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.
- May 8, 1927
- September 2, 2017 (aged 90)
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Director and producer
- 7 on MovieCove · 22 credits in all
Known for
What are Murray Lerner's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Ideas.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
Light 5 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
Grounded 6 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
Gentle 4 · Charged 2 · Intense 0
Steady 5 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 4 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 0
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- 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.
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.
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
The Moody Blues: Live at the Isle of Wight Festival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
The Who: Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Jethro Tull - Live at Estival Jazz Lugano 2005 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Miles Electric - A Different Kind of Blue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Blue Wild Angel: Jimi Hendrix Live at The Isle of Wight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Listening to You: The Who Live at the Isle of Wight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Message to Love - The Isle of Wight Festival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Magic Journeys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Black at Yale: A Film Diary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Call It Anything (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Jimi Hendrix - Live at the Isle of Wight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Festival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Secrets of the Reef (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
To Be a Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
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)
Most popular right now
Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who (2007)
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.
- 75th and up7
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 7 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved3
- Loved with Detractors1
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed1
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
- Joan BaezShared titles: Leonard Cohen: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2009), The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Joan Baez
Editors
- Einar WesterlundShared titles: Joni Mitchell: Both Sides Now - Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (2018), Taste: What's Going on - Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2015), Leonard Cohen: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2009), The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival (2007), Nothing Is Easy: Jethro Tull Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2005)See all 5 shared titles with Einar Westerlund
- George PanosShared titles: Joni Mitchell: Both Sides Now - Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (2018), Taste: What's Going on - Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2015), Leonard Cohen: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2009), The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival (2007)See all 4 shared titles with George Panos
- Pagan Danielle HarlemanShared titles: Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who (2007), The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival (2007), Nothing Is Easy: Jethro Tull Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2005)See all 3 shared titles with Pagan Danielle Harleman
Producers
- Geoff KempinShared titles: Joni Mitchell: Both Sides Now - Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (2018), Taste: What's Going on - Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2015), Nothing Is Easy: Jethro Tull Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2005)See all 3 shared titles with Geoff Kempin
- Terry ShandShared titles: Joni Mitchell: Both Sides Now - Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (2018), Taste: What's Going on - Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2015), Nothing Is Easy: Jethro Tull Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2005)See all 3 shared titles with Terry Shand