Monte Hellman: American Auteur (1997)

This documentary persuasively positions cult figure Monte Hellman as emblematic of an entire generation of American directors. From UCLA film school and Roger Corman hireling to working with Jack Nicholson and independent filmmaking in the 1970s, to his subsequent retreat from directing, Hellman's career illustrates the ups and downs of an artist working in a medium where the lines between art and commerce are often blurred.