The Story of Film: An Odyssey

This may be the most brilliant documentary on film ever, but I don't care. After sitting through 10 minutes of this guy's "uptalking", I could not stand to watch any longer, (and I spent the 1980's living in the San Fernando Valley when the whole "Valley Girl" thing started.) I swear to God, he up-talks not only at the END of every sentence, but DURING.

EXAMPLE: "Thomas Edison? invented film? in New Jersey? And he soon found that light? was of utmost importance?" I'm not exaggerating even slightly, that's how this guy talks 100% of the time. Hire a new narrator, then re-release it. Geez....

I understand that Cousins Northern Irish accent takes some getting used to. However, trashing his work because of the narration is too harsh a judgment. I actually watched the whole thing. Twice. I was fascinated by a documentary that tries the impossible: a history of world cinema. The first two episodes alone deal with the era of silent movies. Try to find something else that goes so much into detail! It requires concentration and attention but I kept watching because I learnt something.

The Story of Film is a very personal take on the subject. Cousins often uses phrases such as "perhaps the greatest film ever made" or "perhaps the most innovative film..." And often such phrases refer to a Japanese or Iranian movie that I have never heard of. I am sure a lot of people would disagree. I don't have a problem with it. In the opening sequence of every episode, he says that he follows the Odyssey of film makers who are not driven by box office success. If you want to see the history of Hollywood Blockbusters, "The Story of Film" is the wrong program. If you want to know what kind of films were made in the 1980s behind the iron curtain in Eastern Europe, now you are in the right theatre.

Leaving all criticism on Cousins narration, possible inaccuracies or highly subjective opinions aside, here is a man talking who has probably more forgotten about movies than most people ever knew about the subject.

If you have an interest in the history of international cinema and don't expect to be spoon-fed then "The Story of Film:An Odyssey" is excellent. Sure, it is Mark Cousins' personal view and he does jump around quite a bit but that doesn't detract from either the entertainment value or the interesting and valuable information in the series.

Of course, if you have no knowledge of the films / directors he is talking about then it no doubt will be rather difficult to follow. The four episodes I have seen have contained a lot of interesting information on the history of world cinema, including the production / finance side, and you can learn about some old classics which I can vaguely remember seeing at film festivals in the 60's and 70's. Highly recommended. Update : I have now watched the complete series of "The Story of Film" and it is a classic, a great resource for those interested in world cinema and thoroughly entertaining to boot.

I don't think the reviews I have read on this site have been particularly fair or helpful. This is very much a personal odyssey but it is none the poorer for that. Cousins is a passionate cineaste and enthusiastic guide. Some reviewers seem to object to his lilting Northern-Irish tones. Get over it! What we have here is a fascinating series, tracing the history of film from its sideshow beginnings through to the global entertainment industry and modern art form we know today. I particularly like the way Cousins chooses to analysise the films he features in the series. This analysis is always in-depth, enlightening and very well illustrated by his choice of clips. The series is a must-see for anyone studying film or who is serious about film.

If what you want is an obvious western view of the history of film narrated by, say, Patrik Stewart, don't watch this.

Cousins Ulster brogue requires a little getting used to and much of this is his (well informed) personal opinion, but if you can stick with the low budget, stylised camera work and editing it is a joy. The descriptions of various styles of cinematography and editing as opposed to film text and meaning is inventive and informative, very different to the often imposed micro analysis you get from film studies text. I loved hearing cousins say things like "...deep space, shallow focus...single take, no fast cutting..." I soon found myself looking at films thinking Cousin-like about what I Was seeing on screen.

I learnt about how different directors and cinematographers influenced each other, how styles emerged, faded, and reemerged. How new directors from different countries, influenced by Hollywood, reshaped those ideas and created new personal films reflecting the psyche of their own nations. Cousin's odyssey is like a poem, his narration is often abstract yet personal. But it is exciting and informative, a different take on a subject history that all to often is written in stone. Refreshing and far from obvious this deserves far more respect than some people give it.