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Introduction
This paper compiles an annotated list of films about or pertaining to Andy Warhol. As an artist, filmmaker, editor, writer and record producer, Warhol has worked in so many different media formats that beginning to analyze his output can be overwhelming. In addition, Warhol has forged a public persona that has permeated our culture as much as his art has. Interpretation of Warhol's works often focuses as much on his eccentricity as it does on his actual art. The most cohesive way to begin learning about Warhol as an artist and as a person is through film, as the majority of his achievements can be represented through a combination of visual and auditory media.
As there are hundreds of films which feature archival footage or fictional representations of Warhol, this list is selective rather than comprehensive. Not included in this list are the films Warhol directed and produced, as descriptions and critical discussions of these are readily available elsewhere, nor are videos of museum exhibitions, which serve to replicate and analyze the experience of seeing Warhol's work but not of Warhol himself. Films are organized into four broad categories - dramatizations, primary source films, biographical documentaries and Warhol in context. The films were selected for their content and availability. Most are still in print and are available for purchase or rental; the rest are out of print but may still be found either used or streaming online. Where films are unavailable for purchase, "Online only" is noted. This list may also be used for collection development purposes.
Dramatizations
Dramatizations of Warhol allow for analysis of how popular media has viewed him over time. Paul Morrissey, director of many of the movies Warhol produced, said of the film representations of Warhol, "You come away from Basquiat thinking Andy was comical and amusing, not a pretentious, phony piece of shit, which is how others show him". Writer Bob Colacello, editor of Warhol's Interview magazine, said "[Crispin] Glover [in The Doors ] walked the most like [the real] Andy, [Jared] Harris talked the most like Andy, and Bowie looked the most like Andy" (Jewel, 1996). A newer representation of Warhol in the 2006 film Factory Girl lends another case for comparison. [The Doors is not...