Long treated with indifference by critics and historians, British silent cinema has only recently undergone the reevaluation it has long deserved, revealing it to be far richer than previously acknowledged. This documentary, featuring clips from a remarkable range of films, celebrates the early years of British filmmaking and spans from such pioneers as George Albert Smith and Cecil Hepworth to such later figures as Anthony Asquith, Maurice Elvey and, of course, Alfred Hitchcock.
Where to watch
Not streaming anywhere
Not on any streaming service in United States, and not available to rent.
Your rating
Your review
Cast
6 people
Matthew Sweet
Himself - Presenter
Also in
Limehouse: A Victorian Chinatown
Remembering 'Dead of Night'
Jack Cardiff
Himself
Also in
Tiptoes
British Film Forever
Ian Christie
Himself
Also in
Revisiting The Man in the White Suit
Bryony Dixon
Himself
Michael Eaton
Himself
Frank Gray
Himself
Also in
The More You Ignore Me
Acting Out
David M. Thompson Director · Matthew Sweet Writer Neil Brand Composer
First release May 31, 2006 · Produced in United Kingdom · Production BFI, BBC Film
Production
BBC
Production
BFI
Production
BBC Film
Studio
United Kingdom
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English
Release dates
United Kingdom · May 31, 2006
TV · TV documentary
No release date listed for United States.
More from David M. Thompson
Other films they directed, best known first.
Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood
Movie · 1987
Ennio Morricone
Movie · 1995
Quentin Tarantino: Hollywood's Boy Wonder
Movie · 1994
Writing with Light: Vittorio Storaro
Movie · 1992
Cinema, Sex, Politics: Bertolucci Makes ‘The Dreamers’
Movie · 2004
Paul Verhoeven: From Holland to Hollywood
Movie · 1996
Some details come from TheTVDB.