The True Story of the Barrymores

Telling the story of the Barrymores is to recount more than a century of cinema and the history of an art that they revolutionized. It’s also about recounting Hollywood, the crushing machine, and the difficulty of being the child of a star. Self-destruction, alcohol, drugs, divorces — over time, the Barrymores would become the target of a conservative tabloid press that loves to tear down monuments.

Each generation of the Barrymore dynasty tells the story of a different America: that of the golden age of studios, the sexual revolution, the evolution of tabloid press, the upbringing of children, and the advent of feminism. It is also the portrait of a daughter who carries her great-grandmother’s name as a first name. Drew Barrymore inherits not only the talent of her ancestors but also all the demons that accompanied them. Her scream, issued in front of E.T., and what the young actress would experience thereafter, is the legacy of her family. In its entirety.

Dive into the Barrymore saga and experience the emotions felt by each generation of this exceptional family, without whom cinema would not be quite the same.

Director : Sebastian Perez Pezzani
Production : Wichita Films
Producers : Clara Kuperberg & Julia Kuperberg
Co producer : Martine Melloul – Kali Pictures
Network : OCS
Year : 2023
Running Time : 55 minutes
US Distributor : BMG-Global
World Distributor : Prime Entertainment

Casting

Tony Maietta
Film Historian

Marc Wanamaker
Film Historian