The Story Of Film Preview (Kirk Haviland)

The Story of Film: An Odyssey

Written and Directed by Mark Cousins

Last year Mark Cousins in conjunction with the BBC brought us a 15 part epic series entitled The Story of Film: An Odyssey. Starting last weekend and continuing through to November The Hot Docs Bloor Cinema is presenting the entire series in 2 part chunks on Sunday nights with replays on Tues nights, only taking a break to present the Toronto After Dark Film Festival in late October. Starting from back at the turn of the 20^th century, The Story of Film attempts to present the most complete version of the history of film production put forward. Not content to just focus on the Hollywood scene, Cousins spans the globes for the most influential films and filmmakers of their time and presents their stories in detail.

The first two episodes cover the start of film, from the 1890’s through to the 1920’s/30’s, and show us the innovations from across the globe, many of which still apply today. We delve into the careers of Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin while also investigating the seminal films Birth of a Nation, The Passion of Joan of Arc and many more. Cousins has certainly done his homework as the film is chocked full of details that even the most hardened of film historians may not know. His depth of research is certainly astounding and furthermore the amount of footage he has access to is stunning. Some of these films have probably not been projected since they were first put in theaters.

Dry in parts because of the sheer amount of knowledge being displayed, The Story of Film: An Odyssey is a MUST SEE for any true cinema lovers. This is the most comprehensive dissection of film’s history ever put together. Do yourself a favor and get out to the Hot Docs Bloor Cinema and catch as much of this as you can. For more details on show times consult the Hot Docs Bloor Cinema schedule.

Till Next Time,

Movie Junkie TO

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