A master speaks in the trailer for the documentary De Palma

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Suspenseful thrillers. Crime movies. Blockbuster sci-fi and action films. Film noir. War. Musical. Comedy. Over the course of his fifty year career, director Brian De Palma has done almost everything a filmmaker can do, and excelled at most of it, taking a heavy influence from Alfred Hitchcock and spinning his own unique style out of it. Several of his thrillers have been embraced by the horror community, like DRESSED TO KILL and BODY DOUBLE, as has his Faustian musical PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE. His more outright horror credits include THE FURY and SISTERS, and of course the enduring 1976 classic CARRIE, with which he gave the genre one of its most popular icons.

In 2010, fellow filmmakers Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow conducted a week-long interview with De Palma, ending up with around 30 hours of footage. That footage has now been whittled down into a feature-length documentary on the master of suspense, DE PALMA.

One of the most talented, influential, and iconoclastic filmmakers of all time, Brian De Palma’s career started in the 60s and has included such acclaimed and diverse films as Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Blow Out, Scarface, The Untouchables, Carlito’s Way, and Mission: Impossible. In this lively, illuminating and unexpectedly moving documentary, directors Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow engage in a personal and candid discussion with De Palma, exploring not only his life and work but also his singular approach to the craft of filmmaking and his remarkable experiences navigating the film business, from his early days as the bad boy of New Hollywood to his more recent years as a respected veteran of the field. In the end, what emerges is a funny, honest, and incisive portrait of a truly one-of-a-kind artist, and an exhilarating behind-the-scenes look at the last 50 years of the film industry through the eyes of someone who has truly seen it all.  

A24 will be releasing DE PALMA into theatres on June 10th, and below we have a trailer that gives a two minute glimpse of what is sure to be a fascinating conversation.

Because of the clips from De Palma's films that are featured in the documentary, DE PALMA is rated R for violent images, graphic nudity, sexual content, and some language.