Best movies like The China Odyssey: Empire of the Sun

A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like The China Odyssey: Empire of the Sun Starring Martin Sheen, Christian Bale, Steven Spielberg, J.G. Ballard, and more. If you liked The China Odyssey: Empire of the Sun then you may also like: Nightmares in Red, White and Blue, Overnight, Becoming Bond, Burden of Dreams, De Palma and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.

Documentary about the making of director Steven Spielberg's film Empire of the Sun

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Nightmares in Red, White and Blue

An exploration of the appeal of horror films, with interviews of many legendary directors in the genre.

Overnight

Alternately hilarious and horrifying, Overnight chronicles one man's misadventures of making a Hollywood movie. It starts out as a rags to riches story as Troy Duffy, a Boston-bred bartender, sells his first screenplay for The Boondock Saints.

Becoming Bond

The stranger-than-fiction true story of George Lazenby, a poor Australian car mechanic who, through an unbelievable set of circumstances, landed the role of James Bond despite having never acted a day in his life.

Burden of Dreams

The Amazon rain forest, 1979. The crew of Fitzcarraldo (1982), a film directed by German director Werner Herzog, soon finds itself with problems related to casting, tribal struggles and accidents, among many other setbacks; but nothing compared to dragging a huge steamboat up a mountain, while Herzog embraces the path of a certain madness to make his vision come true.

De Palma

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.

Filmworker

The story of Leon Vitali, who surrendered his promising acting career to become Stanley Kubrick's devoted right-hand man.

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse

A chronicle of the production problems — including bad weather, actors' health, war near the filming locations, and more — which plagued the filming of Apocalypse Now, increasing costs and nearly destroying the life and career of Francis Ford Coppola.

Lost in La Mancha

Fulton and Pepe's 2000 documentary captures Terry Gilliam's attempt to get The Man Who Killed Don Quixote off the ground. Back injuries, freakish storms, and more zoom in to sabotage the project.

The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

This documentary revisits the making of Gone with the Wind via archival footage, screen tests, insightful interviews and rare film footage.

Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures

With commentary from Hollywood stars, outtakes from his movies and footage from his youth, this documentary looks at Stanley Kubrick's life and films. Director Jan Harlan, Kubrick's brother-in-law and sometime collaborator, interviews heavyweights like Jack Nicholson, Woody Allen and Sydney Pollack, who explain the influence of Kubrick classics like "Dr. Strangelove" and "2001: A Space Odyssey," and how he absorbed visual clues from disposable culture such as television commercials.

Life After Flash

"Life After Flash" looks at the roller coaster life of Sam J Jones since his role as Flash Gordon, his struggles and successes, and the aftermath of when he went up against one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood.

The Heat Is On: The Making of Miss Saigon

A behind-the-scenes look at the putting on of the successful West End stage musical, including footage of the cast rehearsing and the triumphant first night.

Obsessed with Vertigo: New Life for Hitchcock's Masterpiece

A documentary about the making and restoration of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece "Vertigo." Narrated by Roddy McDowall, with behind-the-scenes talk from Barbara Bel Geddes, Henry Bumstead, Robert A. Harris, Patricia Hitchcock, James C. Katz, Kim Novak, Peggy Robertson and Martin Scorsese. Brings fresh perspective, not just to the film and the director, but to the Fifties Hollywood as well. [Included as extra with DVD release].

The American West of John Ford

A documentary encapsulating the career and Western films of director 'John Ford' , including clips from his work and interviews with his colleagues.

John Ford

A look at the famous director written and presented by Lindsay Anderson.

Spielberg

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

Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic

Documentary about the legendary American film director from his introduction to the film industry in its early years to his death in 1959.

Spielberg on Spielberg

Film critic Richard Schickel interviews Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg about his craft, his body of work and the movie business.

6 Days to Air: The Making of South Park

Viewers will get a look at Parker and Stone's thought process as they approach a new episode and the 24/7 grind they subject themselves to each time the show is in production. The documentary also includes in-depth interviews with Parker and Stone about their working partnership and reflections on highlights from their careers.

The Unknown Marx Brothers

A tribute to the lives and careers of the Marx Brothers utilizing rare archival footage and personal interviews.

Making of The Last of Us

Featuring extensive interviews with the cast and crew, this all-access documentary gives a rare glimpse into the daunting behind-the-scenes efforts that went into the production of the HBO Original smash hit series The Last of Us.

Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood

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

The Making of 'Alien³'

A short promotional documentary detailing production of the 1992 film Alien³, containing interviews with cast and crew, as well as behind the scenes clips.

From 'Star Wars' to 'Jedi' : The Making of a Saga

From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga is a 1983 television documentary special that originally aired on PBS. It is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the original Star Wars trilogy, with particular emphasis on the final film, Return of the Jedi. Narrated by actor Mark Hamill, the documentary was written by Richard Schickel who had written the previous television documentaries The Making of Star Wars (1977) and SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

The Epic That Never Was

The story of the aborted 1937 filming of "I, Claudius", starring Charles Laughton, with all of its surviving footage.

The Making of the Wizard of Oz

The time was 1938. The place, Hollywood. This is the story of one of the 456 films made that year, how it was made, and why it has endured.

