[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc346ihvScI?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0&w=500&h=375]

Intimate little details of an industry that was new, young, and excitingly innocent of its mighty potential for scandal!

HOLLYWOOD: A CELEBRATION OF THE AMERICAN SILENT FILM (1980)

“The art of arousing the audience without arousing the censor, Hollywood’s self-censorship would last over 40 years.”
—— James Mason, narrator.

“Censorship makes you think…well, all it does is make you guard your language, makes you express yourself in a wee bit different way, makes you smart enough to bypass this and let the audience see *it* without actually seeing *it*…”
—- Henry King, silent film director.

[quotes from episode 3—-Single Beds & Double Standards]

I don’t know about you, folks, but I think this 13 episode mini-series should be required viewing for all those getting an education in film-studies!

I have just been getting into this, and I have 10 more episodes to go! Each episode focuses on a different aspect of the film industry in that era—-from star-treatment, to directing, to lighting, acting, etc. 5 out of 5 stars for it’s epic depth rarely seen in a television production. This is a treasure-trove of rare interviews with the people who were actually there at the time—-from big stars like Gloria Swanson, to lessor-known, like Colleen Moore, to big directors, like Henry King, all offering their personal memories and intimate little details of the industry that was new, young, wild, and lovely as a stallion. An industry that was excitingly innocent of it’s mighty potential for trouble—- as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It was a time of jovial bravery, as in that time perhaps more than in any other, Hollywood was playing by its own rules.

Highly recommended, WONDERFUL documentary!

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)