Films about Film
Right now on Netflix there is an interesting 15 part series documenting the history of film titled The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011) by Mark Cousins. The series starts at the dawn of film and moves forward through time, giving attention to the impact of film felt throughout the world. Many film movements are detailed as well as their political, historical, sociological and psychological relevance. While some of the films referenced are obscure, especially the foreign films from early on, fortunately a number of films discussed are part of the Criterion Collection and readily available for viewing. My only complaint about the series is that some of the films discussed reveal the ending so there may be some spoilers to some classic films, but ultimately there are so many films discussed that it is likely you will forget the ending by the time you get around to watching any of those films.
Once I finished The Story of Film, I began watching a complimentary documentary with an entirely different focus on the history of film. Sophie Fiennes' The Pervert's Guide to Ideology (2012) follows Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek as he discusses a number of films throughout history based on the ideology of the culture and the times. Zizek is a Marxist and his ideals may not appeal to some for that very reason, but for those with an open mind that are willing to view film and the history of the world in general from a different understanding, this film will prove to have a great deal of insight. Some of the arguments that Zizek makes for these films appear to be reaching to find a deeper meaning. I can't imagine that some of the directors of these films were deep down intending to portray the sentiments expressed by Zizek, but his ability to read into some of these films and connect them to events of the time do seem to make a valid connection that perhaps even if done subconsciously, there is a point to be made whether or not the filmmaker intend to. This subconscious interaction could be blamed on the underlying ideology that Zizek is speaking of and for that reason his arguments should not be discredited. While it is basically a long commentary with film clips, they do try to mix it up by having him speak while standing in a recreation of the settings for the very films he is discussing, which does make it more entertaining. For any fan of the cinema, I feel these two documentaries are complimentary and should be viewed while they are still on Netflix.
As a bonus, here is Slavoj Zizek in the Criterion closet.












