Casting By - Documentary

[wilder]

The surprising, never-before-told tale of the indispensable yet unsung Casting Director - Iconoclasts whose keen eye, exquisite taste and gut instincts redefined Hollywood.

From an IMDB Review:

CASTING BY is a surprisingly entertaining documentary. Its title is somewhat misleading as it's doesn't really explain the occupation of casting directors, rather it is a valentine to Marion Dougherty, the woman who coined the term as she carved out a unique role when she began working in the entertainment business. Ironically, she wanted to be an actress herself, but didn't pursue a career, believing it would be too difficult. Fortunately, an entry level position at NBC producing live plays sponsored by Kraft proved a better fit for her theatrical instincts. As she was living in New York City, she had ample opportunity and desire to go to the theater where she discovered the talent whom she cast. The film has a treasure trove of footage of the first roles given to future stars, the most entertaining one is a 22 year-old Warren Beatty imitating fellow Lee Stasberg graduate Marlon Brando.

The cavalcade of stars whose careers she launched is astonishing, but equally important is the serendipitous era in which she achieved prominence.

Directed by Tom Donahue
Full list of interviewees here
Release Date - aired on HBO last year, DVD on September 16, 2014

I just watched this very inspiring documentary predominantly about casting director Marion Dougherty, who was responsible for the discoveries of Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman, Jeff Bridges, John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken, Warren Beatty, and Robert Duvall, among others. This documentary will remind you of the time when people's faces and their performances were still considered interesting in a big, mainstream way (when behavior was the real story behind the story), and when the percentage of successful screen chemistries felt high even in mediocre movies. Highly highly recommended.