the time in his life when he transformed from a musician into an antiwar activist.

The U.S. vs. John Lennon

2006

Billy the Kid poster
7.1

Gore Vidal's historical novel is brought to life in this television production of Turner Network Television's Billy the Kid.

Billy the Kid

1989

The Great Depression: A Job at Ford's poster
NR

Just before the advent of the Great Depression, Henry Ford controlled the most important company in the most important industry in the booming American economy. His offer of high wages in exchange for hard work attracted workers to Detroit, but it began to come apart when Ford hired a private police force to speed up production and spy on employees. After the depression hit in 1929, these workers faced a new, grim reality as unemployment skyrocketed.

The Great Depression: A Job at Ford's

1993

Behind the camera

The Night of the Generals poster
6.8

A German intelligence officer investigates a prostitute's killing in Warsaw during World War II. He lands on three major Nazi generals as suspects, two of whom are also involved in a plot to kill Adolf Hitler.

The Night of the Generals

1967

The Sicilian poster
5.2

Egocentric bandit Salvatore Giuliano fights the Church, the Mafia, and the landed gentry while leading a populist movement for Sicilian independence.

The Sicilian

1987

The Catered Affair poster
7.2

An Irish cabby in the Bronx watches his wife go overboard planning their daughter's wedding.

The Catered Affair

1956

Is Paris Burning? poster
7.2

Near the end of World War II, General Dietrich von Choltitz receives orders to burn down Paris if it becomes clear the Allies are going to invade, or if he's unable to maintain control of the city. After much contemplation, Choltitz ignores orders, enraging the Germans and giving hope to various resistance factions that the city will be liberated. Choltitz, alongside Swedish diplomat Raoul Nordling, helps a leader organise his forces.

Is Paris Burning?

1966

Suddenly, Last Summer poster
7.3

The only son of wealthy widow Violet Venable dies while on vacation with his cousin Catherine. What the girl saw was so horrible that she went insane; now Mrs. Venable wants Catherine lobotomized to cover up the truth.

Suddenly, Last Summer

1959

Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula poster
5.8

This is a short film based on the 1979 film of the same name. The film is stylized with the actors wearing modernized robes and Roman jewelry and females playing male characters and vice-versa.

Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula

2005

The Best Man poster
7.3

The other party is in disarray. Five men vie for the party nomination for president. No one has a majority as the first ballot closes and the front-runners begin to decide how badly they want the job.

The Best Man

1964

Summer Pavilion poster
9.0

In an old Louisiana plantation, the furnishings and the once great family are fading fast.The matriarch desperately tries to hold on to the gazebo that's slated for destruction as part of a building project, as well as holding her daughter to an unwanted marriage, even though she loves the builder.

Summer Pavilion

1955

Dark Possession poster
NR

A woman is accused by a poison-pen letter of murdering her husband.

Dark Possession

1954

Billy the Kid poster
7.1

Gore Vidal's historical novel is brought to life in this television production of Turner Network Television's Billy the Kid.

Billy the Kid

1989

I Accuse! poster
6.6

Alfred Dreyfus, a German-Jewish captain serving in the French Army, is falsely accused of treason and made a scapegoat for military espionage in an act of institutional anti-Semitism. Sent to prison, he becomes a cause célèbre for the novelist Émile Zola, who dubs it the "Dreyfus Affair." Eventually, Dreyfus is pardoned when the military cover-up is made public, and he returns to France. But his name is forever tarnished by the accusations of treason.

I Accuse!

1958

The Palermo Connection poster
6.2

Carmine Bonavia wins election as the mayor of New York on a promise to legalize drugs. After the election, he marries Carrie and goes to his ancestral home of Sicily for their honeymoon. In his hotel, he meets Il Principe, a Sicilian prince who has spent years confined to the hotel because he crossed the Mafia. Amid the beauties of Sicily Carmine discovers that men of power will stop at nothing to prevent the legalization of drugs, which threatens their business.

The Palermo Connection

1990

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde poster
6.0

Adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic. Part of Chrysler sponsored series "Climax!"

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

1955

Last of the Mobile Hot Shots poster
4.6

A new bride gets caught between her decadent husband and his black half-brother.

Last of the Mobile Hot Shots

1970