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Customer Reviews of American Cinema

Accessable and Lively Film History
I use this set for film and history classes because the references are fresh and available to those whose have interest but little knowledge. The absence of academic vocabulary may by off-putting to some, but it makes the viewer feel well-informed and well-entertained at the same time. My idea of education!

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Misses ONE Major aspect of American Cinema
Animation. Even Orsen Welles has said on numerous occasions that the single biggest influence on his visual approach to Citizen Kane was Walt Disney's Pinocchio. Disney's impact on cinema with his specific use of sound and especially Technicolor,and its ability of color to support the dramatic stories he told must not be underestimated. Disney even had exclusive rights to 3 strip Technicolor for a number of years. The "integrated" movie musical BEGAN with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and was immediatly co-opted by MGM in it's succesful slew of musical movies. Why he is virtually entirely missing from this documentary is quite simply shocking. Otherwise, it's a fun watch.

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The Cheapest Film Class You'll Ever Take
Writing a screenplay? Trying to do an indie? This set TOUCHES on 100's of important (sometimes obscure) American films...just enough to make you want to find some of them for further study and ignore others. You will see, within catagories or timelines, snippets, some brief but some several minutes, give you the highlights, the substance.

This is NOT MGM's "That's Entertainment".

This IS a series of entertaining, lucid programs that follow like film school seminars but are easily understood by even the most casual viewer. Note, the series does not play to the lowest common denominator. A true film buff and their film-hating spouse could watch this together, and both walk away amazed. My elementary school kids now understand as much about film making history as many professionals I know.

This would be a great gift to your local school.

I highly recommend this if you are interestted in Digital Video, especially home filming, guerilla film-making, or just getting ready for film school itself. This set is entertaining, but is an education in itself.

The shots, the sounds, the explanations of what works, the experiences of current filmmakers, the reasons for success of prior filmmakers, WHY the public taste changed in every decade(o-o-h, never thought of THAT, eh?)... This is a dream come true if you do not live within commuting distance of a film school or don't have the [money]...

Trust me on this one. You will not regret this purchase.