100 Years At The Movies

Written By: mike on September 3, 2010 No Comment

The video 100 Years At The Movies is an astonishing compilation of some of the greatest films and talents of the 20th century. Produced and directed by Chuck Workman, this video melds together clips from a diversity of movie genres: romance, comedy, drama, sci-fi, musical, historical, mystery, western, and silent films. It was created for the 1994 Academy Award show.

Beginning in April of 1894, the video takes us to the beginning of visual entertainment with the early nickelodeons. Workman has divided the 100 year period into roughly 17 sections by featured films, but watching the video, a curious categorizing emerged instead. Certain audio clips actually announce the various sections quite creatively.

While there is no dialog in the silent film section, Workman draws us in with curious clips from many famous films such as The Great Train Robbery and Ben Hur (1907). We adore the comedic antics of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, sensational scenes of cops running as if they were wind-up toys, and the swashbuckling Douglas Fairbanks in The Thief of Baghdad.

Interestingly, Greed is one of the featured films he highlights from the mid-1920′s being reflective of an energized country; industry and commerce soared to new heights. Anything was possible.

“Talkies” were the next big change during the 1920′s, with the 1927 film The Jazz Singer. Al Jolson belts out “Blue Skies” in the background, and interspersed with the Jolson joviality is, appropriately, the voice of James Cagney saying: “Aw, talking pictures. It’s just a fad!”

The late ‘20′s to 1930′s was all about doing things with sound, the new invention that revolutionized pictures. The video goes wild with it and we hear the distinctive voice of Edwin G. Robinson: “Is this the end of Rico?” Mae West: “Why don’t you come up some time ‘n see me?” The lilting Greta Garbo: “I want to be alone.” Finally, Boris Karloff shouting: “It’s alive, it’s alive!” over his Frankenstein creation, craftily interspersed with Johnny Weissmuller’s signature Tarzan yell. Wallace Beery is shouting “Shut up, shut up!” to Jean Harlow as the scene fades into The Gold Diggers of 1933 and strains of “We’re in the Money”, an apt picture of the absolute escapism of the deep Depression era.

The clips compiled for this period all reflect the theme of escapism: Flying Down to Rio, Duck Soup, It Happened One Night, Philadelphia Story, Bringing Up Baby, along with adventure: Robin Hood, Gunga Din, Mutiny on the Bounty, and Charles Laughton sneers: “You mutinous dog!” into the mix. The end of the ‘30′s is highlighted by disasters: San Francisco, The Good Earth.

The World War II era dawns, of course, with the classics of Gone With The Wind, and The Wizard of Oz. Rhett Butler growls at Scarlett: “You’ve turned me out while you chased Ashley Wilkes, while you dreamed of Ashley Wilkes. This is one night you’re not turning me out!” Greer Garson’s elegant voice lilts: “Goodbye, Mr. Chips.” Bogey whispers: “Here’s looking at you, kid” from Casablanca, the film that epitomizes this era. Bacall croons: “It’s even better when you help.” This line seems to point straight to the films that follow it, many of which portray pairs: Shirley Temple/Bill Robinson, McDonald/Eddy, Hope/Crosby, Garland/Rooney, Fred Astair and Gene Kelly, with various partners, and other famous pairings.

During the Post-World War II era there is a shift, a sense of times getting better. The featured film (1946) is the classic It’s A Wonderful Life, with a title that says it all. Jimmy Steward yells: “Merry Christmas!” through the town. We hear Cagney again: “Made it, Ma! Top of the world!” all indicative of the well-being after the end of the war, tinged with apprehension about the future. Bette Davis wisecracks the famous line: “Fasten your seat belts, it’s gong to be a bumpy night.”

In the 1950′s and early ‘60′s, we see a shift portrayed by Marlon Brando in On The Waterfront as he reflectively moans: “I coulda had class, I coulda been a contender, I coulda been somebody . . .” This line sets up clips that illustrate bigness– big movies about big characters: A Star Is Born, Stalag 17, High Noon, From Here to Eternity, Funny Face, Hud, True Grit, Dr. Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia. We see clips of Elvis, The Beatles, Anthony Perkins, Julie Andrews, Robert Redford and others in big roles.

The 1970′s are introduced with Kate Hepburn saying: “Guess who’s coming to dinner?” from the movie by that name. What follows are clips reflecting changing and uncertain times of the late Vietnam Era: Easy Rider, Patton, Midnight Cowboy, The Godfather, Taxi Driver, and Chinatown. We hear “We rob banks,” from Bonnie and Clyde, and Robert DeNiro murmuring: “You talkin’ to me? . . . well, I’m the only one here”, as if we were heading into some kind of black hole.

Rocky births a new hope and the famous theme song plays in the background. Clips include the swiveling head from The Exorcist, The Sting, and Star Wars, Jaws, and Peter Finch in Network enjoins us: “I want you to get up now . . . I want you to get up right now and go to the window and stick your head out and yell–I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” A very appropriate scream at the times.

Workman brings us into the modern era highlighting the violent Raging Bull, and ends with a montage like a fireworks finale on 4th of July—drama, epics, science fiction, love, gangs, space, you name it, it’s there. His parting shot is Liam Neeson looking back at us in his role as Oskar Schindler from Schindler’s List, a little hopeful, a little uncertain.