Tony Palmer Movies

"Touring makes you crazy," Frank Zappa says, explaining that the idea for this film came to him while the Mothers of Invention were touring. The...

The story of the great Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) and his life and career during the rule of Stalin.

In Torre del Lago, by Lake Massaciuccoli, Puccini is writing "The Girl of the Golden West" when his wife Elvira accuses him of a dalliance with their...

Soldier of fortune, Monroe Bieler, is sent to dole out some American-style justice when the wife and child of an African president are kidnapped by...

1969's Apollo 11 mission to the moon is highlighted in this tribute to the history of the United States' space program.

"Four Ways to Say Farewell" is a personal introduction to Mahler and his Ninth Symphony, during which Leonard Bernstein is seen and heard rehearsing...

Tony Palmer directs this documentary exploring the life and work of the celebrated English composer, conductor and pianist. Britten is particularly...

Documentary covering the famous Wigan Casino northern soul venue and the working class kids who spend all their money not on alcohol but on records...

In underworld terms, Chas Devlin is a 'performer,' a gangster with a talent for violence and intimidation. Turner is a reclusive rock superstar. When...

A biographical look at the career of the acclaimed Margot Fonteyn. As a little girl called Peggy Hookham growing up in Shanghai, she told her mother...

A run-down hotel room, a piano, a maid and the guests who stay there. Life begins, life ends, and lives are changed forever in the piano room.

Making of "200 Motels".

This is Palmer's highly controversial portrait of Brahms - a film that exploded the familiar image of 'stodgy old bearded Brahms' - a man whose...

Originally a BBC documentary, this film by Tony Palmer about the 1960's music scene was later released as a standalone DVD by the BFI

70s Butlins documentary, part of a series of films directed by Tony Palmer, which was announced in The Stage [The Stage, 25 July 1974, p.14] "Tony...

In November 1971, Ginger Baker, the legendary drummer of Cream and Blind Faith, decided to set up a recording studio in Lagos, then the capital of...

Shot over the course of a year, this intimate portrait of provocative composer John Adams presents scenes of the artist at work and at play against...

Tony Palmer examines the life and legacy of the German composer, Carl Orff.

A rare look at Led Zeppelin, from their humble beginnings to their status as rock gods. The unique chemistry between singer Robert Plant, guitarist...

The son of a Welsh miner, Richard Burton became a Hollywood star and is considered one of the greatest British actors ever. He lived a big life in a...