A 1980 documentary series exploring the establishment and development of the Hollywood studios and its impact on 1920s culture.
The peaks and the valleys. Find the essential episodes — and the ones to skip.
The evolution of film from penny arcade curiosity to art form, from The Great Train Robbery, through to The Birth of a Nation. Early Technicolor footage, along with other color technologies, are also featured.
The glorious, tragic, and truncated careers of American silent stars like John Gilbert, Clara Bow, Louise Brooks, and Greta Garbo are highlighted.
The rise of practical synchronized sound film technology spells the end of the silent era of Hollywood with its casualties and the struggle to redefine cinema with sound in mind.
Two of the great romantic legends of the silent screen are profiled. Rudolph Valentino's on-screen persona is remarkably different from his real personal life, and Gloria Swanson recalls her meteoric rise and fall with remarkable candor.
Each point is an episode, plotted in order. Colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for the rise, the plateau, or the decline.
High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.
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