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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9786305837176
Format: Black & White, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
ISBN: 6305837171
Label: Image Entertainment
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Image Entertainment
Region Code: 1
Release Date: May 30, 2000
Running Time: 360 minutes
Sales Rank: 45661
Studio: Image Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: 1995
Editorial Review:
Description:
Where the art of filmmaking all began. An exciting visual presentation of the European silent film era, 'Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood' commemorates the birth of an art that would transform the 20th century. This stylish and historical documentary focuses on the early days of the movie industry and the enormous contribution made by Europe. Included is rarely seen footage from early movies and interviews with some of the film industry's pioneers. This fascinating documentary is produced by the award-winning team of Kevin Brownlow and David Gill and serves as a companion to their definitive 'Hollywood' series. This six-hour series is narrated by critically acclaimed actor/director Kenneth Branagh with music composition by Carl Davis, Philip Appleby and Nic Raine. Part I: Where It all Began (Introductory Episode). Part II: Promised Land (Sweden). Part III: The Unchained Camera (Germany). Part IV: The Music of Light (France). Part V: Opportunity Lost (Britain). Part VI: End Of An Era (Finale). 'Enlightens as it beguiles...with footage seldom, if ever, seen.' Variety
Amazon.com:
British film historians Kevin Brownlow and David Gill have earned their spot in cinema heaven by painstakingly preserving the history of silent cinema in a series of expansive documentaries, most notably the 13-episode 1980 epic Hollywood: A Celebration of American Silent Film. Their partnership came to a close almost two decades later with the long-awaited companion piece Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood, a six-hour survey of Europe's silent era. Episodes focus on the distinct development of specific countries--Sweden, Germany, France, and Britain--framed by a general introduction and conclusion. Brownlow and Gill were frustrated by a limited canvas--they had originally planned another 13-hour epic--and they only briefly touch on the rich work in Russia, Italy, and the Scandinavian countries. But the production brims with a wealth of rare films clips and interviews, and the thoughtful narration (by Kenneth Branagh) puts them in a rich historical and cultural context. Most importantly, it captures a vital period when films readily crossed borders and distinct national cinema styles flourished. It was a cinematic garden in full bloom and it cross-pollinated through ambitious and inspired filmmakers around the world. When the lure of Hollywood and the rise of fascism pulled much the talent from Europe and the coming of sound created new language barriers, the garden went into a frosty winter. David Gill died shortly after the production was completed. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Should be on the shelf of any serious film buff
I just saw the documentary Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood.
It should appeal to anyone interested in film history, especially the silent era. Its goal is to document the birth of cinema in Europe and its development all the way to the early years of the sound film - in just 6 hours! Six hours is way to short for such an endeavor but the filmmakers manage to pack amazing amount of information in to these six hours, so much in fact that one is left with the desire to see it immediately ... Read More
Rating: - To the reviewer claiming "there's a reason why these are unseen"
It's typical of American-centric viewers to discount the enormous contribution of foreign cinema to our own film history. Italian films like Quo Vadis and Cabiria directly inspired The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance. French films like A Trip to the Moon gave way to The Great Train Robbery. German films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu gave way to film noir and the horror genre in general. Russian films gave us a lot of editing techniques used today. It's totally ignorant to claim that ... Read More
Rating:  - There's a reason why these films are unseen...
...They are second rate! Let's face it - outside of the USA and Germany, most silent films had poor entertainment value. The Russians were too busy using film as propaganda - trying to convince the peasants that starving and freezing to death was the path to happiness. The British were too snobby and class conscious to make a single silent movie that had populist appeal ((there is even a dreadful episode here - "Opportunity Lost" - that spends an hour of this series telling us that British films were unpopular ... Read More
Rating: - Brilliant documentary on early film
Brownlow & Gill's documentary series was originally broadcast in 1996 by the BBC to celebrate 100 years of cinema. Not only is it incredibly interesting as a history lesson but top marks must go to the archive researchers who have dug up some incredibly rare footage (such as Dietrich's screen test for THE BLUE ANGEL). All 6 episodes are on this 1 disc and although there are no extras, you do get 6 hours of pure magic, masterly narrated by the excellent Kenneth Branagh. The quality of the archive footage is ... Read More
Rating: - incomparable documentary on European silent film
If you are interested in film and want to learn more about the early days, you will be enthralled, from start to finish, by this remarkable six-hour documentary, the last joint project by film historians Kevin Brownlow and David Gill. Intelligently written and wonderfully narrated by Kenneth Branagh, each hour is filled with rare film clips and fantastic interviews.
The only weakness here is a lack of extras. A documentary or commentary track about how these clips were found, etc., would have been ... Read More
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