Hollywood (also known as Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film) is a British television documentary miniseries produced by Thames Television and originally broadcast on ITV in 1980. Written and directed by film historians Kevin Brownlow and David Gill, it explored the establishment and development of the Hollywoodstudios[1] and their cultural impact during the silent film era of the 1910s and '20s.[2] At the 1981 BAFTA TV Awards, the series won for Best Original Television Music and was noninated for Best Factual Series, Best Film Editing and Best Graphics.[3][4][5][6]
January 8 (1980-01-08) – April 1, 1980 (1980-04-01)
The series has seldom been released on home video formats, apparently due to the complexity of obtaining home video rights to all of the film clips used. As of early 2020 it remains unavailable.[7]
The series consists of 13 50-minute episodes, with each episode dealing with a specific aspect of Hollywood history. The actor James Mason, an enthusiast of the period, supplied the narration[8] while a lilting and expressive score was contributed by Carl Davis.[9]
Technical quality was an important aspect of the production. Silent films had often been screened on television from poor-quality copies running at an inaccurate speed, usually accompanied by honky tonk piano music. Hollywood used silent film clips sourced from the best available material, shown at their original running speed via a polygonal prism telecine, and with an orchestral score, giving viewers a chance to see what they originally looked and sounded like. For instance, the first episode features a clip of Life of an American Fireman, produced in 1903 with the aforementioned stereotypical poor quality print and music and then compares that with a clip of The Fire Brigade, produced over two decades later in 1926, in a high quality print run at the proper speed with full orchestral accompaniment.
The producers filmed the recollections of many of the period's surviving participants, and illustrated their interviews with scenes from their various films, as well as production still photographs, and historical photographs of the Los Angeles environs. Some of these interviews are notable for being among the only filmed interviews given by their subjects.[10]
Participants
Among the notable people who contributed interviews were:
"The Pioneers" – The evolution of film from penny arcade curiosity to art form, from what was considered the first plot driven film, The Great Train Robbery, through to The Birth of a Nation, films showing the power of the medium. Early Technicolor footage, along with other color technologies, are also featured. Interviews include Lillian Gish, Jackie Coogan and King Vidor.
"In the Beginning" – Hollywood is transformed from a peaceful village with dusty streets and lemon groves to the birthplace of the industry in California. Silent film transcends international boundaries to become a worldwide phenomenon. Interviews include Henry King, Agnes de Mille, and Lillian Gish.
"Single Beds and Double Standards" – Fast success in Hollywood brings a cavalier party lifestyle, which led to shocking scandals such as Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle's trial and subsequent acquittal for manslaughter. To tone down the image of Hollywood and curtail films with footage unsuitable to all audiences, Will H. Hays is appointed and introduces Hollywood's self regulated Production Code, which would be enforced well into the 1960s, while filmmakers still found creative ways to present 'adult' situations. Interviews include King Vidor and Gloria Swanson.
"Hollywood Goes to War" – The outbreak of World War I provides Hollywood with a successful source for plots and profits. Peacetime curtails the release of war movies, until the release of King Vidor's The Big Parade in 1925. Wings (1927) earns the first Academy Award for Best Picture. As movies transition to sound, Universal releases Lewis Milestone's All Quiet on the Western Front, showing the German side of the conflict, becoming a powerful statement of war by the generation that fought it. Interviews include Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., King Vidor, Blanche Sweet and Lillian Gish.
"Hazard of the Game" – Silent films are often remembered for slapstick gags and dangerous stunts. Stuntmen took anonymous credit for very little pay and could not reveal their involvement. Stuntmen Yakima Canutt, Harvey Parry, Bob Rose and Paul Malvern tell hair-raising and humorous stories, and reveal the secrets behind many famous stunts.
"Swanson and Valentino" – Two of the great romantic legends of the silent screen are profiled. Rudolph Valentino's on-screen persona is remarkably different from his real personal life, as recounted by his brother, Alberto, and Gloria Swanson recalls her meteoric rise – and fall – with remarkable candor.
