D.A. Pennebaker’s Eye on the Century

D.A. Pennebaker’s Eye on the Century

2 Seasons

This July 15th marks the 100th birthday of documentary filmmaker D. A. Pennebaker, who forever changed the way we see the world. He helped pioneer the sync-sound camera rig, allowing his camera to move freely, bringing audiences into the heart of the moments that shaped a century. One of the trailblazers of cinema verité, Pennebaker believed that truth didn’t need a narrator, it just needed to be witnessed. Working alongside collaborators like Robert Drew, Richard Leacock, and his creative and life partner Chris Hegedus, he captured history in motion: a young presidential hopeful on the campaign trail in PRIMARY, Bob Dylan wrestling with fame in DONT LOOK BACK, the raw energy of MONTEREY POP, and the creative chaos of ORIGINAL CAST ALBUM: “COMPANY.” Whether he was filming backstage on Broadway or inside a French pastry competition, Pennebaker gave us something rare: life, unfolding in real time. Organic, immediate, and deeply human, his films remind us what it feels like to watch history not as it’s told, but as it’s lived.

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D.A. Pennebaker’s Eye on the Century

5 Episodes

  • Primary
    53:19
    Primary
    Episode 1

    Primary

    Episode 1

    Directed by Robert Drew • 1960 • United States

    Robert Drew’s groundbreaking 1960 film PRIMARY is one of the most important and influential documentaries in the history of the medium. A pioneering work in the documentary movement that came to be known as cinéma vérité, PRIMARY follows the young c...

  • Crisis
    52:53
    Crisis
    Episode 2

    Crisis

    Episode 2

    Directed by Robert Drew • 1963 • United States

    CRISIS: BEHIND A PRESIDENTIAL COMMITMENT provided filmmaker Robert Drew, his crew and his audience the rare opportunity to watch a President of the United States deal with a national crisis. In this case, the crisis of the title was the attempted in...

  • Adventures on the New Frontier
    52:40
    Adventures on the New Frontier
    Episode 3

    Adventures on the New Frontier

    Episode 3

    Directed by Robert Drew • 1961 • United States

    Cinéma vérité pioneer Robert Drew’s fascinating documentary ADVENTURES ON THE NEW FRONTIER offers a rare and candid glimpse inside the Oval Office as newly elected President John F. Kennedy goes about his daily work routine as America’s Chief Execut...

  • Faces of November
    12:08
    Faces of November
    Episode 4

    Faces of November

    Episode 4

    Directed by Robert Drew • 1964 • United States

    An intimate portrait of President John F. Kennedy’s funeral in November of 1963, this short work crafted by documentarian Robert Drew captures one of the most solemn moments in U.S. history.

  • Maidstone
    1:45:33
    Maidstone
    Episode 5

    Maidstone

    Episode 5

    Directed by Norman Mailer • 1970 • United States

    Over a booze-fueled, increasingly hectic five-day shoot in East Hampton, Norman Mailer and his cast and crew spontaneously unloaded onto film the lurid and loony chronicle of U.S. presidential candidate and filmmaker Norman T. Kingsley debating an...

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