HBO Frank Sinatra Documentary*

Hope this isn't old news. Anyway (for me, at least) it's exciting news. Alex Gibney will direct forthcoming four hour biopic on Sinatra:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/alex-gibney-direct-hbos-frank-449069

Alex Gibney (We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks) will direct a four-hour documentary miniseries on Frank Sinatra for HBO -- what its producers call an “up close and personal examination” of the legendary singer and actor, Alcon Television president Sharon Hall said Tuesday.

The documentary will cover Sinatra's life, music and career, drawing on industry footage and home movies, some of which has never been publicly seen, as well as private and public performances.

 

This has been in the works for a long time (c.f. SFF thread started 2004). The latest news was first reported last May:

L.A. Times: Frank Sinatra mini-series documentary coming to HBO​

N.Y. Post: HBO developing Sinatra miniseries​

Apparently, the Sinatra family has had to compromise their original plans for a ten-hour documentary down to four hours. There has been no additional news in the three months since the above press reports.

 

this could be very very interesting.....or very very gilded, it will be interesting to see just how much they tell.

 

In the meantime, I wonder which existing documentaries forum members would recommend. I've seen the one hour BBC Arena 'Voice of the Century' doc, which is ok. And there's another BBC one I recall called 'Dark Star' but I haven't seen that. There must surely be a more in-depth film on Sinatra out there?

 

CBS-TV mini-series, SINATRA, from 1992. This was a family-authorized biopic (produced by Tina Sinatra), starring Philip Casnoff (as Frank), Olympia Dukakis (as mother Dolly), and Marcia Gay Harden (as wife Nancy). It's been available since 2008 in a 2-DVD package from Warner Home Video: http://amzn.com/B0013D8LI6.

(Since you're in the UK, your Amazon link is: http://amazon.co.uk/dp/B0013D8LI6. However, you'll need an NTSC/Region 1 DVD player.)


There was also a 2-CD soundtrack album, with tracks from all four of Sinatra's record labels over his career: http://amzn.com/B000002MGW (or UK link).

 

CORRECTION: Marcia Gay Harden played Ava Gardner. Sinatra's first wife Nancy was played by Gina Gershon.

 

The stuff on Sinatra's violent temper, romantic entanglements, suicide attempts, the mob... there's a lot of drama there. Heck, just the rules about throwing his underwear away every day, and how there had to be a certain brand of cigarettes placed on every flat surface every few feet in his living room (or hotel suite)... some legendary tales.

My favorite Sinatra story was when they were shooting Carousel in CinemaScope 55 and regular 35mm, and they finished the morning shoot, went to lunch, then came back and started working on the same scene again. Frank said, "wait a minute! We already shot this scene!" The director patiently explained, "that was the roadshow version. Now we're doing the regular-theater version." And Sinatra blew up and said, "You’re not getting two Sinatras for the price of one!" And walked off.

They replaced him a few days later with Gordon MacRae.

 

If it is anything like "Behind The Candleabra", there will be no holding back.

 

I want a Betty Davis biopic she deserves one.

 

Ooops. Not only did I post old news, I carelessly used the term 'biopic'. This HBO film is not going to be a biopic, it's a documentary.

 

Well, a few years ago I heard that Martin Scorsese was working on a biopic of Sinatra. That might be interesting. Hope he doesn't get Leo to play Frank, though. IMDB lists that project's status as 'announced', with Scorsese producing.

 

It has to be better than the terrible Rat Pack flick HBO did with Ray Liotta as Sinatra

 

I remember that. John F Kennedy was portrayed by Gil Grissom from CSI. It was disappointing.