Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project
Seen it?2019 | 87 min | Documentary
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Critics loved it (95% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz and soft box office. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Right up the alley of spy-story fans and people who'll be looking things up afterwards. Nobody is quite who they seem. Based on real events, so expect to go down a research rabbit hole afterwards.
- The mood
- Eye-opening.
- The pace
- Well paced for a documentary, at 1 hr 27 min. An easy one to fit in on a school night.
- What might put you off
- Skip it if you want made-up drama tonight.
Marion Stokes secretly recorded television 24 hours a day for 30 years from 1975 until her death in 2012. For Marion taping was a form of activism to seek the truth, and she believed that a comprehensive archive of the media would be invaluable for future generations. Her visionary and maddening project nearly tore her family apart, but now her 70,000 VHS tapes are being digitized and they'll be searchable online.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
95% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$55K worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 11K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Matt Wolf
- Michael MetelitsSelf - Marion Stokes' Son
- Marion StokesSelf (archive footage)