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Murray Lerner

Murray Lerner

Director and producer · Died September 2, 2017, aged 90 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Murray Lerner (May 8, 1927 – September 2, 2017) was an American documentary and experimental film director, best known for his Oscar-winning work on the 1981 documentary feature From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China. He earned another nomination in 1968 for the documentary Festival, which featured performances, interviews and conversations at the Newport Folk Festival. He also helmed films featuring Leonard Cohen, Jethro Tull, Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis. Additionally, Lerner wrote, produced and directed episodes of the series NET Journal and produced and helmed the television documentaries Listening to You: The Who at the Isle of Wight 1970 and The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival. In 2009, he was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the category of best long form music video, for "Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who."

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 8, 1927
Died
September 2, 2017 (aged 90)
From
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Works as
Director and producer
Titles
7 on MovieCove · 22 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Up 26% in 30 days

What are Murray Lerner's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Ideas.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
34%
Ideas
30%
Self
19%
Bonds
9%
Survival
5%
Morality
3%
Art4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 5 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 6 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 4 · Charged 2 · Intense 0

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

Steady 5 · Shifting 1 · 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 1 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 4 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
4
Joyful
2
Triumphant
2
Hopeful
2
Warm
1
Other
2

How their films linger

Feel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet3
  • Ambiguous1
  • 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 Murray Lerner's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Murray Lerner's 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

22 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page.

  • Joni Mitchell: Both Sides Now - Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970(2018)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Doors: Live at the Isle of Wight(1970)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Taste: What's Going on - Live at the Isle of Wight 1970(2015)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Leonard Cohen: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970(2009)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Moody Blues: Live at the Isle of Wight Festival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director

  • The Who: Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director

  • The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival(2007)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who(2007)

    Director · Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Jethro Tull - Live at Estival Jazz Lugano 2005 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director

  • Nothing Is Easy: Jethro Tull Live at the Isle of Wight 1970(2005)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Miles Electric - A Different Kind of Blue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director

  • Blue Wild Angel: Jimi Hendrix Live at The Isle of Wight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • Listening to You: The Who Live at the Isle of Wight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director · Producer

  • Message to Love - The Isle of Wight Festival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director · Writer

  • Magic Journeys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director

  • From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Director · Producer

  • Black at Yale: A Film Diary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Thanks

  • Call It Anything (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director

  • Jimi Hendrix - Live at the Isle of Wight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director · Producer

  • Festival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · Writer

  • Secrets of the Reef (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Director · Cinematographer · Writer

  • To Be a Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 21 titles, 20 of them dated from 1956 to 2018.

Highest rated

The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival (2007)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who (2007)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing20 of 21: 12 only directing, 8 with another role · typical Midcredits score96thWriting3 of 21: 0 only writing, 3 with another roleProducing6 of 21: 0 only producing, 6 with another roleCinematography2 of 21: 0 only cinematography, 2 with another roleOther crew1 of 21: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

21 titles, 8 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 6 of them.

By decade

1950s1 · crew1960s1 · crew1970s3 · crew1980s2 · crew1990s2 · crew2000s9 · crew2010s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Murray Lerner's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 95th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 95th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

95thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

94thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

21stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 7 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 7 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · director, producer

Taste: What's Going on - Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2015)

89th percentile spread · 23% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, producer

The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival (2007)

Midcredits 98th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 80/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 85, detractors 60. 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 Murray Lerner work with?

People who share at least 2 of Murray Lerner's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Einar Westerlund shares the most, 5.

Actors

Editors

Producers