Mired in wars, suffering massive unemployment and falling behind in research, technological innovation and education, the U.S. seems to be removing itself from superpower status. “We’re No. 11!” Newsweek recently chirped, sarcastically.
But there’s one area where America still demands the world’s respect. In making the magic of film entertainment, we’re No. 1.
Hollywood remains one of America’s most lucrative and persuasive export products — and our most self-defining: these days, it’s better to be known for Spielberg and Lucas than for Ford and GM.
The histories of America and Hollywood have long been intertwined. Movies reflect social strains and cultural trends, whether Prohibition, civil rights, changing women’s roles or anxiety about foreign foes.
An impressive seven-part documentary from TCM, “Moguls & Movie Stars,” references both histories as it studies the personalities — inventors and businessmen, actors and directors — who created the dream factories. Historians and critics add insights, highlighted by impressive archival footage.
TCM is devoting the month to the history of the industry, showcasing classics of each era along with the “Moguls & Movie Stars” episodes, airing Mondays.
The first two hours will air Monday — “Peepshow Pioneers” at 5 p.m., “Birth of Hollywood” at 6 p.m. on TCM — with subsequent installments Mondays at 6. The first episode also airs Saturday morning, 10 a.m.
Narrated by Christopher Plummer, the project leans toward the business side of the equation, exploring the working of the industry more than the artistry of the films themselves. Peter Bogdanovich, Gore Vidal, Robert Osborne, Jeanine Basinger and Molly Haskell lend insights; the descendants of the pioneers, including Richard Zanuck and Samuel Goldwyn Jr., tell stories about how their immigrant forebears approached their work.
Countless clip shows have celebrated our favorite star images. This is a different, serious history of Hollywood, dissecting the birth of the studio system, the minting of stars, the biggest box-office hits and bombs, and the impact of the industry on the culture.
Starting with early experiments in moving pictures going back to 1659 and the Dutch contribution, “The Magic Lantern,” and moving forward through the Lumiere Brothers and Thomas Edison and eventual entrepreneurs who saw commercial and storytelling potential in the new technology, the story is familiar to cinema buffs.
While the inevitable, constant war between art and commerce is discussed in the third episode, the tone of the documentary is mostly positive in terms of what Hollywood has become. True, the real artists were forced out when the talkies replaced silent pictures; the studio moguls had little interest in anything beyond making money. But the wonder is that, in spite of the restrictions and financial imperatives, the system managed to produce the meaningful, breakthrough films that it did.
The series concludes with the 1970s, when a new generation of independent filmmakers invaded the scene. As multiplexes replaced the grand movie palaces, “Bonnie & Clyde” and “Easy Rider” signaled the end of the studio system.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
