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13 Episodes 1995 - 1996
Episode 1
Wed, Jun 7, 1995
Martin Scorsese and Sydney Pollack are among the premier directors who discuss how classical Hollywood style, evolving and yet enduring over time, informs their work.
Episode 2
Wed, Jun 14, 199560 mins
The studio system created the Golden Age of Hollywood, its classic film stars and big budget hits that captivated generations all across the world. However, the following decades proved that nothing lasts forever, even in Hollywood.
Episode 3
Wed, Jun 21, 1995
Greta Garbo, Cary Grant, Dustin Hoffman - these among many others are names synonymous with Hollywood. Early on, Hollywood saw that recognizable talent could minimize the financial risks of film production. Critics, film scholars, and studio publicists view the stars from many angles: as marketing tools, cultural icons, and products of the industry. Joan Crawford headlines as a case study of the cultural phenomenon of stardom.
Episode 4
Wed, Jun 28, 1995
With clips and critical commentary on Westerns the program traces the aesthetic evolution of the genre as well as its sociological importance.
Episode 5
Wed, Jul 5, 1995
Breezy and silly to witty and intelligent, romantic comedies barely masked issues of gender and sexuality. Directors present interpretations of the genre that reveal the underlying social and psychological messages.
Episode 6
Wed, Jul 12, 1995
Critics and directors describe the evolution of these films, the rise of the Vietnam film, and the influence of the newsreel documentaries and TV news on the genre.
Episode 7
Wed, Jul 19, 1995
These cynical and pessimistic films from the 1930s and '40s touched a nerve in Americans. Historians link the genre's overriding paranoia to Cold War-related angst over the nuclear threat and the Hollywood blacklist. In addition, a cinematographer demonstrates the creation of noir lighting, which gave films their peculiar look and emphasized the themes of corruption and urban decay.
Episode 8
Wed, Jul 26, 199560 mins
Television first arrived in American homes just as the Hollywood studio system was collapsing. As the new medium took hold, so did a new era of motion picture entertainment. Top directors, actors, and film scholars trace the influence of each medium on the other, from the live and fresh dramas of the Golden Age of Television and the growth of Hollywood spectacles to the megalithic entertainment industry of today.
Episode 9
Wed, Aug 2, 1995
Maverick filmmakers of the 1960s and '70s, including Brian DePalma, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg, capitalized on new technology and borrowed from classical Hollywood and French New Wave as they reinvented the American film. The financial and cultural forces that contributed to their success and commercial clout are explored.
Episode 10
Wed, Aug 9, 1995
While many of the old rules are still in force, independent filmmakers today often add their dissenting voices to the forum. This program looks at some alternative visions from new talents including Spike Lee, Joel and Ethan Coen, Jim Jarmusch, and Quentin Tarantino. With limited budgets, they are challenging the stylistic status quo of the Hollywood film.
Episode 11
Thu, Aug 22, 199629 mins
Illustrates basic terms such as tracking shots and zooms and also provides a primer on editing technique.
Episode 12
Thu, Aug 22, 199629 mins
Provides a formal and cultural analysis of a classical film sequence. It serves as a critical how-to guide for those new to film critique.
Episode 13
Thu, Aug 22, 199629 mins
Offers interviews with contemporary directors, European filmmakers, scholars, and critics, as well as studio-era veterans who probe Hollywood's influence on both American and world culture.