The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies (TV 1995)

Director:

Chuck Workman

Writers:

Sheila Benson, Chuck Workman

Stars:

Peter Coyote, Robert Altman, Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Peter Coyote	...	Narrator
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Altman	...	Himself
Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle	...	Himself (archive footage)
Fred Astaire	...	Himself (archive footage)
Warren Beatty	...	Himself
William Beaudine	...	Himself (archive footage)
Candice Bergen	...	Herself
Ingrid Bergman	...	Herself (archive footage)
Clara Bow	...	Herself (archive footage)
Marlon Brando	...	Himself (archive footage)
George Burns	...	Himself
Michael Caine	...	Himself
Carol Channing	...	Herself
Charles Chaplin	...	Himself (archive footage)
Claudette Colbert	...	Herself (archive footage)

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

number in title

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 June 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

The First 100 Years of Cinema

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Film Institute (AFI), Calliope Films, Home Box Office (HBO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Featured in the documentary are clips from the historic American Mutoscope and Biograph Company which is still in existence today.

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Connections

Features Gulliver's Travels (1939)

User Reviews

Magical, Mature Perspective

Okay, so a previous commenter is correct: this isn't the movie for every detail about film history. But if you want the feel of eras gone by in an entertaining and first-class package, you just can't beat this. Workman's idea seems to have been to capture the essence of cinema, from its electrifying start that wow'd a quieter, slower age, to its post-Hays Code period--NOT our more contemporary times. Thus, you don't see every critical name--it's the story of a medium, not all of its movers and shakers, though you'll certainly see enough of those. Most of all, expect to have a sense for what it was like "then," whichever "then" is under discussion as you go. Cinema is, in a very real sense, time travel: there are few ways we can go back and be there--in the 20s or 30s, for example--but film was there and Workman's project is very credible in the way it transports you, as well. The only question remains how one can get a copy of this feature, since I haven't seen it after its mid-90s HBO debut. Any ideas?