THE history of cinema is littered with priceless pearls of wisdom delivered by eccentric movie producers.

Darryl F Zanuck made one of his contributions during filming of The Sun Also Rises. When Ernest Hemingway and the film's stars, (Errol Flynn, either through generosity or indolence, was the single exception) complained about the casting of Robert Evans in a supporting role, Zanuck's reply was: "The kid stays in the picture".

Brett Morgen and Nanette Burstein's film tells the remarkable story of Evans' career in Hollywood, based on his autobiography. It's one of those 'you couldn't make it up' documentaries.

Robert Evans, a former child star, was out of the movies and running a clothing business when a chance meeting with Norma Shearer gave him the opportunity to play her late husband, Irving Thalberg, in the Lon Chaney biography Man Of A Thousand Faces.

A few more film parts followed before Evans, a smart hustler who knew his acting was no great shakes, engineered his way into film production at Paramount. His rise, fall and rise included the studio vice presidency, marriage to Love Story star Ali McGraw, a cocaine bust, years in the wilderness, and a return to film-making back at Paramount.

The film features archive footage and clips from Evans' classic films such as Rosemary's Baby, China-town and The Odd Couple. The use of old cut-out photographs of the main protagonists, against backcloths, is a neat stylistic device and Evans' narration is droll and knowing. This is a warts-and-all picture of Hollywood in all its ghastliness and irresistibility, and it also manages to come up with a happy ending.

Updated: 09:27 Friday, March 14, 2003