Review for Story of Film (The): An Odyssey [Steelbook]

What an achievement! Alright - the soft, faux-poetic narration in broad Irish accent can grate a little, but it would be surlish to deny this mammoth opus the ten out of ten rating it so obviously deserves on account of just that.


Mark Cousins turned his bestseller, 'The Story of Film' into an incredibly detailed, and I must say, utterly absorbing 15-hour documentary. This is what buying and owning DVD's is all about and no self-respecting film fan would want to be without it. In fact, I'd suggest that this one could represent the best buy of the year and anyone studying film should consider it a foundation course for further study and appreciation.


So why is it so much better than just about anything else of its ilk? After all, there is no shortage of film documentary. I think the answer is, quite simply, scope and detail. It has enough of both to wallow in the wonder of film history in a blissfully concise way, from its origins to contemporary works, without ever feeling slight. Which is not to suggest it is definitive. It plainly isn't and viewers may be frustrated by the speed their particular favourites are featured. But this is entirely necessary to complete the journey.


Apparently film-maker and film enthusiast Mark Cousins ('Moviedrome' presenter amongst other film related accolades) took a full five years to produce this series which is totally understandable. Dealing with the extract rights alone must have been a herculean task for his production team. The series uses a mix of international footage, explanatory footage (when discussing focus and composition for example) and hundreds of perfectly picked extracts to create a series that is utterly compelling viewing. Each of the five discs houses some 3 hours of material and I was happy to view a disc in a single sitting when time allowed.


The series never betrays its shoe-string budget, looking slickly professional throughout, despite the fact that footage was often created by Cousins and a single cameraman for the price of a couple of air-tickets. In short, the series was a labour of love.


Interview footage is used sparingly and there is precious little fat in them. Throughout the 15 hours there are some 50 or so interviews with, as Cousins calls them, 'eyewitnesses to great times'. These include a raft of great Directors (Stanley Donen, Hitchcock etc) as well as actors, actresses, writers and cinematographers.


Cousins is obviously a huge enthusiast and fan though he does an excellent job of retaining an air of objective enthusiasm throughout (despite letting the guard down for an appraisal of Roeg's 'Performance' which is clearly a personal favourite, as he gushes subjectively about its brilliance).


The set should really come with a warning to film enthusiasts (like me) who will inevitably get caught up in the incredible breadth of brilliant film-making profiled here, and the 'wants' list will inevitable escalate dangerously as a result. It also served to remind me of some little watched sets that really deserve a re-visit (Bergman, Fassbinder, Bunuel amongst them).


For me, the first disc (with early silent outings) and the 'seventies' discs proved most fascinating; both periods of film-making that for quite different reasons fascinate me personally. But there is much to enjoy throughout.

Cousins makes a special effort to not only acknowledge the American and European film-makers that most of us will be familiar with, but to seek out lesser known 'greats' from Asia, South America, Africa and India with some great clips evidencing the fact that Hollywood had no monopoly on creativity and brilliance.
 

Episodes not only cover specific eras, but also the key trends and innovations of film-making from that period. So they are divided into the following chapters, in common with the book.

01. 1895-1918: The World Discovers a New Art-form.
02. 1918-1928: The Triumph of American Film and the First Of Its Rebels.
03. 1918 - 1932: The Great Rebel Filmmakers Around the World.
04. The 1930s: The Great American Movie Genres - And The Brilliance Of European Films.
05. 1939 - 1952: The Devastation Of War - And A New Movie Language.
06. 1953 - 1957: The Swollen Story - World Cinema Bursting At The Seams.
07. 1957 - 1964: The Shock Of The New - Modern Filmmaking In Western Europe.
08. 1965 - 1969: New Waves - Sweep Around The World.
09. 1967 - 1979: New American Cinema.
10. 1969 - 1979: Radical Directors In The 70s - Make State Of The Nation Movies.
11. 1970s and Onwards: Innovation In Popular Culture - Around The World.
12. The 1980s: Moviemaking And Protest - Around The World.
13. 1990 - 1998: The Last Days Of Celluloid - Before The Coming Of Digital.
14. The 1990s: The First Days Of Digital - Reality Losing Its Realness In America And Australia.
15. 2000 Onwards: Film Moves Full Circle - And The Future Of Movies.


This review can do little justice to the scope of this set. As I broke a typing finger on my right hand a day prior to punching the keys for this one, I hope what little I have penned will at least ignite some enthusiasm for the release.

This set falls into the category of 'no brainer'. Like Cousin's says of 'Performance', everyone should be made to watch this at least once in their life. Possibly the best buy you'll make this year.