Product Details

• Actors: Lauren Bacall, Carol Channing, Joan Collins, Jules Feiffer, Robert Goulet
• Directors: Susan Warms Dryfoos
• Writers: Susan Warms Dryfoos
• Producers: Susan Warms Dryfoos, Angelo Corrao
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Homevision
• DVD Release Date: June 22, 2004
• Run Time: 86 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00020VZVG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,020 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Line King - The Al Hirschfeld Story" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

The Line King tells the amazing story of Al Hirschfeld, creator of thousands of famous drawings of stars and celebrities for more than sixty years. Nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature (1996), The Line King celebrates Hirschfeld’s many years of work for The New York Times, where his drawings were a centerpiece of the Sunday Arts section. With appearances by Lauren Bacall, Carol Channing, Joan Collins, Barbara Walters, Robert Goulet, and many others, The Line King is a fascinating portrait of the artist as a cultural icon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Beautiful, October 2, 2004

By 

Mark Anderson "Andertoons" (Schaumburg, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Line King - The Al Hirschfeld Story (DVD)

It's not often I write "thank God someone made this" in my notes while reviewing a film. But Susan Dryfoos' "The Line King - The Al Hirschfeld Story" deserves such praise and more.

A lovely biography of entertainment caricaturist Hirschfeld, this film is a fascinating look behind the pen of a man who transcended his genre to become almost an art form unto himself.

Dryfoos thankfully showcases hundreds of drawings throughout the film as entertainers, artists and others discuss a man who described his goal as not to make a subject beautiful, but interesting.

Hirschfeld, of course, being the most interesting character of all. The camouflaged "Nina"s, the barber chair in which he created decades of work, the almost Santa Claus-ish look of the artist - all add up to a man that, if he were imagined by a Hollywood writer, would be deemed wholly unbelievable by cartoonists such as myself.

Myself being a stay-at-home-dad, I was fascinated to learn that he was raised by his father while his mother supported the family. I also connected with his respect for his wife's editorial abilities. My wife is often consulted (OK, harangued) about my latest cartoons and her advice is always spot on, even when I don't like to admit it.

There are a few goofy moments, Hirschfeld's surreal bongo solo and his attempts as using a computer and graphics tablet, but overall the film is a wonder from beginning to end. A fitting tribute to an artist whose work was both interesting and beautiful.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Title Well Earned, March 22, 2005

By 

L. J. Anderson (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Line King - The Al Hirschfeld Story (DVD)

Amid the entertainment super-stars of the twentieth century--Carol Channing, Lauren Bacall, Joan Collins, Barbara Walters, and more--the white-bearded, bright-eyed Al Hirschfeld cuts a humorous and humble figure. This visual historian doesn't make the stars beautiful in his drawings; he makes them interesting. ESP-like, the line of Hirschfeld's pen reveals an essential and vital character within each of the performers he draws, capturing the rare exuberance with amazing specificity: the gestures, the movements, the facial expressions-all become playfully recognizable as the spirit manifest. What the documentary does especially well is show Hirschfeld at work, and talking about the work. He was 90 years old when interviewed in the film, but seems almost childlike in his delight for his life-long passion. Hirschfeld emerges as the century's most beloved cartoonist, truly earning him the title of The Line King.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you ever wanted to know about Mr. Hirschfeld., May 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Line King - The Al Hirschfeld Story [VHS] (VHS Tape)

As fit as he is talented, Al Hirschfeld has lent his drawing skills to the faces of hundreds of theatrical actors for decades. This very enjoyable documentary captures the life and line of an American treasure. Even the most jaded artists and art lovers cannot deny the importance of Hirschfeld to 20th century American art. This piece proves that. END