"Joseph L. Mankiewicz: A Personal Journey" is a special feature on the companion disc for "All About Eve". In addition to this short, there is another entitled "Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz". Both films are quite short (too short) and both were quite good--and quite incomplete. Fortunately, when seen one after the other, they make up for each other's deficiencies and are best seen as one long film. "Directed By..." is very good but seems to focus too much on only a small number of Mankiewicz's films--and dwells way too much on his flop, "Cleopatra". "...A Personal Journey" on the other hand is MUCH more exhaustive in discussing Mankiewicz--his career but especially his personal life--but manages, oddly, to NEVER mention "Cleopatra"! Weird.
In "..A Personal Journey", the portions I appreciated most related to the Mankiewicz family. While I knew that Joseph's brother, Herman, drank himself to death, many other family secrets were surprises. Learning FROM Joseph's children about their parents' sick marriage was fascinating...and painful. How candid they were was a shock--and fascinating...very, very fascinating. Overall, not a perfect film but very good and well worth seeing, as Joseph Mankiewicz was a great that all cinephiles should learn of an revere.
In "..A Personal Journey", the portions I appreciated most related to the Mankiewicz family. While I knew that Joseph's brother, Herman, drank himself to death, many other family secrets were surprises. Learning FROM Joseph's children about their parents' sick marriage was fascinating...and painful. How candid they were was a shock--and fascinating...very, very fascinating. Overall, not a perfect film but very good and well worth seeing, as Joseph Mankiewicz was a great that all cinephiles should learn of an revere.
