Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood

Season

1995

UK

8.7

Documentary mini-series about the rise and fall of the European silent film industry.

Episode List

S1 • E1

Where It All Began

The early filmmaking years in European countries such as Britain, France, Germany, and Italy leading up to World War I.

S1 • E2

Art's Promised Land

The title comes from a comment that Danish director Carl Dreyer made about Swedish director Victor Sjostrom, and the focus here is on the Svensk studio and the role played by adaptations of contemporary novels by the author Selma Lagerlof.

S1 • E3

The Unchained Camera

More free flowing movement of the camera is associated with the silent cinema in Germany.

S1 • E4

The Music of Light

An overview of the French silent film industry during the twenties, covering technical and artistic innovations and achievements, and looking at the work of Abel Gance and Carl Dreyer, among others.

S1 • E5

Opportunity Lost

British silent film was small and old fashioned ; many actors snubbed working in movies and few establishment society figures respected directing. Documentary, however, was a field where there was a distinctive contribution.