Some great docs get by mostly on the heels of the captured on-screen magnetism of the subject, others on the clever way bits and pieces or the story are combined visually, and still others based purely on the story itself. In the case of the life of Lew Wasserman, the 100 minute film relies entirely on still pictures and interviews with friends and colleagues. “The Last Mogul” is Wasserman’s life story beginning with his childhood as a poor Jewish kid from Cleveland through his ascent to becoming one of the most influential men in the history of Hollywood.

“The Last Mogul” tells the story of a man who both was able to see and shape the future of the music, film and ultimately television. But unlike the celebrity CEOs of today, Wasserman believed that fame should be reserved for the stars and as such worked tirelessly in the background crafting the blueprint for how much of the packaging of creative assets still works today. Although far from a recluse, Wasserman didn’t do interviews, rarely gave speeches but instead reshaped Hollywood one deal at a time. It is hard to really get a sense at all for the man himself, but his legacy depicts a long long life of success so difficult to sustain in a town as cynical as LA you have to imagine it he was a moan to love and loath. Like “Easy Riders and Raging Bulls” this film is a history of one of one of most pervasive universally loved businesses in the world and of the man who helped create it.

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