Movies: Gary Giddins

Bing Crosby was, without a doubt, the most popular and influential multi-media star of the first half of the twentieth century, pulling audiences in with his intimate, laid-back voice and innate charm. Narrated by Stanley Tucci and directed by Robert...

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

Jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams was a genius ahead of her time. From child prodigy to "Boogie-Woogie Queen" to groundbreaking composer to mentoring some of the greatest musicians of all time, she never ceased to astound those who heard her play. But f...

Louis Armstrong is one of the most recognizable figures in jazz, with his incomparable trumpet playing and beaming smile. This video profiles Armstrong from his humble beginnings in New Orleans through his career as America's Ambassador of Good Will....

Documentary on the making of Gigi...

Tenor saxophone master Sonny Rollins has long been hailed as one of the most important artists in jazz history, and still, today, he is viewed as the greatest living jazz improviser. In 1986, filmmaker Robert Mugge produced Saxophone Colossus, a feat...

Brief overview of the two actors at the Fox Studio....

Satchmo. Theer are few people in this country - or around the world - who will not recognize that name. Louis Armstrong embodied twentieth-century American culture. He revolutionized the world of music and became one of the nation's most influential ...

A documentary about the legendary Jazz player Charlie (Bird) Parker....

A documentary on the making of the 1936 film Swing Time, featuring interviews with jazz and film critic Gary Giddens, dance critic Brian Seibert, and Dorothy Fields biographer Deborah Grace Winer. This is an all-encompassing feature covering the evol...

This recently produced behind-the-scenes documentary digs into Gershwin's original work, the genesis of the cinematic adaptation, casting, the shoot, and the eventual reception of the film....

In 2006, jazz trumpeter Jon Faddis and critic Gary Giddins discuss the iconic Miles Davis and the critical time in his career when the score for ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS was recorded....

What is the influence of Jazz on Brazilian music and the influence of Brazilian music on Jazz? The documentary Zuza Homem de Jazz draws a parallel between the two universes, featuring the renowned Brazilian musicologist Zuza Homem de Mello as the pro...