The ghosts of 1920s Hollywood tell their own scandalous, glittering story — and oh, they do.
Season 1 • Episode 13
LatestSilent films had universal appeal, simply by replacing intertitles and dialogue cards for the foreign markets. Sound film was experimented with in many forms since the 1890s, but did not become commercially successful until The Jazz Singer in 1927. Hollywood movie making was transformed and ultimately shattered, taking the careers of many silent film stars, directors and producers with it, victims of the emerging technology.
A 1980 documentary series exploring the establishment and development of the Hollywood studios and its impact on 1920s culture.
Acting
Louise Brooks's final interviews — iconic and devastating
Direction
Brownlow's obsessive archival archaeology pays off
Production
Tracking down 80-year-old stars before they vanished
Creators
Kevin Brownlow, David Gill
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Kevin Brownlow spent decades tracking down survivors of the silent era; many died within years of filming.
This basically invented the 'talking heads + archival footage' documentary format that Ken Burns would later perfect.
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