The Movies - Die Geschichte Hollywoods

Decades worth of movies all talked about in about 80 minutes (either one episode or split into two, depending I reckon where and how you watch it)? Well that isn't an easy task. It is made easier since the focus lies on US movies. So you won't see a lot of international movies that are equally as a amazing or even in some cases better.

But how could you pack all this in, such a short time! Yes 12 episodes that run 40 minutes (or 6 with double the time, again as stated above) sounds like a lot of time, but it isn't. At it goes by like that. Because it is fun to watch. Yes you may know most if not all the movies, depending on your film knowledge. That doesn't mean you won't find some hidden gems or learn something new about a movie or two.

Having said that, of course this can't completely cover the McCarthy era, tell us everything about Citizen Kane or any other movie you deem needs that respect. The MCU is done in a minute or so to give you a more recent example of movies that made quite the impact (no matter what you may think of them).

Also be aware that there may be a spoiler or two (I didn't count so don't quote me on that) ... just in case you were wondering. I might get back to the list this gives me - funnily enough I did watch some of the entries recently. Also do not feel "shamed" if there are movies here that you don't like ... we all have different tastes. So just because a movie made an impact (or two or three ...), doesn't mean you have to think it's the best thing ever ... or one of them.

So sit back, relax and enjoy some of your favorites (to come) ...

It starts so well, until it rushes through movies that need to be talked about, to talk about some random film never heard of. The way they skip back and fourth through years skipping 9 yrs froward then 9 years back seems to damage what that decade did in Cinema and the 2000 taken over promoting the same bad films Oscar's did. If anything shows not much hope for cinema going forward. Tried to please too many people but missed so many movies and including cartoons like Pixard shows the program has no credibility. This could and should include movies in categories, Action, comedy etc. They could then do cartoons if they must. All you see today is directors controlled by studios and political pandering and lots of angry people wishing they re-shoot the failed movies rushed in to cinemas and studios trying to remake movies without a clue as to why the movie was a hit.

As with most of the CNN-produced mini-series in this ilk, if you are watching for deep, original revelations about the subject matter then you might be a little disappointed. That isn't the way that CNN operates. Instead, this is more like people sitting around talking about their favorite movies, completely with incredibly high production value graphics and clips.

Basically covering a decade per episode (the 1930s-50s are sort of smooshed together in one), "The Movies" looks at the trends of each ten-year span through a variety of lenses. The "big ones" are always covered, but perspectives are also given each episode on women, minority, and independent-led films. As such, it leads to a pretty well-rounded discussion for such a surface-level show.

Of course, as I said, there are really no "deep dives" here. This is meant to capture the eye of casual, all-age viewers sitting around on a Sunday night, not jump-start huge philosophical or in-depth discussions.

So, your enjoyment of "The Movies" will likely depend on what you are looking for. If you don't mind--like me--just sitting back and watches clips & brief commentary on your favorite flicks, you'll burn through this in no time! If you want more nuanced content, you may want to look elsewhere.

I expected explanations and how Kurosawa and other foreign directors influenced Hollywood movies but we mostly got list of movies from that era which we already knew. Movies that were significant for black culture were the only thing that were explained well. No Kurosawa no Fellini no Goddard no Ozu no Bergman and Tarkovsky... I loved when Edgar Wright and PTA were talking but that's about it.

I'm a big movie fan so I was looking forward to this series. Episode 1 is a big disappointment. It's nothing more than a collection of films from the 1980s slapped together with some commentary, mostly from the people who made the films. There is no attempt to analyze what was going on in the film industry itself, how economic and political events influenced the films, nor how the 80s represented any trends that occurred earlier. No one squandered a single IQ point making this series. Think of it as a "coming attractions" that goes on and on. Some people will enjoy it. I did. But how much more valuable would this have been had they made an attempt to do more than show us a bunch of films. FWIW - Episode 2 shows the same trend. A great for movie fans but a missed opportunity to really inform.