The Making of 'Superman III'

This documentary treats movie fans to a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Superman III, a more comical take on the superhero story in which the Man of Steel takes on a supercomputer and its bumbling programmer. Included are interviews with the cast and crew who share their experiences from making the film, as well as disscuss the efforts that went into it.

The Making of Aladdin: A Whole New World

Hosted by John Rhys-Davies, a made-for-TV documentary details the work that went into the production of Aladdin, Disney's musical rendition of the classic Arabian Nights' tale. Animation fans are treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this family favorite, as well as to interviews with the director and cast members, who give their insights into the inspirations for the various characterizations and effects of the film, and also the efforts that were needed to bring this project to completion.

A Night at the Movies: The Gigantic World of Epics

A Night at the Movies: The Gigantic World of Epics looks at Hollywood’s biggest screen spectaculars from all sides, including the genre’s beginnings, literary adaptations, great epic directors and actors, the challenges of making big-budget movies, classic set-pieces and epic music scores. The special also looks at how the genre fell out of favor with audiences and filmmakers in the ‘70s and ‘80s, only to be reborn with more recent films like Gladiator, and Dances with Wolves trilogy. Throughout, the special is packed with classic scenes and behind-the-scenes images from such films as The Birth of a Nation (1915), Gone With the Wind (1939), Samson & Delilah (1949), The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959), El Cid (1961), King of Kings (1961), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965).

Making the Connection: Untold Stories of 'The French Connection'

The exciting story of the making of William Friedkin's The French Connection (1971), hosted by former NYPD detective Sony Grosso, who inspired the character of Buddy 'Cloudy' Russo, played in the film by actor Roy Scheider.

Capturing Avatar

Capturing Avatar is a feature length behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of Avatar. It uses footage from the film's development, as well as stock footage from as far back as the production of Titanic in 1995. Also included are numerous interviews with cast, artists, and other crew members. The documentary was released as a bonus feature on the extended collector's edition of Avatar.

Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Secret Invasion

Through in-depth interviews with cast and crew, and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, Assembled uncovers how Marvel Studios’ “Secret Invasion” was born. Witness what it took to conjure the world of the show, and spend time with Samuel L. Jackson as he dons the patch once again to engage in the most baffling battle of Nick Fury’s career.

Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Loki Season 2

Through candid interviews with the creative minds behind the show, and exclusive on-set footage, discover how the talented team that powered "Loki: Season 2" raised the stakes for this latest MCU adventure. Witness imaginative costumes, elaborate environments, and far-out variants come to life, meet new allies and foes, and time-slip across the Multiverse.

Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones & Harrison Ford

An in-depth look at an incredible moment in film history when Steven Spielberg and George Lucas assembled an amazing creative team to collaborate on another cinematic benchmark featuring never-before-seen footage and interviews with Spielberg, Lucas, Harrison Ford, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, James Mangold, and many others as well.

Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Moon Knight

Join the likes of Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke as they reveal how Marvel Studios' Moon Knight was painstakingly brought to life. Through insightful interviews with cast and crew, along with immersive footage from the set, and a candid "roundtable discussion" with the series' directors, this "making-of" pulls back the curtain on the groundbreaking series of Marvel Studios' newest hero.

Being James Bond

Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg share the struggles and the passion that went into making the "Indiana Jones" trilogy.

Birth of the Living Dead

A behind the scenes look into George Romero's groundbreaking horror classic Night of the Living Dead.

Return to Jurassic Park

A multi-part documentary about the making of the Jurassic Park trilogy. Each part walks through the making of part of one of the films, including the hurricane during the shooting of the first film, and how advances in CGI for Jurassic Park helped change the world of special effects forever. All interviews for these retrospective documentaries come with comments from Spielberg, Johnston, Neill, Dern, Goldblum, the effects crews, the child actors, and Peter Stormare. This documentary is broken into six parts: Dawn of a New Era (25 min), Making Prehistory (20 min), The Next Step in Evolution (15 min), Finding the Lost World (28 min), Something Survived (16 min), and The Third Adventure (25 min).

Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Ms. Marvel

Go behind-the-scenes every step of the way with immersive footage from the making of the series, along with insightful interviews on set from the cast and crew of Ms. Marvel as we watch Iman Vellani and her character, Kamala Khan, become the fan-favorite superhero right before our eyes.

Fuck You All: The Uwe Boll Story

Honing his craft as an indie filmmaker in Germany in the early 90s, Uwe Boll never could have imagined the life that lay before him. From working with Oscar-winning actors and making films with US$60million budgets to having actors publicly disparage him and online petitions demanding he stop making films, Boll continued to work; he has a filmography of 32 features, a career that has led to his new life as a successful high-end restauranteur. Already a cult legend, he will be remembered forever in the film world; for some, as a modern-day Ed Wood, who made films so bad, they're good, while for others, a prolific filmmaker who came from a small town in Germany and never compromised his integrity while forging his own unique Hollywood trajectory.

The Making Of 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'

A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the classic western about the lives of two of America's most famous outlaws. Director George Roy Hill narrates this film, talking about some of the experience, both good and bad, of bringing the film to life.

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