Forget about oil, candy is America's biggest addiction. Each year, Americans consume seven billion pounds worth, generating a tidy sum of $25 billion in sales. Once an indulgence afforded only by the rich, candy's appeal today extends to all ages and classes—and many of us have been curious about how this sweet stuff is made. Part of the History Channel's Modern Marvels series, this documentary takes the viewer behind the scenes of all sorts of candy manufacturers, ranging from mass-produced candies, holiday items, and boxed and gourmet confections, to specialty items churned out by mom and pop operations. Candy begins, appropriately enough, in Hershey, PA (“the sweetest place on earth”), home to America's biggest candy maker—Hershey Chocolates, a success story that began with Milton Hershey well over 100 years ago and is still going strong (although like most confectioners, the once labor-intensive company is now largely automated). No candy history would be complete, of course, without a discussion of how the cocoa bean is grown and harvested, and the program also covers other American favorites, including peanut brittle, licorice, and jelly beans. Manufacturers work to maintain secrets while catering to changing tastes, even concocting unlikely new flavors, such as a dirt-flavored jelly bean, although the company employees interviewed here seem happy to share some rare glimpses behind-the-scenes. Unfortunately, Candy throws far too much repetitive technical information at the viewer in its short running time, leaving one feeling bloated and a bit numb, just as if you'd consumed too many sweets. Still, this should be considered a strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (S. Rees)
Modern Marvels: Candy
(2005) 50 min. DVD: $24.95. The History Channel (dist. by A&E Home Video, tel: 800-423-1212, web: <a href="http://www.aande.com/">www.aande.com</a>). PPR. Color cover. ISBN: 0-7670-9002-0. September 18, 2006
Modern Marvels: Candy
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: