HBO Stocks Two-Night Frank Sinatra Doc With Rare 1971 Footage
Oscar-winner Alex Gibney’s new, four-hour documentary on Frank Sinatra, Sinatra: All or Nothing At All, will premiere over two nights on HBO, airing at 8 p.m. ET/PT on April 5th and 6th.
The film takes an in-depth look at Sinatra’s life and storied career, with Gibney utilizing hours of archived interviews, as well as new commentary from those closest to the singer. All or Nothing at All will also incorporate plenty of music and pictures from Sinatra’s life, and specifically revolve around rare footage from his 1971 “Retirement Concert” in Los Angeles.
According to a statement, Gibney interpreted Sinatra’s song selection for his farewell performance (which turned out not to be his last) as a personal guide through his own life, and as such the director used the set list to help shape the film’s narrative.
All or Nothing At All marks Gibney’s second big project with HBO this year, following his highly-anticipated film about the Church of Scientology, Going Clear. The film — which is based on Lawrence Wright’s book Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief — will premiere on January 25th at the Sundance Film Festival, and air on HBO on March 16th.
Going Clear reportedly features interviews with eight former members of the church and examines numerous accusations of harassment and abuse. As reported last year, HBO is expecting a big blowback, prompting the network’s Documentary Films president Sheila Nevins to tell The Hollywood Reporter, “We have probably 160 lawyers [looking at the film].”
The two movies follow-up Gibney’s 2014 documentary for HBO, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, which was produced by Mick Jagger and made with the cooperation of the Godfather of Soul’s estate. The movie included interviews with Jagger, Questlove, Chuck D, Rev. Al Sharpton, Maceo Parker, Clyde Stubblefield, Melvin Parker, Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis, Martha High, Bootsy Collins, Fred Wesley and many more.