Cinema History Documentaries

[Awesome Welles]

Tryavna, you're absolutely right, I linked the wrong page, but now I look at the main search page for Cathy Come Home items, they ALL look fake!

[godardslave]

The best history of cinema documentaries i am aware of is the BBC commissioned 1995 "Century of Cinema" series of 12 or so (?) documentaries, each covering a different countries cinema history over the last 100 years.

The Scorsese "A Personal Journey Into American Cinema" was the american episode of this series.

I have been hoping someone like the BFI had plans to release this as a dvd set, which would be the best dvd box set ever, and i even sent them an email, but they replied no plans.

No doubt rights issues.

If criterion could release this series as a deluxe box set it would be amazing.

[Awesome Welles]

Tryavna I'd been toying with purchasing the New Yorker War Game/Culloden box but was unsure of quality/features, I have never bought a New Yorker release, on your recommendation I have now purchased it along with The Gladiators.

Godardslave thanks for the info, that truly would be a great set, you don't happen to know what the twelve docs were on do you? I.e. what countries were looked at? I would love to see that as a set, it's a shame the BFI aren't doing it, it'd be a great project.

[godardslave]

Godardslave thanks for the info, that truly would be a great set, you don't happen to know what the twelve docs were on do you? I.e. what countries were looked at? I would love to see that as a set, it's a shame the BFI aren't doing it, it'd be a great project.

They were originally shown on Channel 4 back in 1995/1996 in the UK.
(i used to live in england).

"Century of Cinema" Series

Britain
China
France
Germany
Ireland
Japanese
Latin America
Russia
Scandinavian
New Zealand
USA

I think there may have been a few (2?) more that i havent got written down.

The series was produced by the BFI (why i hoped they would issue it on dvd) not BBC my memory failed me. Most of these were released on VHS if you want to track them down but they would be hard to find i imagine.

"British Film Institute's Century of Cinema series, which asked representative directors (including Martin Scorsese, Stephen Frears, George Miller, and Jean-Luc Godard) from a number of different countries to write and direct a retrospective of their country's film history."

Edit (more info): i found a good link here with lots more information.

[Awesome Welles]

Thanks for the info Godardslave, that link is very useful. I have heard of the Japanese doc, but didn't know they were related. It really is a shame the BFI won't release this, they released the Scorsese doc, it's a shame they won't venture into the others.

With the amount of Japanese releases of late, I'd be surprised if the Oshima didn't do well.

[tryavna]

Tryavna I'd been toying with purchasing the New Yorker War Game/Culloden box but was unsure of quality/features, I have never bought a New Yorker release, on your recommendation I have now purchased it along with The Gladiators.

You won't regret these purchases. They are quite wonderful.

BTW, New Yorker had nothing to do with their production; they are merely acting as distributor (much like Image acts as distributor for other indie labels). Project X has established itself as a really excellent one-man operation, with a handful of really excellent releases. Although I don't own all their releases, all of the ones I do have are fine -- with the single exception of Punishment Park, which is a PAL->NTSC port of the MoC release.

[rollotomassi]

Yes, basically the Brownlows are the best. Hollywood will indeed never come to DVD due to the rights clearances issues. Hence I'll be keeping my DVDR print taken from the old laserdisc release.

Sadly, Channel 4 no longer back silent films - the recent showing of The Godless Girl on Film Four ended their association, so we'll never get massive histories like those on Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd and Griffith again - Cinema Europe was I believe shown on BBC2. Most of Brownlow's recent documentaries, though typically studious, are financed by TCM and rather like Cliff's Notes documentaries, if you follow me.

Of other cinema histories, an interesting one is Sex, Censorship and the Silver Screen, from around 1995. It has a lot of rare footage and deals with numerous films and the attitudes and mores of the times. Again I doubt we'll see it on DVD due to rights problems - the US release for last winter got cancelled and it's now listed - minus Censorship in the title - on play.com in the UK, but I doubt that will materialise either.

Of the Century of Cinema series, aside from Scorsese's, I'd say Sam Neill's Cinema of Unease on New Zealand cinema may well be the bets thing he's done.

[colinr0380]

Sadly, Channel 4 no longer back silent films - the recent showing of The Godless Girl on Film Four ended their association, so we'll never get massive histories like those on Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd and Griffith again - Cinema Europe was I believe shown on BBC2.

Did they say why they were not continuing? I don't have satellite so I don't see Film Four but I heard that they continued to show silent films there for years after they stopped showing them on Channel 4 itself in 2001. Is it because Film Four is becoming more commercial now it is on 'Freeview' - I've noticed that they seem to have moved much more towards big Hollywood films rather than foreign language screenings in recent months.

I guess it affects silent films being preserved if they aren't guaranteed a television showing later?

I agree about the Cinema of Unease film, probably the best of all the Century of Cinema films after Martin Scorsese's Personal Journey.

[MichaelB]

Did they say why they were not continuing? I don't have satellite so I don't see Film Four but I heard that they continued to show silent films there for years after they stopped showing them on Channel 4 itself in 2001.

They stopped backing animation at roughly the same time, after a decade and a half at the very heart of the medium (at least the non-Disneyfied branch). I know Big Brother basically bankrolls the channel these days, but it's not much of a substitute.

[Ovader]

Has anyone seen Fog City Mavericks about the Bay area of filmmakers?