Steven C. Smith

Writing

Steven C. Smith

Steven C. Smith is an Emmy-nominated documentary producer, author, and speaker who specializes in Hollywood history and profiles of contemporary filmmakers.

Acting credits

'The Trouble with Harry' Isn't Over poster
7.3

This is the featurette on the DVD of "The Trouble With Harry." It consists of interviews, clips of the film and stills from the making of the Hitchcock classic.

'The Trouble with Harry' Isn't Over

2001

The Trouble with 'Marnie' poster
7.8

This hour long documentary on the making of Alfred Hitchcock's "Marnie" incorporates the usual melange of contemporary interviews with surviving participants and liberal helpings of film clips and production shots. It also presents a nice selection of script pages and memos as well. In the former category we find cast members 'Tippi' Hedren, Diane Baker, and Louise Latham, rejected screenwriters Joseph Stefano and Evan Hunter, final screenwriter Jay Presson Allen, daughter Pat Hitchcock O'Connell, production designer Robert Boyle, makeup artist Howard Smit, unit manager Hilton Green, Hitchcock historian Robin Wood, composer Bernard Herrmann biographer Steven C. Smith, and Hitchcock fan/filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich. An entertaining account of the film's production, the participants offer loads of valuable information and anecdotes. Highly enjoyable for Hitchcock fans and the film's growing number of admirers.

The Trouble with 'Marnie'

2000

Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock's Maestro poster
7.0

No director-composer collaboration has been more seminal to motion pictures than the partnership of Alfred Hitchcock and Bernard Herrmann. In this documentary we examine the long and sometimes painful partnership that produced unforgettable musical scores for such films as Vertigo, Psycho, and The Man Who Knew Too Much.

Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock's Maestro

2008

Max Steiner: Maestro of Movie Music poster
7.6

A look at the life and work of the Austrian composer who pioneered the musical scoring of films - hundreds of them - from King Kong, to Gone with the Wind, to Casablanca and beyond.

Max Steiner: Maestro of Movie Music

2019

Pioniere der Filmmusik - Europas Sound für Hollywood poster
8.5

Hollywood film music has its roots in Europe. Three composers who fled war and National Socialism to the USA created the sound that still shapes film music today: Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Max Steiner and Franz Waxman. In the early 20th century, these classically trained composers transformed the methods acquired in Vienna and Berlin into a new American art form: film music. They balanced the relationship between image and sound and developed techniques and dramaturgical tricks to achieve the greatest possible effect on the viewer. Their influence is visible in the work of contemporary US composers such as John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith. Today, Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, Ramin Djawadi and Harold Faltermeyer continue this tradition. Their melodies are part of humanity's collective memory and reflect the combined traditions of European and American musical history. The documentary accompanies composers in their work and explores the European roots of Hollywood.

Pioniere der Filmmusik - Europas Sound für Hollywood

2024

Behind the camera

Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman poster
7.6

The history of the comic book superhero, Superman, in his various media incarnations.

Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman

2006

Star Wars Tech poster
7.8

Exploring the technical aspects of Star Wars vehicles, weapons and gadgetry, Star Wars Tech consults leading scientists in the fields of physics, prosthetics, lasers, engineering and astronomy to examine the plausibility of Star Wars technology based on science as we know it today.

Star Wars Tech

2007

Freeing “Trapped” poster
NR

Film noir expert Eddie Muller and others discuss the classic film Trapped.

Freeing “Trapped”

2019

Freeing “Trapped” poster
NR

Film noir expert Eddie Muller and others discuss the classic film Trapped.

Freeing “Trapped”

2019

Playboy: Sex at 24 Frames Per Second poster
5.3

Examines the relationship between sex, women, and the role of female sexuality in popular Hollywood culture, focusing on Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Jean Harlow, and Sharon Stone.

Playboy: Sex at 24 Frames Per Second

2003

Playboy: Sex at 24 Frames Per Second poster
5.3

Examines the relationship between sex, women, and the role of female sexuality in popular Hollywood culture, focusing on Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Jean Harlow, and Sharon Stone.

Playboy: Sex at 24 Frames Per Second

2003

Dangerous Citizen: The Life and Times of Abraham Polonsky poster
NR

A portrait of blacklisted writer-director Abraham Polonsky.

Dangerous Citizen: The Life and Times of Abraham Polonsky

2026

Dangerous Citizen: The Life and Times of Abraham Polonsky poster
NR

A portrait of blacklisted writer-director Abraham Polonsky.

Dangerous Citizen: The Life and Times of Abraham Polonsky

2026

Spider-Man Tech poster
7.7

This documentary discuss all the laws of physics , genetic biology and reflexis which Peter Parker (Spiderman) uses and how he become so powerful dispite of having comparatively weak body.

Spider-Man Tech

2007

Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of The Dark Knight poster
7.5

Delve into the world of Batman and the vigilante justice that he brought to the city of Gotham. Batman is a man who, after experiencing great tragedy, devotes his life to an ideal--but what happens when one man takes on the evil underworld alone? Examine why Batman is who he is--and explore how a boy scarred by tragedy becomes a symbol of hope to everyone else.

Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of The Dark Knight

2008

Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of The Dark Knight poster
7.5

Delve into the world of Batman and the vigilante justice that he brought to the city of Gotham. Batman is a man who, after experiencing great tragedy, devotes his life to an ideal--but what happens when one man takes on the evil underworld alone? Examine why Batman is who he is--and explore how a boy scarred by tragedy becomes a symbol of hope to everyone else.

Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of The Dark Knight

2008

DC Spotlight: Shazam! poster
NR

He’s one of the world’s most iconic superheroes, his influence can be seen across the entire comic book industry, and he is the embodiment of total wish fulfillment. Over the years, he has been known by many names but today he is simply known as.... SHAZAM!

DC Spotlight: Shazam!

2019

Making History: Mel Brooks on Creating the World poster
NR

Documentary on the making of Mel Brooks' classic comedy "History of the World, Part 1."

Making History: Mel Brooks on Creating the World

2009

Hitchcock and Mel: Spoofing the Master of Suspense poster
NR

A short documentary exploring the relationship between Alfred Hitchcock and Mel Brooks and the role it played in the production of "High Anxiety."

Hitchcock and Mel: Spoofing the Master of Suspense

2009

No artwork available
NR

Documentary about the use of 3-D technology in Inferno (1953) and the advent of CinemaScope, in 1953 in the film The Robe (1953).

A New Dimension in Noir: Filming Inferno in 3D

2017

Silent Laughter: The Reel Inspirations of 'Silent Movie' poster
NR

A featurette about the origins of "Silent Movie," as well as its inspirations and development, direct cinematic influences, cast and performances, gag specifics and cut scenes, Brooks’ directorial style and a few other tidbits.

Silent Laughter: The Reel Inspirations of 'Silent Movie'

2009

Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood poster
7.3

Documentary about the making of 20th Century Fox's 1963 film "Cleopatra," then the most expensive film of all time.

Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood

2001

Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest poster
6.6

Using original interviews with director John Carpenter, stars Jamie Lee Curtis and P.J. Soles, and crew members, 'Halloween': A Cut Above the Rest unveils the production of the horror classic and how the ingenuity of Carpenter and his team, coupled with the shoestring budget of $325,000, drove the filmmakers to create one of the most influential horror films of all time.

Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest

2003

Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest poster
6.6

Using original interviews with director John Carpenter, stars Jamie Lee Curtis and P.J. Soles, and crew members, 'Halloween': A Cut Above the Rest unveils the production of the horror classic and how the ingenuity of Carpenter and his team, coupled with the shoestring budget of $325,000, drove the filmmakers to create one of the most influential horror films of all time.

Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest

2003

Batman Tech poster
7.4

He's caped, cowled and the coolest superhero of them all, because underneath that Batsuit, Batman only has his human strength and intellect to rely on. That and the greatest arsenal of crime fighting weaponry ever devised. But just where does comic book science fiction end and scientific fact begin? What technologies are behind the gadgets in Batman's utility belt? And just how plausible is the Batmobile? Get ready for a real life trip to the Batcave as we reveal the secrets behind Batman Tech.

Batman Tech

2008

Batman Tech poster
7.4

He's caped, cowled and the coolest superhero of them all, because underneath that Batsuit, Batman only has his human strength and intellect to rely on. That and the greatest arsenal of crime fighting weaponry ever devised. But just where does comic book science fiction end and scientific fact begin? What technologies are behind the gadgets in Batman's utility belt? And just how plausible is the Batmobile? Get ready for a real life trip to the Batcave as we reveal the secrets behind Batman Tech.

Batman Tech

2008

No artwork available
NR

The documentary covers the origins, history and curious stories behind the production along with a perceptive reading of the film.

The Cost of Living: Creating the Prowler

2011

Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood poster
6.1

A look at the forces that shaped Pre-Code Hollywood and brought about the strict enforcement of the Hays Code in 1934.

Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood

2008

Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood poster
6.1

A look at the forces that shaped Pre-Code Hollywood and brought about the strict enforcement of the Hays Code in 1934.

Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood

2008