# Hollywood (1980)

> A thirteen-part British documentary that traces the founding of the Hollywood studios and their influence on 1920s culture through firsthand accounts from silent era figures.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/38818

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 13
- Episode runtime: 50 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: documentary
- Created by: Kevin Brownlow, David Gill
- Network: ITV1
- Cast: James Mason, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Jackie Coogan, Hal Roach, King Vidor, Byron Haskin, George Cukor, Gaylord Carter
- TMDB rating: 9.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080230/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: subtle
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: nostalgic, reverent, affectionate, contemplative, wistful

## What critics say

Critics broadly regard the series as a authoritative and affectionate history of early Hollywood, valued for its archival material and firsthand testimony.

## Synopsis

Hollywood (1980) is a British documentary miniseries created by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill for ITV1, produced by Thames Television. Across thirteen 50-minute episodes, it reconstructs how the Hollywood studios were founded and grew, and how the films and stars they produced reshaped the culture of the 1920s. James Mason narrates, and the program's core is a run of firsthand recollections from silent era figures who appear as themselves, including Douglas Fairbanks Jr., King Vidor, Hal Roach, Byron Haskin, George Cukor, Jackie Coogan and Dolores Costello. Rather than dramatising the period, the series builds its story from interviews, clips and archival material, so each episode moves through a studio, a genre or a famous career with the patient detail of a historian. The tone is nostalgic and affectionate, with a reverent interest in craft, ambition and the improvised glamour of early movie making. Viewers drawn to classic cinema, silent film stars and behind the scenes Hollywood history will find resonance alongside fans of A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies and The Celluloid Closet. The series is a single complete run that ends as a finished chronicle rather than a cliffhanger.

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