Product Description

The history of Hollywood and filmmaking comes alive in this spectacular nine hour celebration of movie magic. It's a mesmerizing, epic analysis that combines rare archival film, key scenes from immortal movies, interviews with leading filmmakers and commentary from noted film scholars and critics. As seen on PBS, this highly acclaimed series is the definitive chronicle of the American cinema, from its beginning to today. Includes interviews with Robert Altman, Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, Spike Lee, George Lucas, Sidney Lumet, Julia Roberts, Martin Scorsese, Gene Siskel, Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, Quentin Tarantino, and many more! Episodes: The Hollywood Style, The Star, Romantic Comedy, Film Noir, The Western, The Combat Film, The Studio System, Film in the Television Age, The Film School Generation, The Edge of Hollywood.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #88725 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-08-22
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Color, DVD, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 542 minutes

Customer Reviews

wonderful overview of american film
This ten-installment love letter to Hollywood and American film was originally aired on PBS, and comes on two two-sided DVDs. Introduced by John Lithgow, each segment is then narrated by a different actor and covers the following subjects: The Hollywood Style, The Star, Romantic Comedy, Film Noir, The Western, The Combat Film, The Studio System, Film in the Television Age, The Film School Generation and The Edge of Hollywood.

Each segment runs about 54 minutes and is well-written, loaded with illustrative scenes from great films, and filled with interviews by filmmakers, actors and film scholars. I especially enjoyed the Romantic Comedy and The Studio System segments, but each is so well done that you will undoubtedly find favorites of your own.

The only weakness here is the lack of any real documentation. When so many films and actors are discussed, it would add value to this collection to have a good index.

If you enjoy film and are interested in a thoughtful introduction to this American art form, you can't go wrong with this collection.

The Cheapest Film Class You'll Ever Take
Writing a screenplay? Trying to do an indie? This set TOUCHES on 100's of important (sometimes obscure) American films...just enough to make you want to find some of them for further study and ignore others. You will see, within catagories or timelines, snippets, some brief but some several minutes, give you the highlights, the substance.

This is NOT MGM's "That's Entertainment".

This IS a series of entertaining, lucid programs that follow like film school seminars but are easily understood by even the most casual viewer. Note, the series does not play to the lowest common denominator. A true film buff and their film-hating spouse could watch this together, and both walk away amazed. My elementary school kids now understand as much about film making history as many professionals I know.

This would be a great gift to your local school.

I highly recommend this if you are interestted in Digital Video, especially home filming, guerilla film-making, or just getting ready for film school itself. This set is entertaining, but is an education in itself.

The shots, the sounds, the explanations of what works, the experiences of current filmmakers, the reasons for success of prior filmmakers, WHY the public taste changed in every decade(o-o-h, never thought of THAT, eh?)... This is a dream come true if you do not live within commuting distance of a film school or don't have the [money]...

Trust me on this one. You will not regret this purchase.

Misses ONE Major aspect of American Cinema
Animation. Even Orsen Welles has said on numerous occasions that the single biggest influence on his visual approach to Citizen Kane was Walt Disney's Pinocchio. Disney's impact on cinema with his specific use of sound and especially Technicolor,and its ability of color to support the dramatic stories he told must not be underestimated. Disney even had exclusive rights to 3 strip Technicolor for a number of years. The "integrated" movie musical BEGAN with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and was immediatly co-opted by MGM in it's succesful slew of musical movies. Why he is virtually entirely missing from this documentary is quite simply shocking. Otherwise, it's a fun watch.