"Autocrats" – Two of Hollywood's greatest directors, Cecil B. DeMille and Erich von Stroheim. One worked with the Hollywood system, the other against it. DeMille's pictures, lavish in detail and cost, made his studio a fortune, while Von Stroheim's similar ways, albeit to excess in footage and expense, resulted in films that were often either excessively cut by the studios or never released, leading to his being fired on several occasions. Interviews include Agnes DeMille, Gloria Swanson, Allen Dwan, and Henry King.
"Comedy – A Serious Business" – Hollywood learned very early how to make people laugh. Comedy was king, and battling for the throne were stars like Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, Harry Langdon and Charlie Chaplin. In a purely visual medium, their comedy was a work of genius. Interviews include Hal Roach, Sr., Jackie Coogan, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd.
"Out West" – 'The Old West' was still in existence in the silent days. Old cowboys and outlaws relived their youth, and got paid for doing it, by working in films. The 'western craze' really begins with stars like William S. Hart, Harry Carey and Tom Mix. Interviews include Yakima Canutt, Colonel Tim McCoy, Harvey Parry and John Wayne.
"The Man with the Megaphone" – Silent film directors were flamboyant pioneers, making up their technique as they went along. Filming 'indoor' sets on open outdoor lots and combating the elements, communicating with actors in spite of overwhelming distraction and deafening noise, directors (male and female) fashion great films out of chaos and confusion. Interviews include Bessie Love, Janet Gaynor and King Vidor.
"Trick of the Light" – Skilled cameramen had the ability to turn an actress into a screen goddess, and were valuable assets to studios and stars. With the aid of art directors, they achieved some of the most amazing and dangerous sequences captured on film, pioneering photography effects used through the remainder of the 20th century. Interviews include William Wyler and Lillian Gish.
"Star Treatment" – Producers discovered the effect of 'star power' on their box office bottom line. Creating Hollywood stars becomes its own industry, resulting in the Hollywood Star System, from which came Clara Bow, Greta Garbo, and John Gilbert, successor to Rudolph Valentino as "The Great Lover". But as easily as they made them, studios could break them. Interviews include Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Louise Brooks and King Vidor.
"End of an Era" – Silent films had universal appeal, simply by replacing intertitles and dialogue cards for the foreign markets. Sound film was experimented with in many forms since the 1890s, but did not become commercially successful until The Jazz Singer in 1927. Hollywood movie making was transformed and ultimately shattered, taking the careers of many silent film stars, directors and producers with it, victims of the emerging technology. Interviews include Lillian Gish, Mary Astor, Janet Gaynor, George Cukor and Frank Capra, Sr.[11]
hollywood, british, series, hollywood, also, known, hollywood, celebration, american, silent, film, british, television, documentary, miniseries, produced, thames, television, originally, broadcast, 1980, written, directed, film, historians, kevin, brownlow, d. Hollywood also known as Hollywood A Celebration of the American Silent Film is a British television documentary miniseries produced by Thames Television and originally broadcast on ITV in 1980 Written and directed by film historians Kevin Brownlow and David Gill it explored the establishment and development of the Hollywood studios 1 and their cultural impact during the silent film era of the 1910s and 20s 2 At the 1981 BAFTA TV Awards the series won for Best Original Television Music and was noninated for Best Factual Series Best Film Editing and Best Graphics 3 4 5 6 HollywoodThames Video Collection VHS 1 of 13GenreDocumentaryWritten byKevin BrownlowDavid GillDirected byKevin BrownlowDavid GillNarrated byJames MasonTheme music composerCarl DavisComposerCarl DavisCountry of originUnited KingdomOriginal languageEnglishNo of episodes13ProductionProducersKevin BrownlowDavid GillEditorsDan CarterTrevor WaiteOscar WebbRunning timec 50 mins ex commercials Production companyThames TelevisionReleaseOriginal networkITVOriginal releaseJanuary 8 1980 01 08 April 1 1980 1980 04 01 The series has seldom been released