Taking 100 years of film down to eight hours is not easy, and "Fame in the 20th Century" is not perfect. But it is detailed, funny, heartwarming, painful and triumphant, and Clive James interconnects people from all corners of the world to show us that we are truly related.
Most of the footage is clean, from various sources, and some probably hasn't been seen too often. Maybe it's a bit heavy to go through all eight hours in one setting; but I find myself getting into a rhythm listening to him flow from one person (or decade) to the next...
It's similar to what Ken Burns did with "Baseball" and "Jazz". Except Clive is the only voice behind the film, and has a sort of 'prickly' (but witty) commentary which keeps it moving along.
My tape off PBS has gotten a bit soft after 13 years, and like the Burns series, if they released "Fame...", I'd be happy to invest in a DVD box set!. This would make a fantastic historical journey for generations to come!
Most of the footage is clean, from various sources, and some probably hasn't been seen too often. Maybe it's a bit heavy to go through all eight hours in one setting; but I find myself getting into a rhythm listening to him flow from one person (or decade) to the next...
It's similar to what Ken Burns did with "Baseball" and "Jazz". Except Clive is the only voice behind the film, and has a sort of 'prickly' (but witty) commentary which keeps it moving along.
My tape off PBS has gotten a bit soft after 13 years, and like the Burns series, if they released "Fame...", I'd be happy to invest in a DVD box set!. This would make a fantastic historical journey for generations to come!