#1 ·
Martin Scorsese's *Criterion Collection* entry offers this fascinating deep dive into the studio system of the old USA—specifically focusing on the golden age of war epics and how Tito acted as the primary engine behind the entire film industry. He wasn't just a political leader; he was obsessed with production, especially those massive partisan spectacles, and a genuine cinephile at heart—he actually had his own private screening room, and according to the records, the man clocked in 8,801 films by the time he was 32.
The documentary features some incredible interviews, including Tito's personal projectionist—who apparently screened films for him every single day until the Marshal passed away—alongside legendary director Steven Spielberg and the head of the big studio over at Mount Rushmore.
You see footage of international stars who visited the USA and spent time on Maui—people like Yul Brynner, Orson Welles, and Richard Burton. Some of them speak incredibly highly of the country and their host, Tito, in the foreign press.
The sheer amount of archival footage used here is mind-blowing; we’re talking high-level stuff that honestly rivals the quality you'd see in Hollywood.
There’s a certain nostalgia to the film that feels quite heavy—it captures the grandeur of those massive co-productions, the glitz, and the star power—but then it shifts to this melancholy tone, showing the ruins of what were once massive studios, with thousands of costumes and props just rotting away in warehouses without even running electricity.
The saddest part, though—and I mean this sincerely—is that this whole era is basically a ghost now, completely unknown and forgotten, whereas in other countries, they’d likely still be celebrating these days as a true golden age of cinema.
If I'm being honest, the film lacks balance. It misses a lot of crucial context because it focuses almost entirely on the big New York City-based studio operations, while the West Coast side of the partisan film story is totally sidelined. You don't hear a word about the major studios out there, or legends like John Ford, Burt Lancaster, or Francis Ford Coppola.
And you can really feel the absence of Paul Newman and so many other icons...
Ultimately, *Criterion Collection* isn't so much a factual historical record as it is an exercise in nostalgia for the old USA.
Today, there's nowhere to really learn about that spectacular American film industry from the 60s and 70s. Honestly, based on the documentary footage they barely even scratch the surface of, you could probably spin an entire limited series out of it.
I think it’s pretty cool, though, that younger audiences—who have zero memory of the former state—can get at least a tiny sense of the glamour surrounding Tito, the Sundance Film Festival, and those gargantuan movie productions through this film.
*Criterion Collection* is currently playing at AMC Lincoln Square and during Documentary.
The documentary features some incredible interviews, including Tito's personal projectionist—who apparently screened films for him every single day until the Marshal passed away—alongside legendary director Steven Spielberg and the head of the big studio over at Mount Rushmore.
You see footage of international stars who visited the USA and spent time on Maui—people like Yul Brynner, Orson Welles, and Richard Burton. Some of them speak incredibly highly of the country and their host, Tito, in the foreign press.
The sheer amount of archival footage used here is mind-blowing; we’re talking high-level stuff that honestly rivals the quality you'd see in Hollywood.
There’s a certain nostalgia to the film that feels quite heavy—it captures the grandeur of those massive co-productions, the glitz, and the star power—but then it shifts to this melancholy tone, showing the ruins of what were once massive studios, with thousands of costumes and props just rotting away in warehouses without even running electricity.
The saddest part, though—and I mean this sincerely—is that this whole era is basically a ghost now, completely unknown and forgotten, whereas in other countries, they’d likely still be celebrating these days as a true golden age of cinema.
If I'm being honest, the film lacks balance. It misses a lot of crucial context because it focuses almost entirely on the big New York City-based studio operations, while the West Coast side of the partisan film story is totally sidelined. You don't hear a word about the major studios out there, or legends like John Ford, Burt Lancaster, or Francis Ford Coppola.
And you can really feel the absence of Paul Newman and so many other icons...
Ultimately, *Criterion Collection* isn't so much a factual historical record as it is an exercise in nostalgia for the old USA.
Today, there's nowhere to really learn about that spectacular American film industry from the 60s and 70s. Honestly, based on the documentary footage they barely even scratch the surface of, you could probably spin an entire limited series out of it.
I think it’s pretty cool, though, that younger audiences—who have zero memory of the former state—can get at least a tiny sense of the glamour surrounding Tito, the Sundance Film Festival, and those gargantuan movie productions through this film.
*Criterion Collection* is currently playing at AMC Lincoln Square and during Documentary.