on home video formats apparently due to the complexity of obtaining home video rights to all of the film clips used As of early 2020 it remains unavailable 7 In 1995 Brownlow and Gill produced the followup series Cinema Europe The Other Hollywood which explores the rise of the silent film industry in Sweden Germany France and Great Britain Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Participants 3 Episodes 4 Films featured in Hollywood 5 Home video 6 References 7 External linksSynopsis EditThe series consists of 13 50 minute episodes with each episode dealing with a specific aspect of Hollywood history The actor James Mason an enthusiast of the period supplied the narration 8 while a lilting and expressive score was contributed by Carl Davis 9 Technical quality was an important aspect of the production Silent films had often been screened on television from poor quality copies running at an inaccurate speed usually accompanied by honky tonk piano music Hollywood used silent film clips sourced from the best available material shown at their original running speed via a polygonal prism telecine and with an orchestral score giving viewers a chance to see what they originally looked and sounded like For instance the first episode features a clip of Life of an American Fireman produced in 1903 with the aforementioned stereotypical poor quality print and music and then compares that with a clip of The Fire Brigade produced over two decades later in 1926 in a high quality print run at the proper speed with full orchestral accompaniment The producers filmed the recollections of many of the period s surviving participants and illustrated their interviews with scenes from their various films as well as production still photographs and historical photographs of the Los Angeles environs Some of these interviews are notable for being among the only filmed interviews given by their subjects 10 Participants EditAmong the notable people who contributed interviews were Actors Mary Astor Eleanor Boardman Louise Brooks Olive Carey Iron Eyes Cody Jackie Coogan Dolores Costello Viola Dana Douglas Fairbanks Jr Janet Gaynor Leatrice Joy Lillian Gish Bessie Love Ben Lyon Marion Mack Tim McCoy Colleen Moore Charles Buddy Rogers Gloria Swanson Blanche Sweet John Wayne Eva von Berne and Lois Wilson Directors Dorothy Arzner Clarence Brown Karl Brown Frank Capra George Cukor Allan Dwan Byron Haskin Henry Hathaway Henry King Lewis Milestone Hal Roach Albert S Rogell King Vidor and William Wyler Also interviewed were choreographer Agnes de Mille writer Anita Loos writer Adela Rogers St Johns press agent writer Cedric Belfrage organist Gaylord Carter cinematographers George J Folsey Lee Garmes and Paul Ivano writer Jesse L Lasky Jr special effects artist A Arnold Gillespie Lord Mountbatten agent Paul Kohner producer writer Samuel Marx editors William Hornbeck and Grant Whytock property man Lefty Hough stuntmen Bob Rose Yakima Canutt Paul Malvern and Harvey Parry Rudolph Valentino s brother Alberto Valentino Valerie von Stroheim and English set designer Laurence Irving 11 Episodes Edit The Pioneers The evolution of film from penny arcade curiosity to art form from what was considered the first plot driven film The Great Train Robbery through to The Birth of a Nation films showing the power of the medium Early Technicolor footage along with other color technologies are also featured Interviews include Lillian Gish Jackie Coogan and King Vidor In the Beginning Hollywood is transformed from a peaceful village with dusty streets and lemon groves to the birthplace of the industry in California Silent film transcends international boundaries to become a worldwide phenomenon Interviews include Henry King Agnes de Mille and Lillian Gish Single Beds and Double Standards Fast success in Hollywood brings a cavalier party lifestyle which led to shocking scandals such as Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle s trial and subsequent acquittal for manslaughter To tone down the image of Hollywood and curtail films with footage unsuitable to all audiences Will H Hays is appointed and introduces Hollywood s self regulated Production Code which would be enforced well into the 1960s while filmmakers still found creative ways to present adult situations Interviews include King Vidor and Gloria Swanson Hollywood Goes to War The outbreak of World War I provides Hollywood with a successful source for plots