Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

I have nothing to add to all the appreciative comments here except to second them all: This is, hands down, the greatest documentary on Hollywood AND the second-greatest documentary series ever created for television -- second only to Ken Burns's THE CIVIL WAR, and that only because of the comparative triviality of the subject. What Kevin Brownlow and David Gill have done is nothing less than a noble service to posterity. (How I would love to see the uncut versions of ALL the interviews used in this series; I understand they're on deposit at the British Film Institute.) A note to all those who plead for the series to be released on DVD: I join you in those sentiments, and so does Kevin Brownlow. Unfortunately, as he said in an interview a few years ago, any DVD release is being stymied by the monumental task of getting clearance for the hundreds of film clips used in the series; evidently some of the rights-holders are being quite obstinate about it. A shame.

The "Hollywood" series is the best documentary on Hollywood that I have ever seen. It presents silent movies in their correct speed and this makes a huge difference. It reveals that silent movies were not silent and in fact had orchestras of up to 100 musicians. It shows how different these films were,visual poems of music and picture. Silent films often had surprisingly good special effects as good as today's special effects. This series also tells us about the pitfalls and dangers of silents film production with extras sometimes getting killed. It reveals forgotten movie stars of the past and tells us about their lives and what befell them. This wonderful series deserves a DVD release as it is quite unique. My only regret is that they should have done a second series on the sound movies of the 1930's,which was Hollywood's greatest era.

This is a remarkable document of the silent film era. Many of the participants make their last appearances to describe their film history. Agnes De Mille, Colleen Moore, King Vidor, Harold Lloyd, and Viola Dana are just a handful of names that participated in this documentary. They are but a few historical film names that participated before they passed away soon after (or before) this production was completed. Multiple Oscar winner Frank Capra, Oscar Honoree Hal Roach, and Hollywood legend Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. also participated in this series. This is essential viewing for anyone who calls themselves a film historian and anyone who values the history of film. It's great viewing for even casual fans of movie history and is not to be ignored by those who enjoy a good miniseries.

I happened to catch this on local TV back in the early 80's (it was broadcast irregularly, so it was a painful experience not being able to see all of it) and loved it, so you can imagine my joy when it was released on VHS in the dark days before that godsend known as DVD. Unfortunately, it was on the shelves for about a month before disappearing, but I got to see the entire run and have never forgotten it. This doc was such an education to me (the only exposure to silent film I had prior to this wonderful, brilliant documentary was a series of shorts called "Who's The Funny Man?" on Captain Penny back in the sixties, which was narrated by an actor named as Cliff Norton, I believe) - until I saw this, I thought of silent movies exactly the way James Mason described them as being thought of in the opening of the first episode, not knowing the artistry that went into their creation or the talent behind and in front of the cameras.To sum up, this is, and I'll say it a thousand times, the most entertaining, informative, amazing documentary about the unfortunately ignored silent era you will ever see. Absolutely stunning.