Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind

"Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind" (2020 release; 101 min.) is a documentary about the life and times of Natalie Wood. As the movie opens, we hear in voice-over Natalie's daughter Natasha who was 11 at the time of her mother's death, lamenting that "How she died has overshadowed her work and the person that she was". We then go back in time to Natalie's early years, and how she started in the movies at a very young age (5). Friend of the family Robert Redford comments "To survive in the movie business you have to be tough, but Natalie also had a big heart." Along the way we get clips of Natalie talking about her craft. At this point we are 10 min. into the movie.

Couple of comments: this documentary is from the French director Laurent Bouzereau, best known for his dozens and dozens "making of" documentaries,. More importantly, the movie is produced by Natasha Gregson Wagner, Natalie's oldest daughter. From the interviews with/by Natasha and also her younger sister (Natalie's youngest daughter Courtney who was 7 when Natalie died), it is clear that both have been haunted for years about the early passing of their mother. There is of course some irony in the fact that the movie opens with the very thing that Natasha is complaining about (her death overshadowing Natalie's work and the person she was). Roughly speaking the first half of the movie deals with the person that Natalie was, and the second half presents a closer look at Natalie's incredible Hollywood career. You can sense the love and the respect for Natalie throughout, as one might expect from a film produced by Natalie's daughter, but the movie does also address the tumultuous personal life and relationships that Natalie went through.

"Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind" premiered on HBO earlier this week and is now available on HBO On Demand and other streaming services. If you have any interest in a slice of Hollywood history or are simply a fan of Natalie Wood, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

Those under 40 probably don't even know who Natalie Wood is. This touching documentary by Wood's daughter Natasha includes amazing clips of her films, numerous pictures of family, friends and intimate home movies. I didn't know a lot of the details about her life, career and loves. She embodied pure glamour during the golden age of movies and her career spanned a long time even though she was just 43 when she died.

Of course it goes into her love life which is extensive. The love story between Natalie and Robert Wagner is pure Hollywood- married twice 10 years apart and it seems like they were passionately in love.

Some reviews complain about the focus on the circumstances of her mysterious death but I would have been disappointed had it not been addressed. Pretty incredible that Natasha goes directly to the source, the one person who could answer the questions everyone has, stepfather Wagner. I don't know, he seemed genuine to me, but then again who knows? They're actors after all.

I enjoyed this thoroughly, perhaps too much, but then I love Hollywood stories! Worth a watch just to gaze upon hundreds of images of Natalie- how positively stunning she is! If you love movies, you will love this.

Director Laurent Bouzereau compounds excellent film clips, interviews, and historical data and enhances Natalie Wood's daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner to present her memoires and significant life incidents in this fine documentary on the life and talent and controversies of Natalie Wood. By including the conversations with Robert (RJ) Wagner, Richard Gregson (Natasha's biological father), Courtney Wagner (Natalie's child with RJ), along with insights form Robert Redford, George Hamilton, Katie Wagner (RJ's daughter from another marriage), Mart Crowley, David Niven, Jr, Mia Farrow et al we are given the opportunity to see the inception of Natalie's career as an actress as a child, her development as a sophisticated actress (complete with film clips of most of her many movies), her loving family life, her emotional ordeals, her impact on Hollywood as a feminist activist for women's rights, and finally, her death by drowning at the young age of 43.

The documentary is polished, focusing on the contributions and attributes of N Natalie Wood, giving the audience an even greater appreciation of the woman and actress. Many subjects are addressed that make her story of her life even more significant - a fine tribute to a remarkable person.

"HBO's" latest bio like doc "Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind" is one touching, emotional highlight like doc of a legendary superstar who left us to soon. Even though before my time(and the fact that I haven't watched any of her movies) I knew just what a great that Mrs. Wood was. I know more about her untimely and tragic strange mystery like death in 1981, still after watching this doc I feel now more than ever informed and respect her talent, beauty, and grace even more. Done and narrated with interviews provided by her daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner this is one eye opening film of her late mom's love and beauty. As the footage includes never before seen home movies with family and friends and interviews with costars like Robert Redford, and most telling and heart touching is the sit down interview with Natasha's stepdad "Daddy Wagner"(Robert). As it's clear after being married twice to Natalie he never lost his love for her. The film is also telling of Natalie's mommy issues and struggle with her sibling, and it shows how she fought for women's work rights in the studio system from a young age. And footage shows her many loves with famous men, as by the age of 25 she had already been nominated for three Oscars. Thru all of this it's overshadowed by her tragic unexplained mystery like apparent drowning death in 1981 after the Thanksgiving holiday at the young age of 43. Really great loving engrossing documentary that celebrates a beautiful legendary screen queen that left us to soon.

You feel it as a long honest confession more than subjective portrait. And that it is the main virtue of this documentary creating not a image, hommage and life lessons but a splendid chain of testimonies about the force, vulnerability and career of a wonderful woman, from the voices and emotions of family and friends. A film about Nathalie Wood, off course but, fortunatelly, more that. A great documentary about meanings of life, posterity and , maybe, happiness. The image and words of Robert Wagner are the most precious gift.