and profits Peacetime curtails the release of war movies until the release of King Vidor s The Big Parade in 1925 Wings 1927 earns the first Academy Award for Best Picture As movies transition to sound Universal releases Lewis Milestone s All Quiet on the Western Front showing the German side of the conflict becoming a powerful statement of war by the generation that fought it Interviews include Douglas Fairbanks Jr King Vidor Blanche Sweet and Lillian Gish Hazard of the Game Silent films are often remembered for slapstick gags and dangerous stunts Stuntmen took anonymous credit for very little pay and could not reveal their involvement Stuntmen Yakima Canutt Harvey Parry Bob Rose and Paul Malvern tell hair raising and humorous stories and reveal the secrets behind many famous stunts Swanson and Valentino Two of the great romantic legends of the silent screen are profiled Rudolph Valentino s on screen persona is remarkably different from his real personal life as recounted by his brother Alberto and Gloria Swanson recalls her meteoric rise and fall with remarkable candor Autocrats Two of Hollywood s greatest directors Cecil B DeMille and Erich von Stroheim One worked with the Hollywood system the other against it DeMille s pictures lavish in detail and cost made his studio a fortune while Von Stroheim s similar ways albeit to excess in footage and expense resulted in films that were often either excessively cut by the studios or never released leading to his being fired on several occasions Interviews include Agnes DeMille Gloria Swanson Allen Dwan and Henry King Comedy A Serious Business Hollywood learned very early how to make people laugh Comedy was king and battling for the throne were stars like Harold Lloyd Buster Keaton Harry Langdon and Charlie Chaplin In a purely visual medium their comedy was a work of genius Interviews include Hal Roach Sr Jackie Coogan Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd Out West The Old West was still in existence in the silent days Old cowboys and outlaws relived their youth and got paid for doing it by working in films The western craze really begins with stars like William S Hart Harry Carey and Tom Mix Interviews include Yakima Canutt Colonel Tim McCoy Harvey Parry and John Wayne The Man with the Megaphone Silent film directors were flamboyant pioneers making up their technique as they went along Filming indoor sets on open outdoor lots and combating the elements communicating with actors in spite of overwhelming distraction and deafening noise directors male and female fashion great films out of chaos and confusion Interviews include Bessie Love Janet Gaynor and King Vidor Trick of the Light Skilled cameramen had the ability to turn an actress into a screen goddess and were valuable assets to studios and stars With the aid of art directors they achieved some of the most amazing and dangerous sequences captured on film pioneering photography effects used through the remainder of the 20th century Interviews include William Wyler and Lillian Gish Star Treatment Producers discovered the effect of star power on their box office bottom line Creating Hollywood stars becomes its own industry resulting in the Hollywood Star System from which came Clara Bow Greta Garbo and John Gilbert successor to Rudolph Valentino as The Great Lover But as easily as they made them studios could break them Interviews include Charles Buddy Rogers Louise Brooks and King Vidor End of an Era Silent films had universal appeal simply by replacing intertitles and dialogue cards for the foreign markets Sound film was experimented with in many forms since the 1890s but did not become commercially successful until The Jazz Singer in 1927 Hollywood movie making was transformed and ultimately shattered taking the careers of many silent film stars directors and producers with it victims of the emerging technology Interviews include Lillian Gish Mary Astor Janet Gaynor George Cukor and Frank Capra Sr 11 Films featured in Hollywood EditThe Dickson Experimental Sound Film 1894 Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze 1894 Life of an American Fireman 1903 The Great Train Robbery 1903 Le Spectre rouge The Red Spectre 1907 The Curtain Pole 1909 Faithful 1910 The Girl and Her Trust 1912 A Beast at Bay 1912 Queen Elizabeth 1912 An Unseen Enemy 1912 The Musketeers of Pig Alley 1912 Quo Vadis 1913 Suspense 1913 The Reformers or The Lost Art of Minding One