Writing about the 1995 video release of this 9 hour, 10 episode survey of American cinema, we said [VL-1/95]: "The title is a dead giveaway: not the 'flicks,' not American 'movies,' but American 'CINEMA.' When people use the 'C' word, you can bet the tone will be suitably reverential. The opening episode, The Hollywood Style, offers a grab bag of musings from such luminaries as directors Martin Scorsese (Raging Bull, The Age of Innocence), Sydney Pollack (The Way We Were, Tootsie), and Joseph Mankiewicz (All About Eve), film editor Dede Allen (Bonnie & Clyde), and legendary script doctor Robert Towne (Chinatown, The Last Detail). Backed by copious film clips, the interviewees talk about the early days of the formula studio pictures, and how directors such as Howard Hawks and John Ford were able to rise above the factory sensibility of the movie moguls during the 1930s and produce enduring films such as Scarface and Stagecoach. Sure to be quite popular, American Cinema is not the in-depth examination of American film that the title suggests, but it does offer a decent survey introduction and it's definitely fun to watch." To that, let me add: especially on DVD. Not only does the double-disc DVD cost much less than the 10 video set ($299.95) and takes up a fraction of the shelf space, the crisp DVD image greatly enhances the generous sampling of clips from classic films. The other episodes in the series are: 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. Definitely recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)
American Cinema
(1995) 2 discs. 542 min. DVD: $79.99. Image Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. Vol. 15, Issue 6
American Cinema
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: