Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood
A six-part survey of silent-era European cinema.
Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood is a 1995 documentary film series produced by David Gill and silent film historian Kevin Brownlow. It serves as a follow-up to their earlier series, Hollywood, and examines the early history of European cinema.
Quick Facts
- Production team
- David Gill and Kevin Brownlow
- Narrator
- Kenneth Branagh
- Original music composers
- Carl Davis, Philip Appleby, Nic Raine
- Original broadcaster (uk)
- BBC
- Original airdates
- October 1 to November 5, 1995
- Number of episodes
- 6
- Total runtime
- 348 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Overview
The six-part mini-series traces European cinema from its beginnings with the Lumière brothers through its silent-era peak as a competitor to American film, ending with the rise of the Nazis. It incorporates rare footage and examines the strengths and weaknesses of different national film industries. Kenneth Branagh narrates, with original music by Carl Davis, Philip Appleby, and Nic Raine. The series aired on the BBC in 1995 and on Turner Classic Movies in 1996. A 2-disc DVD set was released in 2000. The documentary occasionally appeared on public television in late-night slots due to its length and some sexual frankness.
Episodes
The first episode, 'Where It All Began', aired October 1, 1995, covering the first public film presentation in Paris, early Danish and Italian cinema, comedies by Max Linder and Ernst Lubitsch, and Abel Gance's J'accuse. 'Art's Promised Land' (October 8) focuses on Swedish cinema, including works by Victor Sjöström and Mauritz Stiller, and was directed by Michael Winterbottom. 'The Unchained Camera' (October 15) features German films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Metropolis, and Nosferatu, plus Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin. 'The Music of Light' (October 22) highlights Abel Gance's Napoleon and La Roue. 'Opportunity Lost' (October 29) explores Alfred Hitchcock's early career. The finale, 'End of an Era' (November 5), covers the arrival of sound films, The Jazz Singer, The Blue Angel, and the onset of World War II.
More in 1990s British Documentary Television Series
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