s Business 1913 Making a Living 1914 The Squaw Man 1914 The Massacre 1914 Judith of Bethulia 1914 The Birth of a Nation 1915 The Juggernaut 1915 Mabel and Fatty Viewing the World s Fair at San Francisco 1915 The Cheat 1915 Fatty and Mabel Adrift 1916 A Movie Star 1916 He Did and He Didn t 1916 The Extra Man and the Milk Fed Lion 1916 Hell s Hinges 1916 Civilization 1916 The Children in the House 1916 The Floorwalker 1916 Intolerance Love s Struggle Throughout the Ages 1916 Tom s Strategy 1916 The Pawnshop 1916 The Return of Draw Egan 1916 Luke s Movie Muddle 1916 The Rink 1916 Joan the Woman 1916 Teddy at the Throttle 1917 Straight Shooting 1917 Coney Island 1917 The Pullman Bride 1917 Blue Jeans 1917 Stella Maris 1918 My Four Years in Germany 1918 Hearts of the World 1918 The Lady of the Dugout 1918 The Bond 1918 The Heart of Humanity 1918 Daddy Long Legs 1919 Blind Husbands 1919 Eyes of Youth 1919 Male and Female 1919 Heart o the Hills 1919 Suds 1920 Why Change Your Wife 1920 One Week 1920 Way Down East 1920 Life of the Party 1920 The Kid 1921 Forbidden Fruit 1921 The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse 1921 Dream Street 1921 The Three Musketeers 1921 Little Lord Fauntleroy 1921 Never Weaken 1921 The Sheik 1921 Affairs of Anatol 1921 Foolish Wives 1922 Manslaughter 1922 Robin Hood 1922 Down to the Sea in Ships 1922 Around the World in Eighteen Days 1922 The Covered Wagon 1923 Safety Last 1923 Merry Go Round 1923 The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923 Scaramouche 1923 Zaza 1923 The Extra Girl 1923 Flaming Youth 1923 Our Hospitality 1923 The Ten Commandments 1923 The Thief of Bagdad 1924 The Enchanted College 1924 Manhandled 1924 Monsieur Beaucaire 1924 The Iron Horse 1924 Hot Water 1924 A Sainted Devil 1924 Greed 1924 Seven Chances 1925 The Merry Widow 1925 Little Annie Rooney 1925 The King on Main Street 1925 The Big Parade 1925 The Eagle 1925 Stage Struck 1925 The Plastic Age 1925 Tumbleweeds 1925 Ben Hur A Tale of the Christ 1925 Mare Nostrum 1926 Dancing Mothers 1926 The Black Pirate 1926 Ella Cinders 1926 The Devil Horse 1926 The Son of the Sheik 1926 Mantrap 1926 Don Juan 1926 The Strong Man 1926 The Temptress 1926 The Winning of Barbara Worth 1926 The Great K amp A Train Robbery 1926 What Price Glory 1926 Old Ironsides 1926 The Fire Brigade 1926 The General 1926 Flesh and the Devil 1926 Play Safe 1927 It 1927 The Love of Sunya 1927 The Beloved Rogue 1927 The King of Kings 1927 Children of Divorce 1927 Wings 1927 A Kiss from Mary Pickford 1927 Sunrise A Song of Two Humans 1927 The Jazz Singer 1927 Man Woman and Sin 1927 The Gaucho 1927 Love 1927 Sadie Thompson 1927 Four Sons 1928 The Crowd 1928 The Trail of 98 1928 Steamboat Bill Jr 1928 Lights of New York 1928 Lilac Time 1928 The Mysterious Lady 1928 The Wind 1928 The Singing Fool 1928 The Wedding March 1928 Noah s Ark 1928 Show People 1928 A Woman of Affairs 1928 Queen Kelly 1929 The Iron Mask 1929 Big Business 1929 The Black Watch 1929 The Hollywood Revue of 1929 1929 His Glorious Night 1929 The Saturday Night Kid 1929 The Sky Hawk 1929 Peacock Alley 1930 Anna Christie 1930 Redemption 1930 Show Girl in Hollywood 1930 All Quiet on the Western Front 1930 The Viking 1931 Hoop La 1933 Queen Christina 1933 Sunset Boulevard 1950 The Searchers 1956 12 Home video EditIn North America the series was released in 1990 by HBO Video on VHS and laserdisc 13 14 References Edit Hollywood The Pioneers Hardcover March 12 1980 Amazon Books 5 Great Documentaries on Old Hollywood Paste Magazine 1981 Television Original Television Music BAFTA Awards 1981 Television Factual Series BAFTA Awards 1981 Television Craft Graphics BAFTA Awards 1981 Television Craft Film Editor BAFTA Awards Kevin Brownlow s Outstanding 1980 Documentary Miniseries HOLLYWOOD is Online Austin Film Society Amazon com Hollywood A Celebration of the American Silent Film Complete Set 1 13 VHS FilmAffinity SlashFilm a b Hollywood A Celebration of the American Silent Film An Eleven Hour Investigative Odyssey Cinephilia amp Beyond TV Mini Series 1980 Connections IMDB WorldCat 26 Hard To Find Movies That Remind Us Why VHS DVD And LaserDisc Still Matter BuzzfeedExternal links EditHollywood at IMDb The entire series on Internet Archive Kevin Brownlow interview 2006 on Stolen Moments Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hollywood British TV series amp oldid 1149159436, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
