Learning on ScreenThe Story of Film: An Odyssey
2012. GB. DVD. 915 minutes. Network DVD. Certificate 15. Price: £50.40
About the Author: Martin Carter is a film lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University. He is a regular contributor to Vertigo magazine and his specialist teaching includes British cinema – classic and contemporary; the history of documentary filmmaking; Hollywood on Hollywood; and British science fiction – film and TV
Initially, Mark Cousins’ epic television series, The Story of Film: An Odyssey, seems as if it will provide much that we already know about the history of cinema; the likes of Thomas Edison, The Lumiere Brothers, Georges Melies and D.W. Griffith all make early appearances. However, as the first episode progresses, we are confronted by something rarely talked of in early cinema (or any other period, for that matter): women filmmakers. Cousins finds the time to celebrate the work of directors such as Alice Guy Blache and Lois Weber, films which are stylistically and technically the equal of those made by their better-known male counterparts. This recognition of the importance of women in film, as writers, editors and directors opens up a secret history and is emblematic of Cousins’ approach to the story of cinema that then unfolds over the next fifteen hours. This is a journey of discovery and one that will continually wander off the well-trodden paths of cinema history and explore lesser-known territory.
This is a journey of discovery and one that will continually wander off the well-trodden paths of cinema history and explore lesser-known territory
Cousins’ history emphasises the global nature of film and constantly reminds the viewer that although Hollywood is usually perceived as the world’s pre-eminent film industry, there are strong arguments against this received view. For instance, the world’s most popular film is not, as we might expect, Titanic (1997) or Avatar (2009), but probably Sholay (1975), an Indian action movie from the 1970s that broke box office records not only for its opening weekend but for several consecutive years across the subcontinent. Hollywood is certainly given its due as a major film industry but its position is also put into a global perspective and Cousins shows that it is but one of a number of global film industries. To illustrate this, Cousins frequently takes the opportunity to indulge in his love of Japanese cinema and his favourite director Yasujiro Ozu making a strong case for our notion of ‘classical cinema’ to be a far more inclusive term that takes in films from all periods and nationalities. In his view, Hollywood is not a purveyor ‘classical’cinema’, but ‘romantic’ cinema and this intriguing reclassification of the term does indeed open up a vast array of cinema for wider consideration as popular entertainment.
In recent interviews, Cousins has spoken of how both cineastes and film geeks now face completely different challenges in their pursuit of new cinematic treasures; the problem used to be how to find a sought after film, today it is deciding which film to watch next. There is now an abundance of choice for anyone seeking out obscure films, the coming of DVD opened up the opportunity to sample films from around the world by mail order; the spread of the internet made this even easier but now we have the ability to search for and download (either legally or illegally) tens of thousands of films with the touch of a keypad – so many films, so little time. This series is an excellent primer for aiding that selection process; you will be reminded of great films from the past, you will find out about lesser known films that you may have missed, but most importantly you will be introduced to a staggering range of films that you will have never heard of but now must see. If you are a lover of cinema and in search of some adventure then this is an odyssey well worth embarking on.
Martin Carter
