Corman's World (2011)

Corman’s World – Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011) – Documentary look at the first great independent film producer of the modern era.  Roger Corman is often dismissed as a schlockmeister, or as the “King of the B Movie”.  Yet the modern indie movie scene owes more to this one man than any other.  The number of top Hollywood writers, directors and actors with roots in the “Corman School” is equally impressive.

This was made for A&E television and is a funny and touching tribute to one of the great movie makers of our time.  His specialties were low budget, quickly made movies.  They ranged from science fiction to horror to teenage rebellion to almost any form of exploitation you can imagine. In 60 plus years he has created over 400 movies. Along the way, he also made some movies that are considered classics.  The six Edgar Allan Poe movies, the 1960 version of “Little Shop of Horrors”, and “Rock and Roll High School” are just a few.  But you get a flavor of the majority of his work with titles like “Slumber Party Massacre”, “Women in Cages”, “Blood Bath” and my personal favorite, “The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent”.

More recently Corman has been the man behind “Supergator”, “Pirhana” and “Carnosaur 3”.  If you love the Sharknado movies, this is the man you need to thank.

There are plenty of “big name” Hollywood folk who owe a debt to Corman as well. Many of them appear in the documentary.  Spielberg, Scorcese, Nicholson, Demme, Ron Howard, William Shatner, Pam Grier all were welcomed into the Corman film family.  Because he made movies on such tight budgets (often as low as $25,000) Corman tapped into the pool of people just at the beginnings of their careers.  For Ron Howard, Corman was willing to give him a shot to move away from his child actor status and direct.  Howard’s 1977 movie “Grand Theft Auto” was a “big budget” movie by Corman’s standards, coming in at just over $600,000.  It was a hit and launched Howard’s successful directorial career.

You don’t go to Corman movies looking for great plots, subtle characterization or particularly brilliant acting, directing or writing.  You go because they are fun at a simple level.  This is the “popcorn munchin'” kind of movies.  The low budget effects of the early movies make them even more laughable than they were back then, but that’s part of the charm. Corman’s world is filled with girls, cars, explosions, guns, aliens, blood, and general rebellion.

Why You Will Like It – If you grew up in the age of the drive-in movie you will see a lot of your childhood here.  If that’s before your time, you will discover a whole new world to explore.

Rating – **** Recommended