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Catalog/Biography/Bright Leaves
Bright Leaves poster
B
Strong
MASTER SCORE 69.2 / 100
2003·Biography / Comedy / Documentary·1h 47m

BRIGHT LEAVES

Ross McElwee travels through the North Carolina tobacco belt in search of the ancient southern traditions associated with tobacco growing and use, while comparing his filmmaking to commercial cinema, represented by Bright Leaf, a melodrama directed by Michael Curtiz in 1950, starring Gary Cooper, apparently based on the life of his great-grandfather.

Above the Line
Ross McElwee·DirectorRoss McElwee·WriterRoss McElwee·Director of PhotographyRichard Bock·Sound MixerRoss McElwee·Editor
Cast
Ross McElwee·Himself - Narrator (voice)Brian BaucomSusan BennettEd BivensR. BullockJack ClaytonMary ClaytonMarian Fitz-SimmonsAlan GurganusSteve Herman
Full Crew
(11 credits)
Directing· 1
Ross McElwee·Director
Writing· 1
Ross McElwee·Writer
Camera· 2
Ross McElwee·Director of PhotographyAdrian McElwee·Additional Camera
Editing· 2
Ross McElwee·EditorMark Meatto·Co-Editor
Sound & Music· 1
Richard Bock·Sound Mixer
Production· 3
Ross McElwee·ProducerMark Meatto·Post Production CoordinatorLinda Morgenstern·Associate Producer
Other Departments· 1
Stan Sztaba·Post Production Supervisor
By the Numbers
69.2
OF 100
Master Score
7.0
OF 10
IMDb
86%
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
—
Worldwide Gross
0
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

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Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind Bright Leaves's key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#C0D8E8
#66CC33
#336600
Mood
Observational, Natural
Composition
Layered
Era
2000s
Visual Style
Photographic

“A man with a beard and sunglasses holds a black camera with a large lens on his right shoulder, looking slightly to his right. He is wearing a light green colla”

documentarydrama
Key Elements
CameraSunglassesWatchLeaves
Atmosphere
Bright
Color Mood
Mixed
Setting
Rural
Design Score
6/10
More Like This

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

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THREE WAYS DEEPER

Auteur
AUT
MORE BY ROSS MCELWEE

Every catalog entry where Ross McElwee is credited as director.

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GEN
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Top-ranked films inside biography, sorted by master score.

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Era
DEC
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