History Brought to Life

19501950
10m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

This short turns the spotlight on studio research departments. They are responsible for assuring that the sets, costumes, and props are as accurate as possible for the period in which the fi... Read allThis short turns the spotlight on studio research departments. They are responsible for assuring that the sets, costumes, and props are as accurate as possible for the period in which the film takes place. This includes a broad range of subjects, such as Biblical epics, historica... Read allThis short turns the spotlight on studio research departments. They are responsible for assuring that the sets, costumes, and props are as accurate as possible for the period in which the film takes place. This includes a broad range of subjects, such as Biblical epics, historical novels, biographies of the famous and not-so-famous, and contemporary drama.

IMDb RATING

5.3/10

YOUR RATING

- Jerry Hopper(uncredited)
- Robert Callaway(story)
- Grant Leenhouts(additional dialogue)
- Lyle Robertson(adaptation)
Stars
- Raymond Massey(archive footage)
- Claudette Colbert(archive footage)
- Gary Cooper(archive footage)

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2User reviews

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Raymond Massey

Abraham Lincoln
(archive footage)

Claudette Colbert

Cleopatra in Cleopatra
(archive footage)
(uncredited)

Gary Cooper

Marco Polo in The Adventures of Marco Polo
(archive footage)
(uncredited)

Cecil B. DeMille

Host
(uncredited)
…

Charles Laughton

Bligh in Mutiny on the Bounty
(archive footage)
(uncredited)

Spencer Tracy

Thomas A. Edison
(archive footage)
(uncredited)

Henry Wilcoxon

Marc Antony in Cleopatra
(archive footage)
(uncredited)

- Jerry Hopper(uncredited)
- Robert Callaway(story) (uncredited)
- Grant Leenhouts(additional dialogue) (uncredited)
- Lyle Robertson(adaptation) (additional dialogue) (uncredited)
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Featured review

3/10

Badly in need of film restoration is this grainy print...

Perhaps the low rating is due to the atrocious print shown on TCM of this ten minute short produced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and narrated by Cecil B. DeMille, who took no credit for his services.

The murky print barely has time to dwell on any of the film footage it uses from various films. The screen actually turns white during a segment from Laurence Olivier's HAMLET, the blotchiest of all the film clips used. Equally murky footage from famous films like MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY and other historical epics makes the short almost unwatchable.

DeMille's commentary is obvious, not enlightening, and the whole short subject looks like it hasn't been restored since it was made more than half a century ago. It's hard to believe the Academy hasn't bothered to restore it by now or that a better print wasn't available to TCM.

Not worth commenting on, really.

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