The Story of Film: An Odyssey - Part 1
Chapters 1-3: Birth Of The Cinema, The Hollywood Dream, and The Golden Age of World Cinema.
The opening of THE STORY OF FILM: AN ODYSSEY shows the birth of a great new art form: the movies. We see how Hollywood became a glittering entertainment industry and how star directors like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton emerged in the roaring twenties. Then we visit Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Shanghai and Tokyo to discover the places where movie makers were pushing the boundaries of the medium.
Remake PLEASE!!! @Galen Tate
I was so glad to see other reviewers negative comments about the unbelievably bad narration! I thought it was just me. It is so sad that this brilliant documentary is seriously marred by such a distracting voice. No offense intended, but how could such a global view of cinema warrant such a narrow style of narration? Every sentence is filled with negative or questioning innuendo. Definitely watch with subtitles or not at all!
Fantastic, in-depth, intelligent @Ruhrboy
This is an amazing series for anyone interested in film history or film theory and even anyone just marginally interested in the topic. I was immediately quite attracted to the fact that it isn't just another straight-up Hollywood history report. It's much, much more far-reaching than that—often interspersing what was happening in Hollywood with what was happening in film creation and innovation across the globe at the same time and how creative and technical developments from Europe to America, Asia and the Far East, influenced, informed and complimented each other. Very meticulously done. I've also read the complaints about the narration. It's done by Mark Cousins, the same man responsible for directing the series. I think his strong Northern Irish drawl might throw American audiences off for a bit, but honestly I got used to it pretty quickly and actually kind of like his voice now. Some might also feel that the narration feels a bit like someone is reading from their PhD dissertation, but again, it will only bother people who are usually bothered by irrelevant things in life. Don't let these silly detail keep you from watching a great series.
Narration really damages the project @mackvie
How can such a profound movie project be ruined by such an annoying narrator? After the first part I gave up, because I couldn't stand this toneless voice any longer. Sad, because I wanted to see them all.
If you love movies don't miss it @Quinzy du Sablon
A very ambitious project, incredibly well done.
Terrible narration @Griffopolis
The narrator for all his film knowledge should have known better. He is absolutely a buzzkill to this incredible survey of world cinema. However, the series must be remade with a professional narrator. I stopped watching and really wish I could get my money back.