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Stephen Ives

Stephen Ives

Director, producer and writer

Stephen Ives has directed some of the most-watched films in the history of public television. His work has also appeared on HBO, in major film festivals across the country, and on the front page of the New York Times digital edition. His landmark series The West was seen by more than 38 million people nationwide during its PBS premiere. Caryn James of the New York Times wrote that The West was “fiercely and brilliantly rooted in fact. . . ,” and The New York Daily News called the programs a “breathtakingly beautiful series of films. . . that make riveting TV.”

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Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Director, producer and writer
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 28 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 21% in 30 days

What are Stephen Ives' films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Power.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
36%
Power
21%
Ideas
19%
Self
13%
Survival
5%
Morality
5%
Community3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy3 titles, browse their movies with this themePower2 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 4 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 5 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
6
Hopeful
2
Warm
2
Joyful
2
Triumphant
1
Other
2

How their films linger

Hopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet2
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Stephen Ives' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Stephen Ives' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

28 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page.

  • American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez(2026)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Ruthless: Monopoly's Secret History (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Citizen Hearst (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Writer

  • Ailey(2021)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Beatrix Farrand's American Landscapes(2019)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Sealab (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Director

  • Into the Canyon(2019)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Grand Coulee Dam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Director · Script

  • The Great War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 3 episodes · Director · Writer

  • Space Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Producer

  • The Big Burn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Director · Writer

  • 1964 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director · Writer

  • Constitution USA with Peter Sagal(2013)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Custer's Last Stand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Director · Writer

  • Panama Canal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Director

  • Roads to Memphis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director

  • Kit Carson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director

  • New Orleans (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director

  • Las Vegas: An Unconventional History: Part 1 - Sin City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director

  • Reporting America at War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Seabiscuit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director · Producer

  • Amato: A Love Affair with Opera (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director · Producer

  • The West(1996)

    Show 9 episodes · Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Baseball(1994)

    Show 9 episodes · Consulting Producer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Lindbergh (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director · Producer

  • The Civil War(1990)

    Show 9 episodes · Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • The Congress(1989)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • American Experience(1988)

    Show 5 episodes · Director · Writer · as Himself - Director

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 26 titles from 1988 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Ailey (2021)

$214K worldwide

Highest rated

The Civil War (1990)

Midcredits 95th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing21 of 26: 8 only directing, 13 with another roleWriting9 of 26: 0 only writing, 9 with another roleProducing9 of 26: 5 only producing, 4 with another roleOther crew1 of 26: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

26 titles, 13 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1980s1 · crew1990s4 · crew2000s6 · crew2010s11 · crew2020s4 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Stephen Ives' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 86th percentile, the median of all 5; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 88th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

42ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th2

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 10 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · director, writer

Beatrix Farrand's American Landscapes (2019)

81st percentile spread · 24% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Baseball (1994)

Midcredits 99th · 93% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 71/100 and the pacing 42/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Stephen Ives work with?

People who share at least 2 of Stephen Ives' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Amanda Pollak shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers