“De Palma” isn’t just a title; it’s also a cast list. Whereas other documentaries would bring in colleagues, friends and critics to talk about the screen career of director Brian De Palma, this new film from Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow lets De Palma do all the talking, telling the story of his life and the many ups and downs of his movie career.
Not just any auteur can make this kind of treatment work: I adore the films of Canadian director Guy Maddin, but the documentary “The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Maddin,” also screening at this year’s Venice Film Festival, made me never want to hear him discuss his process or his inspirations ever again.